The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-08-17

This Is a very rough description. Scores
of streets included within those limits
are wholly free from disreputable resorts
and II Is also true that there are dives
and dive neighborhoods In some other
parts OF the city.
But when a young man starts out 10
have a gay evenfn~ he makes for the re-
gion under the caves OF the Central Po-
lice station and never gets more than
half mile away from that building.
When Washington street was torn ep
and rebuilt a few years ago hundreds OF
houses were emptied into the streets near
by. and II is the general locations tax
en- by the trafhckers In vice at that time
that now make the tenderloin map.
FROM ELEGANCE TO sQUALoR. :
In this region the resorts range from
the elegant hotel which bears on the out
sioe all the marks of beng the temporary
home OF wealth and exclusive FASHION,
TO the squalid hovel where frowsy women
almost hang out OF the windows In tneir
endeavor TO Eft "a. >tfs-tN into the mouse.
These are the houses with a number OF
inmates. Then there are the cheap no.
tells TO which women take men wnom
they have met on the street, and many
private dwellings serve the same pur-
pose. Last are the numerous boarding
houses, which permit women lodgers 10
Every one OF these places comes WITHIN
the terms of the law just quoted.
For several years. for reasons which
the News does not pretend to know. IL
has been possible for resorts of all these
grades to continue to do business prac-
tically without Interruption.
THEIR REPUTATION KNOWN.
The same houses are held by the same
managers. year after year. Each house
has its reputation among the sort OF peo-
pie who frequent them. This reputation
extends TO other cities. so that travellers
coming to Providence know just where
to go. The more elaborate establish
ments, secure against being raided and
closed UP can afford TO risk considerable
outfays for furniture and fixtures, and to
spend large sums In the procuring OF in
mates.
entrenched so strongly that IL almost
takes on the character of vested inter-
est" which may not fairly be sacrificed
by sudden upheaval.
Raids there are. which in general are
a periodical hauling up of keeper-in-
mates to be fined-ostensibly In lieu OF IL
censes. but there is no system to this. and
IL is freely admitted by Tenderloiners. Or
rather openly charged. that certain
houses are warned before a raid" Is
about to be made
1t would take time and is a work which
should be done by the police rather than
by any newspaper, TO mako a complete
and verified list OF the inspected build
ings Indeed. II is very well understood
that the chief of police has secret list
based on reports of the patrolmen.
SOME OF THE EVIL RESORTS.
For the purpose OF bringing the demand
for enforcement of the law before the po-
lice In specific form the News has Sc
lected a comparatively short list OF
street numbers. which. however. are be-
Heved to include most OF the resorts the
police are accused of favoring with tips
on the coming raid.
The News asserts that at the following
named houses there are prostitution.
lewdness, iiquor-selling. and dissolute.
disorderly persons. Some OF the hotels.
however, have license to sell liquor.
HOTEL SAvoY-STANLEY, 2e5 WEY-
BOSSET.
81 FOUNTAIN.
THE LIGHTNING SPLITTER"
MATHEwSoN. NEAR FOUNTAIN.
SO WALK Err.
81 WALKER.
81 WALKER.
5S WALKER
81 CHAPEL.
$50 PINE.
1s9 PINE.
1893 PINE.
HOTEL ESSEX. 102 PINE.
HOTEL BRUNSWICK, 104 PINE.
SHAKESPEARE HOTEL, 12s PINE.
30 ATwELIsS AVENUE.
q HICKS.
A REMARKABLE ESTABLISHMENT.
The Hotel savoy-Stanley is one of the
most remarkable establishments of the
kind In the country, 1t is situated at the
corner of Weybosset and Snow streets.
III appearance IL Is palatial little hos
telry, which stranger would select in
passing as probably a quiet residence ho-
ted for families. There is desk and a
clerk, and the stranger can get key
and a room without ever suspecting what
sort Of a place he is in.
But one whole section of the building is
given over to young women who live
there all the time for the purpose OF en-
tertaining the guests. There is an orches-
ira, which first plays for dinner in the
cafe and then gees into the separate Sec
ton. gN.
The house 81 Fountain on the corner OF
Mathewson. Is not so pretentions, but Is
elegantly fitted up, and is said to be fire.
quented by a number of men close TO the
city government
At any rate a few days before raid
the inmates all move out and take up
their temporary domicile I'm a hotel a
short distance down the street. where
they see their friends till the signal is
passed TO open the house again.
Other expensive places to visit are the
Mathewson street house known as the
Lightning splitter, and the houses at 30
Atwelis avenue and 21 Hicks.
SOLICITED FROM WINDOWS.
At the four houses In Walker street. IS.
81. 81 and Sc, reporters were solicited from
the windows. A woman in sc tried to at
tract reporters attention when he was
on the opposite side of the street.
At the other end OF Pine street are the
hotels. where there are no inmates. but
where women bringing men can have the
use OF n piano. and nre otherwise freer TO
use the house than I'm ordinary quiet
houses OF assienstion.
At 1856 Weybosset street. corner OF OF
ter there is a saloon which is rather
richly ntted at the front, but al the rear
has three large rooms with tables. plants
and an orchestrion or electric organ. In
this saloon the reporters saw women
from the street sit at tables and solicit
men at the other tables. The saloon is
one block from Pine street. where the
a., fnI