The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-07-02
Graveyard of Fallen Women
Most Hideous Spot On Earth
In New York's Potter's
Field 10000 Unidenti
fled Bodies Are Heaped
in Trenches; "Funer-
ais" Are Conducted by
Ribald Convicts.
BY }. HERBERT DCCKWORTH
Omitted Press staff Correspondentb

III y. uEbbtbhI w sNN'ht"
Omitted Press staff Correspondent
HART ISLAND. y. Y, July ..
i have just looked into the bot
tom of the hell-pit that is the III
innate end of the majority of the
poor little victims of the white
slave ring.
Following the Shiny ramifica-
lions of this semi-organized trade
in the bodies and souls Of young
women, | have come across the
most desolate, hideous and revolt
ing piece Of land In the whole
world.
1t is New York city's potters'
field. Here on Hart island M
Long Island Sound are buried
80, 900 unidentified dead! Here is
the last resting place Of that vast
army of doomed girls of the Ten
derloin who every year disappear
into the great unknown.
No Dclusions.
These poor bodies that are
brought here are the remains, not
only of New York girls, but of
girls from all over the world. for
the hideous traffic in souls in the
metropolis brings here the flower
of youth from wherever II can be
.plucked.
And in each city over the land
and over the world, there are
other fields like this, not so large,
in which are buried bodies like
these, bodies from everywhere -
the end of the road for the great
army of missing girls.
White slaves investigators have
no delusions as to the last desIi-
nation of the victims Of this traf-
fic. When girls like Ruth Cruger
have been caught in the clutches
of the vice trust their days are
numbered
End at Norgue.
Soon their youthful charm dis
appears. Worn ont and bedrag-
gled they are dropped 10y the
panderers. They wander about
the streets homeless for few
months. Then comes the h0spi-
tai; or body dragged from the
river.
In few days these bodies lie
in the MOrtuary. Nobody wants
them They are then placed in
rough board boxes. taken down TO
the department of correction pier
at the foot of East 26th st. and
shipped to Hart island. Here they
are taken off by gangs of con
victs.
! watched the grues0me opera
ton. watched the hard-faced
criminals and degenerates-more
of society's victims - stack up
about so of these rude collins on
the dock.
Each coffin had it's label tackled
to it, From Bellevue Hospital,
or From the Morgue," they read.
Some black, square boxes, were
marked bellevue Hospital Re-
fuse" The refuse was the re-
mains of "unknowns" that had
come from the dlssecting rooms!
The collins were piled into a
closed wagon and taken to Pot
tiers Field, overlooking the sound.
Here | saw a huge trench made
to hold a hundred collins. These
were laid in two layers in the hole
and covered with earth.
The convicts seemed to enjoy
their job. When the keeper wasn't
looking they would pry open a
lid with a shovel and, with NOR
bid curiosity. look in.
There was no passing bell or
funeral rites for these unknowns.
There was no crypt or tomb for
them. With convicts as sexton
and grave-diggers the white slave
victims were shovelled into the
hole and covered up. That was
all.
Back to Dinner.
The guard blew his whistle, the
convicts formed up in double file
and marched off to dinner, sing
ing, Pack Up Your Troubles In
Your Old Kit Bag!"
The regulars" as the convicts
call them, get no monument or
tombstone.
When 100 bodies have been put
away, "unknelled, uncoffined and
unknown" a numbered board is
put at the head of each pit and
"Finis" is added to 100 more
tragedies of a big city.
4