Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-19
GIRLS Are WARNED.
URGENT IMMEDIATE NEED FOR
ACTIVITY OF PURITY FORCES
IN IOWA CITIES.
Alleged Representatives of st. Louis
Amusement Companies Offer Girls
Good Wages to Perform on the
|, Stage.

go to ST. Louis for the alleged purpose
of joining entertainment companies
during the time the big fair is in pro-
gress will do well to heed the warnings
that come already from number Of
Iowa cities. ~.
Concerted action on the part OF the
police of Sioux City, Omaha, Des
Moines, Cedar Rapids, Kansas s 80,
and st. Louis is about to be taken for
the purpose of undermining and ex-
posing the syndicate of St. Louis peo-
pie VINO are alleged to be preying on
the virtue of mere girls by inducing
them to go to ST Louis to go on the
stage during the exposition. The pO-
lice matrons of these cities are arous-
ed. Police Matron Thurston OF Sioux
City, an officer in the Western Police
Matrons' association is in correspond
ence now with the matrons OF the
cities mentioned regarding the matter
and it is learned that similar instances
have been generally reported. The
campaign against this attempt to lure
girls to ruin was started at Sioux City
when 1t was learned that advances
had been made to Nancy Sheets aged
IL and Sadie Dingman aged 49,, en-
ployes of factory by an alleged rep
resentative of a st. Louis amusement
company, which proposed to pay good
wages to girls to perform on the stage,
thus affording them an opportunity to
have a good time during the fair.
These girls were intercepted just as
they were about to leave the city.
Purity Leagne Active.
Letters are being sent out by the
Purity, league and the Woman's Chris
4 tian association of st. Louis to the
| police departments Of all the cities of
Iowa stating that with the coming Of
lspring the syndicate for securing girls
for ST. Louis will become unusually
active in this part of the country. Fol-
lowing is a copy of the letter.:
There has never been q time In the
history of our country when there was
l,such urgent immediate need for activ-
lily of purity forces. Everything points
to the truth of the reports published
some time ago that there had been
formed in st. Louis a syndicate of ga
| loonkeepers and dive owners with q
startling capital Of 100000 for the OBJ
| ject Of securing young girls for I'M
4 moral purposes In the brothels and
dives Of st. Louis during the worlds
flair there this year. This syndicate
has been organized and perfecting its
diabolical schemes for months. We
have felt but slightly the fury Of its
awful work as yet. Their victims have
not been needed in any great numbers.
But within a few weeks now this syn
dictate will strike with all the power Of
its tremendous wealth and its well paid
agents in all parts Of our land and Its
deceptive advertisements will begin to
gather in mothers girls for this awful
life of sin and death. The,harvest will
go on until the close Of the fair and
ten times as many ruined young men
and boys will be scattered over the
land to continue the seed sowing of
vice and lust, until the final results of
the terrible traffic will be too tremen-
dous to even think Of.
Request your local papers to publish
: an account Of the dangers at ST. Louis
J, and have your pastor call attention to
the matter from his pulpit and your
teacher warn all girls of twelve years
and over.