The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-05-24
BY w. a. SHEPHERD,

NEW 1OHhp Mdy Lf.- ASOW
you've bought two 16 year old girls,
don't you want a still younger one?"
asked Belle Moore, negro mistress
. Of = richly furnished apartment.
Lets see her." said the man wis.,
itod roughly. How much do you
want for herr"
"You can't buy her. You can't
take her away from her." said the
negress. "But-you know. You
can go in that room and look her
over. She's only II years old, but
she's wise
The visitor went into the next
room. A beautiful black haired lit
tie girl was lying on the bed, fully
dressed.
The visitor first made sure he
was alone with the child.
whats your name3" he asked
her hastily, almost in a whisper.
How old are your"
my name is Helen Hastings, and
I'm II years old" said the little girl,
with weak smile.
Are you sick?"
Eyes, big man" but the story
the child told cannot be printed
Just then the big negress came to
the door The man turned toward
her. His whole attitude changed
from that Of the sympathetic man
to that of cold purchaser of hui
man flesh and soul.
"What do you think Of herr"
asked the negress, gloatingly
pretty fine little girl" said the
man. You won't sell her. huh?"
mot to be taken away from
here" said the negress.
"Well. I'll drop in tomorrow to
see what you've got" said the man.
Il want two more young ones"
And he went out. His steps took
him directly to the office of the dis
trict attorney.
He was George Miller, the right
hand man of John d. Rockefeller Jr
and District Attorney Whitman, in
the white slave investigation.
II couldn't take the poor little kid
away with me without letting the
woman know who was" explained
Miller. but tomorrow We'll get her
when we arrest the woman"
Poor little Helen Hastings!
The next day when a negro de-
tective went to the Moore house to
rescue the little girl, the woman
said:
"A colored man came in here last
night and pretty nearly killed her.
l had to send her to hospital"
Belle Moore was arrested with
two men accomplices, but baby
Helen Hastings had dropped from
sight. The hospitals were searched
and the entire police force began to
seek vainly the tiny girl whose II
years had brought her so much evil
in such terrible form. The police
feared the white slavers had muir.
dered her to hide only one Of the
thousands Of unspeakable crimes Of
the white slave traffic.
James B. Reynolds. assistant to
the district attorney. worked with
John d. Rockefeller Jr. in probing
the white slave evil The investiga-
ton was instigated by an article by
George kibbe Turner in McClure's
Magazine, in which he told of the
outward signs of white slavery.
which was fOstered by Tammany.
Turner's disclosures caused the
appointment of a special grand
jury, headed by John D. Rockefeller
Jr., to investigate the traffic in
girls. Rockefeller offered $25, 900 to
carry on the work, but the city It,
self appropriated $4,000 for the
purpose, and the young mans
money has not been needed.
Whitman turned the work over to
Reynolds.
Reynolds detectives secured New
York in vain. The white slavers
We're afraid of strangers.
Then Reynolds secured the serv-
Ices of two young women. Vassar
graduates, who had been prominent
in social settlement work and had
consecrated their lives to help 9th.
ers. The identity of these women
has been kept secret thus far.
They will appear, however, on the
witness stand.
Vancouver and the other to Seattle.
There they sank themselves into
the underworld. They mingled with
the most prosperous and influential
women In the world of vice on the
Pacific coast. Plentifully supplied
with money. and telling the story
that they were going abroad and
wanted to take "a stable of young
girls with them" they soon gained
the respect and confidence of the
resort keepers on the western coast.
But the east was the place to buy
girls. said the westerners.
$50 to Denver, Minneapolis, Kan
sas City. Omaha, Chicago. Cleve-
land. Buffalo or New York." was
the best tip.
Whom shall We ask for in those
oities?" they asked.