The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-19
BOYS ARE MADE
THEIR VICTIMS
Shocking State of Affairs Shown
in Victoria Alley.
LURED INTO WOMEN'S DENS
IMMENSE REVENUE THAT is DE-
RIVED BY JOSEPH ]. SMELL

T HE foul murder Of Daniel RYAN in
Victoria alley last Saturday, has
brought to light conditions that
exist in that hOtbed Of crime and de-
bauchery that are of a most shocking
nature. Developments yesterday
showed that the women OF the alley
depend in a measure for their income
upon boys of tender years. ranging in
age from y upwards, and the sons Of
reputable parents who little know
where their children. spend evenings.
supposed to be devoted to innocent
pursuits.
The fact was brought out yesterday
when a reporter visiting the alley saw
four boys, not over Is years old, stand
ing on the pavement of the alley and
listening to a slatternly negress who,
from an upper window. was attempt
ing TO lure them into entering her den.
Investigating, the reporter found that
the women without exception. are ac-
customed to receiving schoOIbOys as
visitors and that they are more pleased
at Turing a child into their dives than
they are to see a man enter them. The
reason for this was given by one OF
them
Boys Are Preferred.
mo men for me-" she said, eff I can
get boys. Every kid / can persuade to
enter my house viii bring a. dozen 9TH
ers and from them get the money. It
takes no morphine in beer or rough
treatment TO get it; they give up cas-
/ lily and are glad OF permission to en-
( ter my house
Some of the boys go after school in
the afternoon, others at night, when
I they make their way Stealthilv ND the
all0W IN the 6ar
electric light. provided by an ecOnOmi-
/ cal city government only serves to
make darker. They cannot be seen
from the street after entering the alley
and the police rarely pass through it.
! II an officer makes an appearance the
| children, warned by the women, hide
until he leaves
During one evenings visit to the al
I ley boys are taught every vice Their
pocket money is taken from them by
cajOlery or threats, and then they are
( turned into the street with the request
that they come again, and be sure
and bring friend or two with you
Owner SneII's Revenue.
Joseph J. Smell, a resident of the city
Of Salt Lake. owns in the city three
houses, which, with their contents and
the ground they stand on are as
sessed at 5000 On this property he
paid a tax last year of S255.S2. and
II CALf II 1l L4AE SMALLEST estimate ne VIII
this year receive at least $1,000 in
rentals.
The three buildings owned by Joseph
J. Smell, which bring such a remark
able income on the outlay. are stu
ated on the north side of Victoria
alley, which is the heart of the Salt
Lake tenderlOin- That he receives this
income from them does not seem re-
markable when it is known that in
these three buildings. subdivided into
tiny rooms, known as cribs he har-
bOrs at the present time fifteen wO-
men Of the town, the dregs of their
class.
Each Of these women occupies one
room. the furniture of which, consist
ing Of d small stove, q WaShstand. a
chair and a bed, are furnished by 10
seph J Smell The tenant furnishes
her own bedcIothing and other linen,
and also light and heat. There are no
sanitary arrangements in the build
ings and no COnVeniences. A foul, pes
tilential OdOr haunts their vicinity,
redoIent OF the stained souls of the in
mates
How He Collects Rent.
These women are creatures of Joseph
J. Smell and his magnificent income
on the outlay is made by them in the
pursuit Of their vocation Every day
the figure Of Joseph Smell may be seen
entering and emerging from these hot
beds of sin and crime Joseph J Smell
may go to the alley empty handed, but
when he comes away 1t Is another mat
ter Every woman ne visits must have
ready for him when he calls s. in
money, the rent Of their room for a
day Fifteen women now his tenants
pay him $50 q day, S21O a week, So
800 a year, and he gets the money
The Magdalenes whom he harbOrs
IL
ed into the gutter They cannot even
enter the palatially furnished houses
of the same class on Commercial
street They are not of the half world.
It is above them Having the forms
and faces of women, they have no
other attributes of their sex They live
to prey and to prey alone, and Joseph
J. Smell furnishes them a safe har-
Dor, where, without police interior
ence, they can carry ont their pur-
pose
Prefers Boys to Police.
It is asserted that Joseph J. Smell
knows the boys Of tender years visit
I his houses, and that he has warned
his tenants not to say anything about
it, as he would rather have the chill
dren there than the police.
Joseph J. Smell knows that the houses
which he owns on Victoria alley were
I built expressly for the purpose. He
bought two OF them and improved them
by adding brick fronts to adobe walls.
The third one was built by him this
year and has only been occupied since
September It was designed for the
purpose and can be used for nothing
else. The houses were built with the
intention that the rooms, both upstairs
and downstairs, should be used, but the
police, during a spasm of morality
| which the present chief had when he
| first went into Office, and which he has
lContinued on PC Sd