The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-03
GREAT RAID IN PHILADELPHIA
POLICE SEIZE 1000 PERSONS ~
IICIOUS PLACES.
Women Prisoners, Not Of the Tenderl DIN +,
Try 10 KIN Themselves when Hrlhes
Fsii-They Must Stsnd Trial Later.
While Their Escorts Escape With Fines.

Try 10 kM Themselves when Hr'hes
Fail-They Must stand Trial Later.
While Their Escorts Escape With Fines.
PHILADELPHIA, July BY one of the big
gest police raids in the history Of any city,
the new administration Of Philadelphia
emphasized its hold on the city government,
swept clear Of quest enable resorts terri
tory of twenty square miles. including
the Tenderloin and some residential districts
and let loose IA flood of scandal. I,
Everything from massage places to opium
Joints and speak eases we're closed. Sta
ton houses could not begin to hold the pris-
oners and from midnight last night until 9
O'Clock this morning five Magistrates la
bored to dispose Of the cases Hardly
man on the force slept all night and every
patrol wagon in the city was in constant
I use.
One hundred and fifty houses, used as
speak eases, disorderly resorts, places OF
designation and political clubs were en-
tered, and about 1900 prisoners, mon and
women, were taken. The approximate
amount of fine fines imposed upon the
men found in the places is S. coo. Roulette
wheels poker Ia bles slot machines and gam
bling devices of all kinds we're seized. -Four
hundred police were employed in the raid,
which was made upon evidence secured
| by the law and Order Society. 1t had been
| in their possession for months but until now
the Police Department would not act
| After consultation with Director Of Public
| Safety Potter, Secretary Gibboney OF the
| Law and Order Society swore ont the war
rants for the proprietors. Every police
captain was called In and got orders that the
places must be raided and that no tip should
go out. Failure to obey meant dismissal
At the same time police were drawn In from
every district into the section over which
the net was to be spread and scores of re-
serves In plain clothes were assigned to
| posts.
At II o'clock the net began to close.
Over all the territory east OF the Schuylkill
River to the Delaware and thirty seven
| blocks north and south of Market street,
covering close upon twenty square miles,
was dragged In five station houses sat
| Magistrates ready for the names Of the
| victims.
BY midnight these station houses were
filled Ten others were damned to the
doors and the great cell room in the City
Hall could hold no more. Every minute
saw fresh patrol loads before the doors.
To the tenderloin the thing was not new,
and the women of the section laughed and
! swore. But mixed with these. with drunken
negroes and the vicious hangers on OF the
district were men in evening dress-club-
men, politicians lawyers and men whose
faces are familiar in public gatherings,
Crouching in corners OF the police sta
tions, trying to hide behind the Tenderlin
women were other women not used to such
scenes. These had been arrested in houses
in Green street, Spring Garden street, up
town and down town, places that the polio
had never touched.
They had not been taken easily. The
men who were their companions had fought
| hard to escape and take the women who
were with them. In many cases the police
had to hold the hands of women bent on
suicide. Some of these women fought
the policemen more efectualy than did
| teh men and few escaped. In house
| at 9l9 Green street, woman threw two
policemen from her and jumped from
| third story window. She was ca"ght by
| the feet and two police held her. She
asked the man who hda been with her to
| kill her. She stripped of her jewels and
| held them out to the policemen. The man
offered large bribe but they pair were
hustled into q patrol wagon.
! At the police station the woman was
placed in CELL where she tainted. The
man was fined $40 and costs and allowed
to go. The woman was later held in $500
bail for court as an inmate of the house
She was not an inmate.
Many women from these houses tried
to kill themselves and two almost sue
ceeded One stabbed herself and the other
threw herself down fight of stairs Both
were taken to hospitals under assumed
names.
There were many gross outrages. A
woman was taken from her home, an alb
solutely respectable house. She was little
more than a girl and held baby at her
breast. She was put in with a crowd of
drunken, swearing women and was weep
ing bitterly. 1t had been mistake in
address, but the woman was carried back
to her home unconscious. There were old
women not far from the grave who had
been gathered in by mistake.
All the night and all the morning the
hearings went on. Each OF the men, II he
were not principal. was fined $40 and
costa. Every one of the women was held
In bail for trial.
A number Of the women and girls to
whom arrest spelled ruin secured bail
through their escorts and went home to
weeks OF terror to wait until they are called
to court There were many who either
forgotten or less fortunate. were bundled
into the vans with the Tenderloin women
and sent to Moyamensing prison.