The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-03-15
SQUALoR AND VICE.
The Authorities Peep Into the
sgas Water Street Dens. -
CHILDREN AMONG THE FILTH.

Authorities or the Condition of Affairs
with n Wow Of Having the buildings Re-
moved.
The row OF buildings on Water street
between King and French. which are oocu-
pied by the lowest class OF oolored people
were peeped into yesterday afternoon by
Chief OF Police Doan, Secretary OF the
Board OF Health Colquhoun. Agent Stout
OF the s. L. q. o., Health officer McVey
and the lllthy condition OF several OF the
houses was something not even thought
of by those who made up the Summing
party. Surrounded on every side by the
Nth and in company with dtsreputabie
men and women were two children who
are now under the care OF the q hiidren's
Society.
Tho purpose OF the Visit to these dens
of Vice was to aGquUnt the authorities
with the true state OF affairs as existed
there and with stillfurthet view of hav-
ing them removed and the city thereby
rid of several OF lite lowest houses OF as
eignation and Ill fame.
The cGmIany left the station houae at 3
O'Clock, and wlen they reached the house
No. 100 Water street they found II almost
deserted. the occupants hearing of The
Intended visit and making their escape,
fearing being arrested. But there were
several women and men In the building
ana tho women were placed under arrest.
TIE building Is n four story structure OF
Tho ground floor Is unoccupied. On
the second floor and In room No lived
Bydla Johns and her six and one Year
children. On the filthy ioor the children
were playing, unconscious OF their sur
rOundings. while tho mother and several
other women were making merry With
their vile language and coarse laughter.
The only urticles OF furniture were bod,
table and chairs.
There stood q stove In one corner of the
room and behind it was "a pile OF coal
Annie Johns occupies the room with Ly-
dia, who Ia her sister. hut the woman OF
that name is now III New Castle iall serv.
ing sentence FOR keeping u disorderly
house. Annls 'lrons occupied al opposite
room and In 1t similar condition of
affairs existed. In her room was man
lying asleep on pallet of filthy rags. On
the iioor alsOlved Becky Moore, al dthese
three women were arrested OH the charge
OF keeping houses OF assignation. The
remaining rooms were either unoccupied
or rented by more respectable women.
NcAt door to No. 100 Is the building
known as The ''Slnged Cat and In tie
house are seven rooms hut their condition,
TO that OF the rooms III the Other building.
was as devoid Of iilth az proprlety would
permit. On tho third iloor aud lii a room
hardly high enough to allow a man to
stand In, lived Henry Thomas and his wo.
man Mary Briggs. The ouly furniture. II
IL might DO thus termed. was broken
chairs, a grsasy table, and bed black
with dirt Rage sewed as carpet and
covering the stove was SCOT and ashes II
quarter of an inch thick. In another room
lived Charles Shields with Eliza Green.
Susan Morris lived alone
No. l07 is a house OF i'll fame conducted
by Hattie Lulf but the condition OF the
building was Clean therefore no inyestt.
cation was made. There were four
women and one man In the house, the
women bsing tho Inmates.
When house No. 1906 was reached the
party found the Ii thlest hole In the row.
Up dirty q airs and over hoiled floors the
party walked. and upon reaching the sec
ond story rear stepped Into The room OF
Nellie Dtckerson, which was devoid Of
any furniture even to Il bed. Nellie said
she and her husband slept on tho hard
| floor with bundle OF rage OF clothing
for pillow.
This was only one ofthe fourteen rooms
| OF the building and the others were al.
most as dirty. Beds were made OF rags
| ami these were made ON the bare boards
| In ASCENDING to tho third liuor OF the
| building the stair way was so greasy and
dark as to make IL exceedingly dangerous
Tor a person to use IL.
In the house No. lOl the rooms were not
| SO dirty but in the yard was a pool OF
| slop and other refuse matter. Through
this the meu wAdad some almost OYJr
| their shoe tops while otners did not risk
| oven their stomachs to such a condition
| Of iiltn and slime. From this house the
| party went to the house No. 81 East
| Front street. the yard In the rear being
| found to be covered with decay ed veRe ia.
| bio matter, rags and bones.
! The Board of Health will prosecu to
| those tenants having yards which are
| detrimental to tue public health, the So.
clety OF Prevention OF Cruelty to child
| rem those women who had children In the
| dens, and the police authorities those
| women who permitted acts of assigna.
| lion to be carried on IN their rooms.
After Thomas Furry was lined IS and
| costs and Frank UBrlen ~ and costs for
L..
| pal Court this morning, Mary Moore was
| charged with keeping u house OF as5ign ma.
| ton at No, 100 East Water street.
| George Nj. Miller. clerk In the office of
| W. J. Fishers real estate Office. testified
that The woman rented room No. o, at 10
cents q week.
Roxie Cammomie testified that she had
paid for the use of the room for immoral
| purpose. Olicers Lued, and Finn testl-
fled to tie TACT OF seeing white ind color.
| ed men Ia her room. She was lined $50
| and gosis.
| Nellie Myers. a girl OF 10 years of aga
was chars ed with the same offence. The
evidence was similar to that In the Moore
case ana u fine OF $50 and costs was i'm
| posed. The police officers chased three
white men from the house on Saturday
| night to lianCroiCs Bauke.
| Annie Irons WAS fined $50 and costs for
keeping dlsorderly house She occupied
room No. 8. second iloOr. OF the sumo
| house.
Lydia Johns, who was arrested In the
| house, was discharged She keeps house
| for NJ Hinson, tue Old ccioreu soldier who
| Is nearly blind on Saarles street She had
| her two children with her when tile raid
| was made. She was packing up tha belong
| ings Of her sister. AnniS Johns, who was
| transferred to Hotel Glllis last Tuesday.
During the trial several allegations OF
| robbery were made by ard against the
| prisoners. Ammo Irons. Is thelcoloIed We
| man who took the white man from Clay
mont to her house when 1t was alleged
that Stevens robbed him. When the trial
| came up the prosecuting witness could
not he found. Stevens was held on Tues.
day on the charge OF larceny OF $50 from
| William u. Davis.