The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-29
A Hot Time Before the
Supervisors.
1T WAS NEARLY A FIGHT
FRAUD AND FAILURE, MEDDLER
AND HYPoCRITE.
All Over the Question of Purging
Bacon Place and BeIden
Street of Immor-
atty.

At a meeting OF the Committee on
Health and Police of the Board of Super
visors yesterday the resolution instruct
ing Lees to close the disreputabIe houses
on Bacon place and Belden street was
under consideration, having been referred
to the committee by the Board of Super
yisors on October "a.
The Chief Of Police had been invited TO
be present so as TO express any views
which he might have on the subject
There were a number of other persons in
attendance, including Rev. Father Otis,
George D. Shadburne and Frank ] Kane,
representing the citizens interested in
closing the dens. Attorney Emilio Las
treto appeared for the property owners
OF Bacon place. Supervisor Smith, who
was present, recommended to the com
mittee that it should approve the resolu-
ton. Mr.. Shadburne then made a short
address, stating that Bacon place and
Belden street, are public thoroughfares
and asking that the resolution be adopted
and the Bacon place gates ordered re-
moved.
tons to this programme, claiming that 1t
was impossible to suppress the social evil,
that segregation of the women into colo
MES was preferable to scattering them all
over the city.
This statement brought Father Otis TO
his feet with the declaration that such
Ioglc only emanated from the devil. The
facts are these!" exclaimed the priest
young girls are inVeigled into those denS
on Bacon place and ruinedi I have posi-
tive evidence concerning three French
maidens who were recently brought TO
this country under promise of obtaining
WOrk II restaurants and were then taken
10 one OF these places and imprisoned in
room until they consented TO lead i'm
moral lives. That IS the sort of work
Whlch Is going on there! Again, the St.
G-l- afsa+5r T.
its efforts to secure the condemnation of
property for the proposed park by the
presence OF women in the dives. The
owners OF the property receive enormous
rents from it at present. and when con-
oennation suits are suggested they claim
that absurd prices should be given them
Tor their real estate, quoting it's profits as
an illustration Of it's value. This Is all
wrong 1t might as well be said that any
building where crime is fostered is of
more value in the eyes of the law than
places that are used for the conduct Of
legitimate business. We want those
Bacon place dens cleared of women, and
then condemnation proceedings for the
values"
Chief Lees had been an attentive lis
tener 70 the remarks made by the various
speakers, and, unable longer TO maintain
silence, broke out. I don't take kindly
to criticisms, he declared, and I object
70 some thar have been made of the Police
Department. In case this resolution is
approved by the Supervisors, I shall use
1t only If then see fit. l object TO the
closing Of the houses on Bacon place. 1t
simply means the scattering of disreputa-
bic women all over the city The evil eff
fects OF running them out of Berry place
and other localities are already mani
Tested in heretofore respectable portions
OF the city where the women have taken
refuge. am Of the opinion that these
women should be colonized, and in that
way kept better under police control. AS
for that fellow Kane. who represents the
Society for the Suppression of Vice, I
have nothing good TO say. He isn't fit to
have anything TO do with virtue, inside
of church or without. He needs re-
forming himself. He's meddler and
hypOcrite."
Kane was just entering the committee
room when Lees closed his Yituperative
remarks and arose to depart. Friends Of
the former tok1 him in few words what
the Chief Of Police had said, and in a
moment there was exciting scene.
Hold on there, Lees!' exclaimed Kane.
Il want you TO hear. what I've got TO say
about YOU Ii shall not be said behind
your back, as your contemplate remarks
about me were uttered behind mine. /
want you to understand that the citizens
of San Francisco regard you as a fraud
and a failure. and are Disguised with your
lack Of interest in the suppression of
crime. The thieves and murderers laugh
at you The keepers Of dens slap you
Familiarity on the back. Aren't you a