The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-02-01
VHITH FHMALB Slaves
In the Deus Of Infamy Among
Wisconsin Pineries.
A WOMAN'S INVESTIGATION,
Aud the Fearful Stories She Tells of
the Lives of Young Girls who are
Lurod Into tho Most Affect
aud Degraded Slavery,

I
aud Degraded Slavery,
PHILADELPHIA, Jan, Sl,-A vigorous
and eloquent appeal for her sex was
made in Association Hall last night by q
tall, slender woman, whose age might
bs 80, but certainly not over S5. An
abundance Of dark hair, turning proma-
turely gray, surrounded and set OF a
finely cut face that kept ones eyes fxed
upon it constantly, The eyes were big
and brown and looked sleepy until the
fire Of enthusiasm flashed In them, The
woman was DR., Kate @, Bushnell, who
did such effective work in exposing tho
stockaded dives among the pine forests
In the Northern part OF Wisconsin,
The subject OF her lecture was "The
Slavery Of Women In Northern Wis.
Consin, and she was listened to and an.
plauded by a large audience composed
about equally Of men and women. Some
time after DR., Bushnell graduated from
the Women's Medical College in Chicago
she went to China as a medical mission.
ary under the auspices OF the Methodist
Church aud later became an evangelist
in connection with the work ot the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
While she was engaged in her labOrs
with the organization she undertook the
investigation OF the Wisconsin forest
dives with such good resultthat she was
called upon by the Legislature OF the
State 10 aid in obtaining evidence against
them. Judge James Gay Gordon intro
duced her to the audience last night.
The lecturer started out by saying that
her attention was first called to the ser.
yitude OF the women In the pines by the
newspaper stories, and then at the re.
quest OF the association with which she
was connected she undertook an investi-
CATION OF the question, having had n large
experience with fallen women In her
hospital practice in Chicago and thus be-
coming interested in them.
DR, BusuSELLs TALK.
"a great deal Of my information, she
said, twas obtained from the court rec.
ords. l found by personal search that
the girls entrappel were not rs a rule OF
mature age, but most OF them young;
many OF them not over Is or II years OF
age. l found great difficulty, even when
/ obtained admission to the dives, To OBJ
tain personal interviews with the girls.
The proprietor always interiered. In the
stoCkades there was u barroom down
stairs, and the girls were kept up stairs.
| finally said had something to say 10
them that would DO to their benefit and
was permitted to sec one OF them.
"In one place, for instance, where l
could find very few girls | tackled the
cook, after seeing the table set for flf.
teen, and asked: Have you only fifteen
people in the houseP Tho woman re.
piled: 'Lordl no. We have to set the
table for thirty ] found that the flf.
teen people were all young girls and TINT
they were kept there for immoral pur-
poses. When / entered the barroom
again there was tho proprietor with sew
eral Of the girls and he purposely ques.
toned them In my presence.
"He asked each, Are you satisfied to
stay here? Are you treated well? Can't
you leave whenever you want to2' OIL
course, the girls answered his questions
in the affirmative. They were In such q
state OF abjeCt fear that they did not dare
to say no. They believed that their lives
lay In the hands OF the keeper OF the
dive, and / have no doubt they were
right in that matter.
"There was one way frequently praC-
ticed Of supplying tho dives with female
inmates. 1 know Of an instance l can
vouCh for. A young girl was taken out
for a drive. Her escort stopped at n
house to buy her some supper. Once
inside she couldn't escape. Her ruin
was accomplished, and she was so In
timidated that she didn't dare to even at
tempt to leave the place.
WITH A coSviCT's BALL AND CHAIN.
"Here Is case l have just proved
which shows the methods resorted to
to keep girls in the dives. A woman l
know was walking along the street in a
certain Wisconsin town. She heard the
clanking Of chain behind her. She at
first thought II was the chain attached to
a runaway team. She was delayed for q
few moments at q railroad crossing, and
looking back sawa woman running at
the top Of her speed, Two men were
following In cutter. When the woman
came under the rays OF q street lamp the
one standing by tue tracks saw her face.
She says she never can forget the terri.
bic expression Of fear and despair upon
II. Tho fugitive carried an iron ball In
her hands. The chain attached TO II
was fastened To her ankle and clanked
at each OF her rapid steps.
"The men In the cutter caught her.
They forced her into the sleigh and
drove rapidly back three squares 10 the
saloon aud dive from which she had Cs-
capped. 1t was said afterwards by the
dive keepers TO match this story, that
tho woman who told II related 1t all
over WisConEin, and after collecting $500
to aid the imprisoned woman went back
10 the town and set her husband up In
the saloon business. That might have
been plausible enough had II not hap.
pened 10 know that the woman was a
widow, and that the money was proper.
ly used"
STIRRING APPEALS.
DR.. Bushnell related many other
equally terrible stories concerning the
dens With which tho Wisconsin pinCrics
swarm, and Of tho fearful lives Of slavery
led by the young girls who arc captured
In large cities and taken there for the
most Horrible purposes.
Using these illustrations, DR.. Bushnell
made an appeal for degraded women.
These arc some Of her epigrammatic Ut
terenCes!
1.-THE life Of a woman Of the town Of
Philadelphia, as well 10 elsewhere, Is one
Of abIect servltude.
"Pcoplo say, 4 would rather have my
son than my daughter 60 astray.' i
would say, Il would rather have my
daughter q victim than my son q victim
maker,
"a woman has her shame stamped for.
eyor on her face, while The man who Is
equally guilty can 90 back Into society,
30 long as he can afford 10 buy q broad.
cloth 10 button over his rotten heart
dfye been brought Up q stfalghtlaced
Methodist and 1 have my own Ideas