The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-17
DOES THE OSTRICH'S TRICK
Boston Comes in for the
Hard Knocks.
Disclosures of a Recent In.
vestigation.
Assistant States Attorney Roc De-
clares Vice is Rampant Within q
stones Throw of Massachusetts
Capitol and Some Conditions Worse
Than in Chicago.

Chicago, Aug. 17.-The complac-
ency Of Boston and New England in
general in the belief that no barter
and sale of girls and women exists
there and that the white slave traf-
nc' is chiefly in the West gets a
griling by Assistant States Attor-
ney Clifford G.. Roe in Chicago, in
the "Woman's World" for Septem-
ber as result of investigations made
by Mr.. Roe in Boston and other
New England cities. Under the title
The Boston Hypocrisy" Mr.. Roc
declares that the New England com
| placency Is like the ostrich that hides
her head in the sand and thinks be-
| cause she cannot see anyone, no one
can see her.
| The Investigation of the conditions
which exist was undertaken be-
cause the governors OF Massachusetts
New Hampshire and Maine informed
the committee chosen by the Wom-
/ ans World" to secure legislation
/ against the white slave traffic that
they believed their states were ex-
empt from the monstrous systema-
tized evil which has been found to
swallow up some $4,000 girls each
year in the United States. Governor
Proutz, of Vermont, wrote the COM
mlttee: "If the people of this state
were convinced that such traffic as
you speak of was being carried on
there would be absolutely no question
as to what they would do regarding
II. I, personally am not willing to
believe that girls are sold In the way
you seem TO think they are. II
so. have never heard of IL in this
state"
Governor Draper, of Massachusetts,
when urged to secure new law
directly aimed at white slavery wired
the committee Revised laws of Mass
achusetts, chapter 21z very stringent
in matters of crime against chastity,
morality. decency and good order"
Mr.. Roe has prosecuted scores of
white slave cases in Chicago. and
has for two years warned the public,
from his official knowledge, that in
nocent girls were being systematically
hunted. captured and sold to houses
of prostitution. After a careful in
quiry of several weeks in which he
had abundant assistance, Mr.. Roe
declares both that the traffic
exists fiagrantly under the shadow
of the Massachusetts capitol and that
the laws are very inadequate.
Boston and other New England
cities have all the elements which
make "A traffic in girls quite certain"
Mr.. Roe declares, "by going to the
bottom and getting Information from
those who know the business from
the ground up, who live in 1t, and
work for It some very reliable facts
have been gathered. However, n
walk down Washington, fremont or
Boyleton streets in Boston. at night
from say until 10 o'clock, disclose
the first symptoms of something
wrong which any visitor cannot help
but see. In Hayward place, one-half
block from Washington street, the
main shipping street OF Boston, under
the very nose of the largest retail
stores are two places such as would
only be tolerated in the lowest red
light district of any city One has
but to pick up the telephone direc-
tory and find the numbers of at
least two hundred houses of illrepute
Chicago, one of the acknowledged |
centers of vice, does not tolerate
that. nor can you find such places
as the Hayward, Epicure, Dreyfus |
or Palm Garden in the principal |
shopping districts OF Chicago. One
OF the most glaring examples of |
disorderly places which the good cit |
iZens there overlooked In the busin- |
ess district Is almost within a stones |
throw of the state House and Capt. |
tol of Massachusetts,.
Taking the biography of one |
hundred girls in desreputable houses |
at random, IL was learned that about |
one-third came to Boston from Can
ada, mainly Nova Scotia.
ITO one who has made the study |
of the white slave traffic the first |
question when one finds so many dis
orderly places is where do they get |
the girls from? Why do 50 many |
come from one locality? Is the sup
ply equal TO the demand? Are there
enough persons entereing into such
a life voluntarily each year to keep
the places going? The average life
of one of these girls is about five
years according to the best statis-
tics.
Boston and the other New Eng
land cities have the cadet system,
men and boys living from
the earnings of girls engaged in this
business. Most cadets
procure girls and that is the ques.
tion for New England TO solve.
Are the cadets there engaged in
the business of trading in girls?
Yes. 1t is said that a certain Bob
by B.--a we'll known cadet In Bos-
ton, procured about seventy girls TO
be sent to Panama. A certain Lena
D. who was born In Quebec Is
known TO be procuring girls from
Lowell, Mass, and the country dis
.rict for the fast life in Boston. She
perhaps Is the greatest woman trader
In human souls In New England
According to her own statement she
trains them TO be wise This woman
,nce worked in Lowell In a shoe
'actory. The Fhench. Jewish and
Italian procurers are not so much in
evidence In New England as other
American cities. The cadets there