The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-07
Horrible Scenes Of Degradation
in Famous Whitechapel.
WOMEN IN DRINKING PLACES.
a Night Stroll Through the Streets,
Among Thieves and DEPRIVED
Women.


chapel road together. and the three
thoreughfares make . junction that -
not equaied in London. Thirty thousahd
vrstched women roam the district ana
these corners are It's most prominent
spot. Jack the Ripper probably loitered
in their whereabouts as he selected MS
victims from the miserable procession
that is ever passing them. That his ex-
ample made its impress on the neighbour
hood in a way other than frightening the
women IS shown by the fact that two
women have been killed In somewhat
similar ways not far from his old haunts
since 1 have been IN London. This was
told 20 me By reliable persons. ana
visited the scene OF one OF the murders
on Butler street before the crime was
twenty-four hours old. Yet not word
has appeared IN the London papers ABOUT
ths murders. The police here ara fond
of keeping their own counsel.
We wrefft first 20 a WhStechapel soxfgsrsS
house. within a block or two OF the scene
OF the first Rlpscer murder. II - ore OF
the few OF the old style left Since Jack 5
flashing knife attracted the attention OF
the world 20 this district and ITS con-
,tstsors most OF the loiging houses which
formerly accommodated men and women
iTsilscriusinately have been forced to con-
fine their business 10 one sex But III a
half dozen or so OF the places the odd
that the homeless are as likely to be hus-
hand and wife as TO be single and that
they must have places 10 sleep. The Do
lice watch thsse lodging houses with even
closer attention than they devote to the
others. however. and see TO u that their
patrons are not young. The resEid IS such
a collection OF totTsrfng wrecks of man
hood and tootflless. grooming hagS as
Dante might have drawn ideas for his
Inferno from
Picture a long. low room. half niied
with ber1sheS and narrow tables. AT one
side a great glow OF Goals In a rnamrnnth
bgazier, over whtsh such Of the hurnan
osftcasss as can find refuse food TO eat
are cooking Il. Probably a hundred peo-
pie are In the place. which is oaouded by
phe oastpsit OF tobacco pipes, and fouIed
by the smell and smoke which come
from a bone which some clumsy fingers
have drxgsped irrecla5mably into the bed
OF Goals Combined wtth the reeking osior
of burning flesh and bone is the rocking
oaor OF the hundred squaiid human be-
.Tgs
A hundred human beings. and among
them not one hint OF youth or beauty; not
one person who is clean; not one person
whose clothes are other than In the last
stages of dilapidation and decay; not one
face unmarked by the vicious lines OF de-
PRAYED age, or the vacuous imbeeiiity with
which kind Time sometimes wipes away
the traces of a bestial life. No collection
of young criminals could be half so hor-
rible az Is this gathering OF the time-tossed
SCUM. Sum up the ages OF the crowd and
YOU will reach an average OF half cen
fury. Five hundred years Of horror Turk
I'm the muddIed memories of this room and
look out from blear eyes at the inquisitive
visitor. Nothing good. nothing pure. moth