The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-04-19
KAKAAEO DANCE
HALL SCHOOL
OF VICE
Tiny Girls Partners )"
Of Grown Men at
:" a Price,"
NO LEGAL REMEDY
"WhirI for a fee," Is
System Of Joints
Proprietor.
NO LEGAL REMEDY
lFrom Thursd ,S,s Advertiser. }

(From Thursd ly's Advertiser.)
Down in the heart of Kakaako there
now fourishes rare and filthy speci-
men of night blooming villainy, for
without hinderance Of the law an open
dancing hall where little girls are farm
ed out to Chinese and Hawaiian men
for dances and "walksn thereafter is
running full blast every night
Near the corner of Laniwai and
Cooke streets, in, d territory patrolled
chiefly by the Kakaako gang, there is
a shack few yards from the street,
perched up over malodorous base
ment surrounded by latticework. The
patron of this joint enters by the front
gate, goes around the house, guided by
the doubtful melody of an accordion,
and combating darkness, mud and
evil smells, and enters the basement
by rear door in the lattice.
A miserable little hole in the ground,
this, lighted by lanterns and crowded
with Hawaiian women and girls, rang
ing from nine years to maturity, who
wait for the visitor to pay his dance
fee to the proprietor and select wom-
an or child from their number for a
dance, and that "walk" thereafter
which is part of the bargain. Such
is the Laniwai dance hail. In the at
mosphere of physical filth and moral
depravity the little girls of the district,
with and without the consent of their
parents, are educated in vice and
schooled to life of shame.
Comes Out in Court.
These astounding facts came up yes
terday in Judge WhItney's Juvenile
court as result of the investigations
of Miss Maynard, who noted the ap-
pearance of unprotected girls on the
streets in the neighborhood after dark,
and traced their movements to the sub
terranean dance hall.
Eight little Hawaiian girls, ranging
in age from nine to seventeen years,
appeared before Judge Whitney yester-
day and laid bare in their confessions
the workings of the Joint. They testi-
fed that the dance hall was run ON the
fee-for- adance system, which has been
legislated out of every big city on the
mainland and the discovery of the ex-
istence of such an institution in Ho-
nolulu, where there is no particular law
against it, was shock to the investi-
gators.
Dance for Fun.
The little children who have been
the stock in trade of the proprietor of
the hall told the judge that they just
danced and "walked' for the fun of
it and that they never received any of
the fees, which vary from fifty cents to
two dollars, but that the proprietor of
the hall collected and pocketed the
price set upon their charms. The man
agement and patronage of the infam
Gus hole are all Hawaiian and Che girls
asserted positively that they had never
seen soldiers in or about the place.
No Legal Remedy.
The appalling feature of this whole
affair is that there seems to be no Legal
remedy for the astounding evils and al
though the whole system and innel
works of the Laniwal school for vice
were laid bare in the Juvenile couri
yesterday the accordion was working
overtime last night, the lantern light
glowed through the latticework and
the dance was in full swing while the
nocturnal vultures filed in and out will
the partners whom they had literally
purchased. Others lounged about il
the streets outside, watching the pa
geant and discussing the public AFFAIR."
of Kakaako. A Hawaiian family, liv
ing over the melodious and malodoroul
basement in typical indifference ant
apathy cheerfully guided those WHIT
were doubtful as to the identity of tn,
place to the rear door, where they wer,
greeted by the proprietor.
fThere is apparently no law bear
ing on the matter except the curfev
law,' said Judge Whitney yesterday
'sSome of the girls say they attend
with the consent of their parents. They
say, they dance with grown men ant
get nothing for 1T because they JUS
dance for fun Fifty cents is thu
price of dance, but it is stated By
some that as high as two dollars il
sometimes paid. After the dance the,
often .'take a walk (" with thei
partners.
"The Proposition he concluded, "i
painful and difficult one. I am some
times at loss to know what to d.
in these Juvenile cases"
This then is the legal status of TIM
matter, meanwhile the dance is on.