The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-13

VI tlc Spttldl ItSOItS lIltE represent.
Here. for instance, is "~Eannie's Place.
farther on The French House." and
in the >axt block is La Perla de
PacjficO.' or the Pearl Of the Pacific.
NOW stop your carriage before one
of these gilded houses and take a
look through the half-open door. The
lower floor at the front is a saloon
You can see the bottles in the bar at
the back, While at the windows and
in the door looking u upon the
streets are little girls with painted
faces and saudy clothes. Most Of
them are mere children, fifteen, six
teen and seventeen years of age, and
they are dressed to look
Their skirts reach just to their knees
and they look as though they should
put on their nighties and be tucked
away in their beds.
The great majority of these girls
are French. They are white slaves,
who have been smuggled into Panama
through Costa RIGA or other Central
American ports, and brought down
here in boats to Panama bay in such
a way hat the jurisdiction of our
zone is avoided.
White Slaves From France.
| went into one Of these houses
with a policeman, who had a sum-
mons to serve upon the matron. She
was charged with being a white slave
trader and with having brought sew
eral girl slaves through the canal
zone.
l must say that she looked it. She
was a brazen-faced French woman Of
about thirty-five, and in the room
with her were half a dozen little chits
or from fifteen to seventeen, who were
probably the slaves she had struggled.
They could speak but little English,
and were French from their toes to
their crowns. They danced about the
room while we stayed. At the same
time other girls Of similar ages were
flirting with some men ON the oppo-
site side OF the room, and at the table
one drank beer with a %Spaniard.
AS l locked the policeman said
These girls are real slaves and they
are treated like slaves. They look
very gay now in their Jewels and fine
dresses, but those jewels and dresses
they are allowed to use only at night
During the day they put on common
clothing, and take care of the house
scrubbing and cleaning. The matror
keeps them in debt, and they are Sc
afraid Of her that they do not dare
to leave"
, l don't know how many houses O.
this kind there are in Panama ant
Colon, but the number is large, an(
II Is steadily increased by recruit
, from France n southeastern Eu
rope. The houses are licensed by tn,
two cities. It is claimed that the,
are under medical supervision, ant
that the girls are older tina the,
look. | asked one Of them whethe
she had yet passed fifteen. She mock
ingly replied that she was sixty-five
and danced away, swinging her bar
arms around her head and kicking
her red, silk-stockinged toe almos
to the height Of my nose.
The government is doing all it ca
to restrict the white slave traffic an,
z to reduce the vice of the Panam
cities. 1t has don wonders, and wer
it not for our influence in such mat
ters things would be worse than the
e are. 1 believe that the moralit
l. among the white employees of tn
canal is far better than could be foun
Is in such a camp anywhere else. TIL
canal has many good American won
IT en- and they and the Y. NJ. c. A. club
houses lave done much to build uD
,e high moral one among the employe
g In the Opium Dens.
A. Leaving the red-light section
re- visited some OF the licensed min,
os dens. They are managed by the Oh
ga nese and are exceedingly rude. TT