Telegram-herald., 1890-03-15
OSCODA COUNTY Den
jim hurrin's ~Ststs Road Hotel
Near Potts.
STORY TOLD BY WHIIEHOUSE GIRL
Thirtssa Hiserasi~ WEstchss Hsia an
Boaasss 30 D~sSs Hh.t fhsy Ca
Never Paw A-s j. The Matter
sifk oscsdz Csu1Iy's sAeri1s

PoTrs, Mich, March l4.-''Jim' Mur-
Tln runs one OF the most yilalnous and
disreputabie den4n the Men gan wilder
uess, four miles back ia the woods from
this postofice. lie now has confined
10 hls place thirteen girls, many OF
whom were brought here la ignorance
of their fate, aliured and deceived by
the lies which tins so-cslled man told
them. OF which were related By an
agent OF hls. The name OF his stock
ade. Tor lt j. a stockade, Ia that a girl
once entrapped l. kept until a slow
death = impending, is called the
Block House Bat on the circulars
and letterhead whlch the keeper uses It
j. described a. the estate Road Hotel
and SUMMER resort, and beautiful
place 'to spend the vacation" The
fact OF thc matter Is that lt IS located III
"a dreary place As was ever created,
and far enough away from any town to
escape the law.
The last 0t MUIR ms victims are two
girls from Whtehouse, Ohio. Both
came from good families, and one has
relatives in Toledo, who are respected
and widely known Tie younger OF
the two grls rebclled when she saw
what WAS 90 be- her fate, and managed
20 return To Toledo. The other is still
held. A. after a stay OF three months IN
THIS awful place, size : still IN debt 10 Is
proprietor. Until thc Alcona county
officer became annoying, because of
plan % raid the den, 10 was operated III
the baIlwlck. Fear of these officials
causcd removal farther back IN the
wilderness, and over the line INTO CISCO
ia county. The OscOda authorities are
NOW threatening it, aud the place where
hundreds OF w0Odsmen nave been rob-
bed Ot = winters earning may be
broken up and crowd Of most terrible
people who could be punished for al
most every crime known 10 the statutes.
Tins i the pitiful story told 10y the
WmtehOuse girl, and IL j. more than
probable that she viii pay bitter pen
atty for 10 when her brutal keeper shall
read Il. She i young, aud talks intel
hgcutly, the result OF Il common school
education:
last fall. Tie : man accustomed 10
city ways, and an oily talker. In some
way he met 4 gentleman friend OF ours,
and was introduced to Us. He de-
scribed his fine hotel, near the Au
Sable river; told what an elegant line
OF summer trade he had, and said that
the people who worked for him had
practically nothing 20 do. His custom
WAS of n nigh grade and hls money was
free, and he believed IN paying liberal
wages We girls We're not getting large
wages, and IL seemed that MS offer WAS
a splendid one.
"Ue returned 10 Potts without us.
soon came letter written on state
Road Hotel stationery, Offering us
even more pay, and suggesting that he
advance our railroad fare. We still
hesitated, but a suspicion Of what We
were coming TO never entered our
heads. Finally we decided to try the
venture and accept places a dining
room girls. Murriu met us. and "a we
drove through the woods and barren
pine plains We were both simply fright
CDcd to death. When We drove up be-
fore the crude barracks, We both cried
bitterly. our new master was stern
and severe. We both then asked nm
10 send us home. He refused, saying
that be had advanced us money, and
We must remain long enough to pay
that any way.
''We We're given an illy-furnished
room; dirty, IN fact simply filthy. We
sat down and cried for an hour. The
grand place Murrn had described was
rough, pine hOyel. and his fine trade
seemed nothing but gang OF spreeing,
drunken choppers. We locked the
door, undecided what TO 10. until the
most wretched looking woman any
body ever saw ordered Us 10 come TO
the barrOOm. / refused at first when
she swOre and said It would be danger
Gus 10 not DO as ordered.
Fearing that We might be- killed
among that rough gang. we at last went
toward the room. | still vas crying,
and hesitatng at the barroom door for
a moment. some one struck me with a
chair. fell prone to the floor. aud the
next remember vas a lot of drunken,
swearing women by my bed, laughing
at the new 'un
This treatment vas repeated, and
each day and night was nearly as brutal
as the first. We wanted 10 leave and
Murriu refused until We paid him back
tnc money paid Tor railroad fare. We
c0uldu get ont OF debt. o. we were
fined for everything. and continually
owed the proprietor. uaIly the other
girl managed e. got help and now she
IS ne home. am only waiting for %
chance % get hack mvseIf ono 0f
these davs tnere'l ll pc one less unf0rtu-
nate gIrl in the wretChed stockadC. The
PROPRIETOR c0mpe'- us % use his higl
sounding letter-neads when writing ,o