New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-06-19
TURNING Up RED LIGHT"
GLOW IN uURPHYSS ZONE.
Investigation By Peoples Institute
Club ReUeaLs Old Conditions.

that this district, included the police precinct
and the Assembly District of Charles F. Murphy.
leader OF Tamrlary EaIl. is becoming Red
Light district, the of the activity of new
crowd OF procurers, and, above all, the lettering
place and regular beat OF OF prostitutes.
who walk the streets after dark and In broad day
light invade the park. where a relative of Charles
F Murphy rules, and also sitting into the
ment houses
a year ago The Tribune called attention to this
situation this district, and since then
ter a brief closing up. it has steadily grown worse
despite the request OF Murphy to Commissioner
.zcAdoo TO seaed him an honest" captain there.
Finally. ;he protests or residents proving unava-
ms the Peoples Institute Good Government Club
A in which Professor Charles Sprague Smith
deeply interested. organization consisting OF
several hundred young people decided nvest-
gate the conditions. appointed a regular COM
mittee tor this purpose Travers H. Whitney,
Harvard graduate and assistant secretary OF the
Citizens Union. named as chairman.
The activity Of the Peoples Institute Club in
creased by the fact that women went the length Of
standing outside the clubroorns which in East
I5ih-st-. ana soliciting members they left the
meetings
Nj Whitney. who lives at No. III East 15th-st.
was in 3 position 10 the growth of the evil
and the effect il having the neighborhood.
He able TO supply details OF actual neglect
and refusal on the part Of the police TO perform
their duty. and panic the part of trades peo-
pie who, fearing the reprisals Tamnany de-
lettering Of the women about their premises. He
noted also. the return 10 street corners and the
doors Of several notorious OF the tribe of
procurers, who fourished in the lower East Side
IL the former TaTnmany regime.
Mr.. Whitneys report. which has not Yet been
submitted. recalls al the outset that within six
months there has been. within a block from his
home a shooting ARRAY. and one woman has been
strangled death and another shot. Then he
writes:
1t is practically impossible that the police should
not know and recognize some of these women Sew
beginning in the morning, until they are known by
sIgnt by al VINO I'VE IN the street HIoTeoVer,
tuGe was. so ! watched one afternoon until saw
Of the woiTen come along. and then followed
Presently. as she turned a corner. she ran
fun tilt into one For second they looked at each
oII MN 5f gt 1ta md a bssTene9 ITav
s - 49, ~ ~ 5iGr;+ sr,a<f The woman
charging him fatty with recognizing her and know
ing her business de made excuses OF the old kind
Al another time I made a complaint and there
Of those fake raids. such as Magistrate
regulars but unoffending. or at least not
was severely rebuked for lawlessness. but none of
the women who have made the streets UNSAFE tor
l j i,s ds+Tict Who had made splendid
record Of this sort. and had been deco
rated with a medal for bravery by Commissioner
phone talk between Oakley and McAdoo. which was
50 abruptly followed by order Ito the goats
as TO cause general comment
tions have become menace to the decent people Of
the neishborhood. lie notes that. where formerly
the women operated at night in 3d-ave-. now they
are active in the morning and within the
limits Of the park, where scores Of nurses and
mothers take children every morning.
A woman who lives me- comments Mr..
Whitney. that she has three times IN
week Of these women. whose face is per
fectly familiar 10 the residents of this neighbor-
hood. enter the Park and sit down among the other
women Only last week she saw this woman start
n conversation with young Russian woman who
there with her baby. The park is the play
ground OF the children and the of affairs has
grown bad here that the children recognize
The women and their business. and I have per-
sonalIy listened the comments they made. show
ing that even the schoolboys getting to recog-
nize this sort of thing and even know the women
by name.
THE Ta1nmany caretaker of the park is a brother
of Sergeant Cray. who is a brother-in-iaw Of
Charles r Murphy He might easily keep thy
of q park where and children
play. least in the morning and afternoon hours
The that such things exist in Murphy's own
district. where his own relatives are in a public
position prevent them furnishes striking com
mentary protestations frequently made.
only the ether day who with her
daughter occupies the front apartment in the
house in which l live. in complaining of the ex-
istence of such haunting vice. said:
" I have to keep the window shades in my front
pulled down all day and make to
my daughter TO keep her away from the windows
she may see the parade of these women
The wife of a dentist who lives near by went
into q drug store 3d-ave. with her little five
yeaf-oid daughter While she turned TO the clerk ,
make a purchase of these drifted
into the store. and seeing child started
f9nole and talk it A similar incident is noted
as happening TO the child of a well-known woman
living in the district and connected with the Quaker
settlement The traGespeope privately complain
Of the conditions. but make any formal COM
plant would mean bring down them the
wrath Of The organization and the persecution of
the officials Of various departments. who could
drive them out of business
In our neighborhood there half dozen
homes and schools for young women, the Friends
Tor oYpln me sT An6retys ffospItai for conTa
lescents and several Others Every day the women
and girls from these institutions TO the Iark-
There have been instances when the disor0eriy
women have been seen 10 attempt conversation
with them but even without this direct contact
the Generating erect OF seeing these women
INTO the park and meeting men San Wen De mag
2neo while mas been pointed out, even the chill
these Women IS part Of the social scheme about
them. Inside the park Charlie Murphy's rela-
bur he somehow naanages 10 fal 10 see the women
, S.r9 :" ii--e-S''-S 1''OS 'i0 --'' -'-'-'A INV
one Of the evils IN the red light days was tie
Presence in the tenement houses OF dsorderly won
en- Exactly the Of thing according 10 MI
and not far from the home OF Charles F Murphy,
trolling regular beat, day and night IN this pre-
cl1cI. have been traced to a tenement mouse
these women haze waited outside the door 10 |
solicit members OF the club
says Mr.. Whitney, is no less parsonage than
Captain Aassey on WON Comnalss19ner AGAG ',o
name is a bit sgnsficant But there is little cause
FOR activity among the officers A policeman. who
was put on Commissioner McAdoo's special stan.
because Of ability, and ordered 70 act as Tree
lance raided poolroom in Commissioner Oak |