Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-03-03
UNFORTUNATE.
A Lone Woman Punished for Crime
That Others Have Committed for
Years.

Mrs. January Reiterman Is certainly not
one of those individuals who entered this
world with golden spoon dsnRline from her
lips and lived lifetime Of opulence and
legitimate pleasure. Rather was she born
with no spoon whatever aud so far endurtd d
life of misery, privation, hardships, and
OF later 1Sears crime, finally ending up last
week in the Toledo stoneyard to serve a
twenty-days's sentence at hard labor be-
decked with criminals garb.
She first came before the people about
year since, nothing much being known of
her prior history beyond that she had been
kicked from pillar to post a matter of forty
years in vain attempt to live and let live.
At the time mentioned, she, accompanied
by January Reiterman, entered this Office
with notice from Mayor Meekison that he
had Joined the two in matrimony. Both were
in state of intoxication and after exacting
a promise that the notice be inserted they
disappeared from our vision in Indian file.
the spouse taking the lead, ever and anon
turning around to admonish the old man to
'be smart and get move ON him.
| 1t developed since that they retired to
Relterman's farm south of the river to en-
JOY that conuubial bliss known in wedding
parlance as the honeymoon but which in
this case proved to be series of drunken
brawls ending in the bridegroom hanging
himself with the stairway used as drop.
! His estate was not noted for its magnitude.
hence the woman who had early entered the
state of widowhood received little or noth--
ing. She drifted from bad to worse, az last
renting the brick house on the. river bank
about 80 rods from the river bridge wherein
she had been accustomed, ii is alleged, to in-
veigleyoung boys for immoral purposes. Bp
this means the, unfortunate and degraded
woman gained scant livelihood forsome
4 time but the law stepped in and she was ar
rested Wednesday afternoon by Marshal
Burns. On being arrigned before Mayor
Meekison she plead guilty and was sentenced
to a 20 days term in the stone yard at. Tole-
do.
While her punishment is Just andishou
have been more severe, it certainly is true
that she is to a certain extent bearing the.
punishment of those who, although steeped
in crime of the same nature. are able O.keep.
Just beyond the clutches OF the law.
Itisa we'll known fact that Napoleon has
several houses Of ill-reputa that have thriwed
for many years, Notwithstanding that they
have been stencil to the nostrils,of all de-
cency and an eye-sore to the officials, who
are powerless to eradicate them. from the
community.
We can count scores of our young men,
especially farmers, who have run through
property in keeping up these dens of vice
and Inst. And not in all cases has their
money been handed over of their own free
within fact. literally, they were robbed, and
naturally wishing to avoid publicity did not
report to the authorities.
These houses are as we'll known by svery
little school boy and school girl as they are
without the power of the law. They are only
few, yet they are 80 prominently located
that hundreds of ladies add children are
compelled to take the opposite side OF the
street in order to avoid their eontaminating
proximity.
4 Topermit their existence certainly ought
to deprive US Of the claim to a civilized COM
munity. .e