The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-12-14

Chinese restaurant on Front street
near the bridge. At least seven girls
aged from II to II, were named Dy
her as resorting to those places and
at the Chinese restaurant the affi-
davit declares that young girls, both
black and white resorted 10 the place,
and that the Chinaman charges them
money for his services. Violet Jack
son is % years of age, and says she
moved from jamestown to Fargo,
September last, and roomed at Mrs.
Fftzgerald's, who sold beer for the
Hamm Brewing Co. Her three chill
dren, she says, stopped with 6. p. Will
son, near Eberhart's candy factory.
She said she had worked at the Hub,
the Union restaurant, and the Chinese
restaurant. At the latter place she
had been about seven months, and
at JOhnson's about three weeks. Chief
of Police Con Keefe asked her several
times about the young girls that visit
ed Johnson's place and the Chinese
place, but she declared she was afraid
to tell him for fear Of getting mixed
up with the gang. Her story OF the
trip on the road from Fargo to Harvey
agrees with that told by Helen and
johnson. She said that at Darlington
they stopped at the Kirkwood and
that Bill Johnson was chased out of
town. They then stopped at a we'll
digger's house and later had trouble
with Jackson and, Johnson, as they
beat the girls because they did not
turn in more money. They stopped at
the Cooke hotel in Harvey, and the
next night at the Louvre hotel. They
secured money from various parties.
including a bOotlegger, and the boys
took it from us and brought beer
four bottles-to the hotel. The boya
was going to shoot me because
would not go out with drunken man.
The boys threatened our lives, so I
got scared of them, as they each car
ried a 38 calibre revolver. We got
scared of the boys and left Saturday
morning for Drake. We hired out 10
cook on a cook car about seventeen
miles south, where Mr.. Blake found us
Monday, Sept. 2, 1912"
Helen Reitan in her affidavit stated
that she was born March, 1896, at
Halstad, Mimi: has one brother II
years old, and three sisters aged u.
II and 6 years that are living at the
Orphans home at Twin Valley, Mimi:
that her mother is in the Fergus Falls
asylum, and has been for three years,
and she has not seen her mother for
IA years. Her fathers name is Louis
Reitan, and she has not seen him
for two years, and his address is
unknown. She lived with her un-
Gle and aunt up TO TOUR years ago.
She has lived with her grandfather
for about six months and then was
taken to Hillsboro by her father and
left with an uncle. She stayed there
until March of last year when she
went to Greenfield and worked for
Roy Radebaugh, and then went TO
Hunter and worked in the telephone
exchange for two and one-half months
and then went to Fargo where she
worked in Belmont's restaurant for
about a month, after which she met
Johnson. She testified that at Valley
City she received $22 which she turn
ed over to Johnson under threats, slaps
and other abuse. That money was
also given Johnson at KensaI and Car
rington.
An affidavit was also taken from
a. young girl named Florence June
Smith, at Fargo, which related the
habit of young girls stopping at the
Johnson place, and stated that she
had gone there with a man repre-
senting himself to be her husband
that she got in debt TO Johnson, WHY
forced her to EARN money and givss
it to him. It was there that she me,
Helen Reitan. The affidavit mentions
FIVE other young girls who visited
Johnson's place and the Chinese place
The Smith girl said she was under IA
years of age when she met 'old maj,
Johnson" from whose debt she wal
never able TO escape,
The affidavit of Florence Smith wass
not in evidence in the trial at sthiss
time.