The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-31

SUDDENLY YIRTUOUS
Fears of the House Commit
tee stirs the Police
to Activity.
POOR coLORED WOMEN RAIDED
Some of the Victims Heavily
Fined, others Allowed
to Go,

The colored women arrested during the
police raids upon the houses No. s5
Plymouth and No. 2751a Westminster
streets, on Saturday night, were this
morning arraigned in the First Criminal
Court before Police Justice Nevin,
| charged with. being disorderly persons.
Sergeant Wade and Policemen Wilson,
Griffin, Chinary, Prescott and Robinson
testified that the accused were on the
streets nightly for immoral purposes, and
the above mentioned houses, in which
they had apartments, are resorts for bad
characters.
Merry Connolly, Ross Thompson and
Mrs. Meehan, who lives in an adjoining
house, testified to the bad conduct of the
prisoners, but were unable to identify
any of them particularly, but knew gen
orally they were all bad. Mrs. Meehan
heard noises in the houses and saw per-
sons in the alley but could not say who
| made the noises or who the parties were
who We're in the alley. Mr.. Connolly was
awakened by a fight on the street at 4:30
one morning, but could not say who was
fighting. Mr.. Ross. who lives opposite,
had been annoyed by the noise in the two
houses. but that was principally last
summer Recently he had not been dis
turbed
Counsellor James Manning appeared
for the accused and cuntended that as
none of them had been Identified and no
specific charge standing against them but
merely arrested and held on general
principle, they should be discharged from
custody without compelling them to make
a defence.
The police who made the raid say that
in one house the parties presents were
gathered about table, upon which was
about to be cut large cake won at the
cake walk on Friday night, at New
Music Hall, by Harry Hill and Nettie
Beattie.
The accused were placed upon the stand
in their own defence. Mrs. Stella Gordan
stated that she resides at No. 50 York
street; went to No. 27515 Washington
street to attend a woman who was sick,
statement was corroborated by her hus-
band, and as to her being in a room
with a sick woman by Chief Murphy.
She was given the benefit of a doubt and
discharged
Lottie Smith testified that she oecu-
pies the front room on second floor of
No. 275A Washington street. She was
standing in front of a mirror putting ON
her hat when the police entered. No one
else was in the room. She is married,
her husband being employed on Pullman
cars. several Of1cerS teSt1f1ed to seeing
her on the street soliciting and she was
fined S..
Annie Jackson proved that she was sit
ting in her room alone, when just as the
girls came in to visit her, the police ap-
peared and arrested all three She is also
married, her husband being at sea, She
was discharged.
Mary Clarke lives in York street, didn't
know the number, was one of the girls
who called on Mrs. jackson, was sent
there by her aunt. The police gave her
a bad character and she was fined $40.
Irene Harper said she lived with her
mother at No. 916 Brunswick street, but
of ms Mrs Gesnere a ieweler' @ at t No Mag MAG.
nolia avenue. (The directory gives no
such name at that address,. Has been
employed there for the last two years. She
never did nothing wrong and had no rea-
son to run from a policeman. Evident
ly the Justice didn't believe her, as he
fined her $40.
The others were remanded for further
examination.