The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-09-20
TELLS STORY. OF
q WHITE SLAVERY
Kentucky Girl Mistreated
at Tampa, Fla.
A PITIFUL STORY OF TRIALS
Told by the Girl, Whose In.
nocence Was Taken Ad.
vantage Of.
WAS STARTED AT LOUISVILLE

Tampa, Fla, Sept. ia girl
confined in the Woman's Home and
Hospital, who gave her name as
Mary Richardson, and home as
HARVARD, Breckenridge county, KY,
tells pitiful story of how she was
driven into white slavery by Marian
Lawrence and Ethel Evans, two of
Tampa's demimonde. She said that
transportation from Louisville to
Tampa was furnished her by Edna
Shelley, of Louisville, under the
pretense that she would be given a
position in this city.
The girl said that she lived near
Louisville aud that she went to that
city to seek employment as a ticket
seller in a moving-picture show,
and she says that while in Louis
VILE she met Edna Shelley, whoN
was a ticket seller in a picture show
near the corner OF Fourth and
Green streets, and that the Shelley
woman told her she could get her
a Job at Tampa, Fla.
The Richardson girl says she was
surprised when she reached Tampa
to find that she was shown q room
in a disreputable house. She says
she rebelled against the treatment
there imposed upon her, but that
the Lawrence and Evans women
threatened her life if she made
trouble or attempted to leave the
house. She says she was forced to
spend all her wages for gowns worn
in such places.
Warrants were issued in the
United States Court here to-day for
Marian Lawrence and Ethel Evans,
who are being held by the city au-
thorities. They will be brought be-
fore the Fiscal Court Monday.
District Attorney Cheney, Mayor
Mckay, City Attorney Mabry and
Chief Woodward visited the girl in
the Woman's Hospital to-day. She
reiterated her story to them. The
negro nurse also confirmed the
story.
It Is said the two women under
arrest will set up a plea in defense
that Miss Richardson met a COM
mercial man in Louisville. who di-
rected her to Tampa and that she
was supposed to be a girl onto the
ways of the world"
Conflicting Stories Told by Edna
Shelley.
The Louisville Courier-JournaI
of Sunday says:
Edna Shelley. cashier and ticket
seller at the Casino Theater, In
Fourth street, between Green and
Jefferson, the woman named in the
white-slave story from Tampa, told
conflicting stories last night about
the part alleged to have been taken
by her in the case.
When informed by a reporter fol
the Courier-Journal that her name
had been mentioned to the police
by the girl found in the Lawrence
woman's resort at Tampa, she
said:
81 know nothing about any CIR
named Richardson. Neither do
know of any girl who left here re-
Gently to go to Tampa"
Miss Shelley was closely ques
toned for fully ten minutes, bu
she refused to say more and wal
careful not to deviate from he
story. An hour or so later, howev
err, in another interview, she admit
ted that a strange girl, with face
smeared with cosmetics, rather
stability dressed. tall and with darl
complexion, approached her at tn
box Office OF the theater about thre'
weeks ago and applied for nosi
ton. The girl told hard lucl
story, she said. She had only fv'
dollars in her possession at tn
time and needed employment.
Miss Shelley then went on TO sa'
that she had made the acquaintanc
. of Marian Lawrence. the keeper o
the resort in Tampa, about a yea
ago while the latter was visiting
louisville. The Lawrence woman
/ she said. rented a room from he
/. at S2S West Jefferson street, and. 4
this way she formed her acquaini
,ance. She declared positively tina