Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-01-25
VICES.
Men Sell Their Honor And Women
Their Virtue.

To those who assumed such sanctitied
and hypocriticai horror because they
pretended to believe that Jerry Simp-
son had tried to SANDER Kansas, we
commend careful perusal of the fol-
lowing from the Wichita Beacan.
OF course, In "land of the free and
home of the brave,n in ''land of civil
iZation. schools and churches" In the
"beSt country the sun ever shone on
in GLORIOUS sunny Kansas" and all
that poetic kind of things. these truths
are very bitter pills to swallow. But
the way TO kill the lion is to face it: not
to walk by with your head averted and
pretend you don't see it. We do see it.
And the sooner we admit these evils
and face them, the sooner the civilizing
forces of our Century will work out
their solution. But let the records of
Wichita's police court speak for them
selves.
"When the new administration takes
charge of the Wichita police depart
ment it will find that the records of the
court have been kept by Officer Hedger
in the best possible shape. Mo- fine
has been assessed or a prisoner ar
raigned III police court during the past
year but whose record can easily be
| turned to on the books. There will be
found the name of the offender, the
date of his arrest, the charge against
him. the arresting officer. the fine, the
| final disposition of the case and notes
concerning his business, place of
| residence, age. color, etc.
The different sources of the revenue
derived from fines are of considerable
| interest. n fair average of the receipts
| for one month is 81, 500. This could be
divided into four classes about as fol-
| lows: Saloons, SI,4S0; prostitution,
S595; gambling. $685. miscellaneous,
$50. The miscellaneous fines are prin-
| cipally for drunkenness, lewdly abiding
| and disturbing the peace.
There are about twenty-five saloons
in town. Sometimes there are more
| and sometimes less but it ranges from
| twenty to thlrty-five. Some of these
| pay S75. some $50, others $40, and q
| few S25 month into the Golfers of the
| city. The price vari according to the
| location and the volume Of business.
During one month in which the gam
| bling fraternity tufned>Over $340 to the
| city there were two 500 fines. five $25
| fines aud one $l5 fine. 1t Is rather hard
TO count the revenue from the gambling
houses for they have been interrupted
so frequently.
Tho bawdy houses are taxed accord
| ing to their Importance and each inmate
Is also compelled TO pay So month as
| fine. This creates revenue of about
| $500 month.
| The hawdy houses pay about twice as
much as the gambling houses and the
saloons put up twice as much as both.
| Ii the saloons, the houses OF prOstitu-
ton and the gambling houses were
| closed the receipts in the police court
| would run from SO 60 $500 a month.
| This is food for sober reflection.
| Following are the amounts of the fines
! for each of the past SIX months: July,
IS 022 50; August, So, 93G.S0; September
| 3.43l .45; October. s., 800 20; November
-, 444.50; December, 81 1915. This
makes an annual revenue of about
1913 700, and a monthly income of nearly
$3.50. The daily receipts during the
past six months have been between SO
and $75 day.
Wichita gets daily revenue of about
$50 from it's saloons. This will very
nearly bear the expenses of the police
department.
During the past year there have been
2.2l1 culprits arraigned in police court
September leads the months in the
number of arrests to her credit with a
showing OF 261. and January brings up
the rear with 81. BY months the records
show the following numbers of culprlts
arraigned for hearing: January, 81,
February, 112. March, S28, April, 100
May, 1S9, June, 1872, July, 1914, August
80, September, 261. October, 235, No
| Yember. 221, December. 245.
There is no doubt but that under a
systematic and stringent admins
tration the receipts could be maintained
at So 5000 a month which would be an
annual revenue of $4,000.
There is room for many improve
ments in the system. The board of the
prisoners in the city lookup at ID cents
a meal makes a great hole IN the net
receipts. The city needs q workhouse
| Able bodied tramps are bcing fed by
the city at cost of 80 cents day when
they should be at work on the streets.
The workhOuse would pay for itself in
short time.
There are other needed improvements
which should be considered by the new
| board.