Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1914-12-16
VAUDEVILLE IN COURT
FREES MABEL YOUNG
(From Saturdays Daily.)

colt.
Principal Star-Mabel Young, a
quasi-colored woman and semi
church-goer not so young" as she
looks.
Victims-Mrs. Mary Dent and her
daughter, Mrs. Nellie Stewart, slash
es" in Sunday tragedy.
Miniatures-Some dozen witnesses
who did not hesitate to talk plenty
and without reservation.
Sequel-Principal star declared
not guilty by jury after elaboration
of about one hour.
And the Synopsis
Mabel Young, colored, was tried
in the superior court yesterday on
the charge of assault on the person
of Mrs. May Dent with the intent to
kill
The trial lasted all day and went
to the jury at the close OF a session
which merged from grimy shadows
into the complete shades of night
fall.
1t developed about as "unsanitary"
mess OF corruption as was ever un-
covered before the modest public,
and proved that among the colored
population of the lower districts of
this town, and in some instances
other parts of the city, there exists
state of affairs which would put a
Sodom and Gomorrah to shame.
Colored men and women alike
joined in giving testimony with re-
gard to the degradation existing
among those who were witnesses
and principals in the case which is
unprintable, some of the women be-
ing so brazen on the stand as to
speak in gloating terms OF their prac-
tees of prostitution outside the red
light district, and otherwise Boosting
Of their ability to carry on such a
business without interference in
rooms not in the restricted district
and even in alleys and other places.
One colored man testified that a
party of colored people got Nellie
Stewart, one of the women who was
slashed in the fight, into the alley
back of the St. Michael hotel, where
they painted her." by this meaning,
as it was interpreted by the lawyers,
that the girls face and part of her
body was painted red, in a "seance"
which is too degrading to be hardly
mentioned. And it was nothing I'M
common for witnesses, men and wo-
men alike, to tell of other circum-
stances and instances OF lawlessness
and lewdness which arc revolving in
the extreme, and so far did the re-
lation of such tales proceed that
court room spectators and jury alike
were convulscd with laughter and
again silenced with disgust.
1t was shown that the Sunday me
lee between Mabel Young on one
side, and Mrs. May Dent and her
daughter, Mrs. Nellie Stewart, on
the other, was nothing more or less
than a disgraccful fracas among
drunken women who are in the habit
of frequenting places of questionable
repute, some of whom have been
in the redlight district until they
graduated into other sections of the
city, and who have the reputation OF
drinking and carousing about town
about as they please in the dark hours
Of night and at other times.
One coiored woman, Maud Brooks
by name, said under oath that most
of the people who had testified and
who were parties to the trouble were
known as strict "hustlers," and an
other colored woman of police re-
cord in Prescott, Virgie Sanders, said
that as a rule she made living "do-
ing the best she could at everything"
and when asked if this was not true
with reference to most all the ten or
fifteen colored women who were wit
nesses, said, yes sab, they all does
about the best they can at most any
thing" Then two women gave per-
haps the most revolving testimony of
any others, and the characteristic
darkey brogue they used converted
their part of the performance into a
par with any colored comedy that
has ever been seen or heard in any
vaudeville in the country.
The Brooks woman when asked
did you ever see Nellie Stewart
drunk" by Attorney Talbot,
replied, many a time sab" Well,
how many times?" persisted the at
torney, when the woman replied, Il
could not tell, sab, but one time in
dc Mexican saloon she got drunk