The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-24
TRAFFIc ~ NneRo woMEN.
Induced 90 Leave Their Homes TO
BECOME virtual Slaves.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
Evidences OF a systematic traffic in ha-
man beings were presented in an article
published in the Evening Telegram yes
terday. ignorant colored girls, induced by
false representations of the opportunities
OF New York to leave their homes in the
south, find themselves, soon after their
arrival at an intended employment agen-
cy, in the power of INSCRIPTIONS men,
white or black, who eXtort from them
whatever they may earn and keep them
In virtual bondage.
The young women while on their way to
the city are required to sign paper they
do not understand which turns out to be
an agreement to repay all expenses for
travel and board. Incidentally they I'M
dertake to pay fare for first-Class passage,
though they have been brought there sec
ond class.
When an employer hires a servant he
also signs an agreement to turn over to
the bureau the servants wages each
month until all her Indebtedness to the
agency is discharged.
The young colored woman sits day after
day in a stuffy office waiting for work.
The applicant finally realizes that each
idle day means so much more Indebtedness
to the company. She is finally fretted in
TO such desperation that she will take the
very first opening presented, regardless Of
small wages or the character of her en-
ployer.
The young woman soon loses all sense
of right and wrong. 1t is a question of
existence with her. Her master gives her
no portion of her spoils. What ordinarily
would be her wages he turns over to the
employment agency until its claim is sat
isfied. After that he pockets everything
that she obtains or steals.
man who has two or more of these
women under control is said to have
camp" He processes to look after the
welfare of the slaves he owns. but does
nothing for them beyond finding them
lodgings. To keep out Of the clutches of
the police he makes them move often. The
entire camp" migrates the morning fol-
lowing a robbery
While many of the women are eager to
leave this slavish life, none of them dares
to break away from her master. She is
only free when she becomes totally wreck
ed and unit to earn more money for him.
Then she is cast out.
The section most infested by these wo-
men borders on Seventh avenue, from
Twenty to Forty-flrst streets The
section runs from Twenty-fourth 10 Twen-
ty-seYenth street, between Sixth and Sew
enth avenues. At Twenty street it
widens to Eighth avenue, and runs to
Thirty-fourth street, between Sixth and
Eighth avenues. Al Thirtyfourth the dis
trict Is again confined between Seventh
and Eighth avenues, and so continues up
to Forty-frst street.
Another bad quarter is what is called
the upper east side black Tenderloin, and
there are several dark spots in the terri
tory bounded by Seventeen street, 1Hth
street, Park avenue and the East river
There are many complaints, too, about
Second avenue from Twenty fifth 10
Twenty-seventh street.
The territory embraced by Blocker and
Fourth streets and Sixth and South Fifth
avenues has many camps
Seventh avenue is the dividing line be-
tween the Tenderloin police precinct and
that of the Thirty-seventh street station
saw Mrs. Victoria Earle Matthews
superintendent of the White Rose mission
at her home, No. 50 Poplar street, Brook
Ign, yesterday. 1Nlrs. Matthews has made
O tour of the south to investigate the sub
ject. She said:
1.-THE White Rose mission was organized
for the single purpose of breaking up this
traffic in southern colored girls. White
girls from the interior are subject to the
same horrors that have befallen the
blacks"
The main Offices of the Intelligence
agencies, whose business is to sell young
girls body and soul, are in this city. There
are branches at Richmond, Norfolk and
Philadelphia, with agencies all over the
CarOlinas, the Virginias, Maryland, Del
aware end Georgia.
The Rev P. Butler Tompkins, organ
izer and pastor of ST. James Presbyte
rian church, at No. 219 West Thirty-sec-
oud street, who has been engaged in So
Geological work among the colored people
for the last ten years, has done much 10
enable the Evening Telegram TO make a
true presentation of the awful conditions
that thrive beneath the Tenderloin's sur
face. The Rev. Mr.. Tompkns will assist
in laying the matter before the next ses-
sion of the assembly.