The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-09-17
WEALTHY MEN
BACK WHITE
SLAVE TRADE
Persons of Social Standing Said
to Supply the Resorts in
New York.

CHICAGO, Sept 16.-Evidence to
prove that group OF wealthy men
with some social standing was partici-
pated in the traffic in women for the
purpose of supplying certain expensive
disorderly resorts in the upper West
Side came into the possession Of AS
Bistant District Attorney James F..
Smith on information given him by
a procurer at Narragansett Pier. I'm
der promise Of immunity this per-
son fully revealed, according to Dis
trict Attorney Smith, the extent to
which the business has been carried
on in New York This man named
ten such places in which this traffic
was carried on.
AS n result OF this information Dis
trict Attorney Smith said he hoped to
he able completely to break UP the
traffic in women among what he term
cd the upper strata of the under
world" Several of the witnesses who
were brought on from Boston and
Providence were examined and gave
the name OF man, said to be promi-
nent socially, who, it is alleged, was
the chief agent for the West Side dives
and superintendent the work of col
lecting women for midnight orgies in
luxuriously furnished apartments.
Politicians Also Involved.
This new phase of the white slave
investigation, which is expected also
to involve one or two politicians, has
for the time being overshadowed the
police graft question. In furtherance
of the plan to expose the expensive
disorderly resort business more wit
nesses win be brought to the city
from Boston, Philadelphia and Provi-
dence.
District Attorney Smith announced
that he was ready to go TO trial next
week with the cases of several al
legged white slavers now under in
dictment, although he has not yet de-
termined which ones will come first.
All the cases viii be tried before Judge
Rosalsky in special sessions.
Detectives from the prosecutors Of
flee have gone to Philadelphia to
round up thirty witnesses. who will
aid in cllngching the cases against
those now under indictment, but who
have been forced to flee under threats
from members OF the police depart
ment, who are said to be involved.
They are also looking for a man i'm
plicated in keeping by force more than
fifteen women in disorderly houses on
the East Side. The detectives are ex-
pected to bring back at least fifteen
important witnesses when they re-
turn from Philadelphia.
Tho ContnOtipD held Tn right nlOOp
that certain members of the police
force who hold more or less high po-
sitions, have been in conspiracy with
white slavers and have taken n share
in the earnings Of the girls who were
forced into immortality, was further
borne out when witnesses told Assist
ant District Attorney Smith of their
intimate relations with the police. Be-
cause of these stories, Mr.. Smith now
believes he will have about dozen
detectives and uniformed officers in
dicted.
Besides accepting brides from re-
sort keepers whom they were sent to
suppress. it is alleged that a group
OF corrupt detectives were active in
framing" all those who refused to
pay hush money" and in many cases
actually resorted to physical violence
il their demands were not promptly
met. Also witnesses have told Mr..
Smith that they were given money to
get out of the city as soon as District
Attorney swanns activity against the
white slavers began.
Evidence that certain detectives
were in league with pickpockets and
shared the result OF their labors with
them, has also come to light. II n
pickpocket were arrested the detec-
tive could usually manage to get him
free on one preteXt or another.