El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-04


/ letter to Mr. Hudspeth Of December 20
which think covers the ground adj
/ ouately with some minor changes MI-
I Hudspeth called on Mr. Eosdlcf and nae
l a conference with US at that time You
[ will note in my letter OF that GATE
I summary OF what the war oeparliheLl
/ prostitutes and otbe- carriers OF venereaI
! diseases and alcohol hard for soldiers 10
find
Illegal Liquor Sales Continue.
| .On the basis Of information now in my
/ possession. little has been accomplished
/ in this direction The provost marshal OF
l FL Paso reports that about as many ar
( rests Of soldiers for drunkenness are being
| made as before the cleanup. This cor
| roborates the statement Of our repre-
I sentative that the volume OF Illegal sais-
I Of liquor to soldiers has apparently not
| diminished much during the last couple
! Of months. although a good many BOOT
/ Ieggers have been convicted BootlegglnE
! to soldiers is carried on through many
! channels. not only in FL Paso. but In out
| lying towns A great many iletaA sais-
! are made to auto parties al fslela' Il
1 miles from e. Paso. and Secorro- II miles
illegal social clubs in FL Paso are an
! other source OF this Illegal traffic by i
I information IS that they were closed up 1
I by the county attorney some weeks ago
| but reopened early in February Ine5-
/ places have supplied a great deal OF nqu1T /
! to soldiers. especially on Sunaays- - /
l appear TO have reopened because tney /
calculated that. with political campaign \
on, no one would want to make enemies
by closing them
Officers Get Liquor
sBootlegging TO officers IS source q
evil fostered at the hotels. country clubs
and other clubs
an regard to prostitution the same
general statement nay be made The /
volume OF prophylactic treatments indi- /
cafes that there has been no diminuuon /
in the amount OF prostitution IN the last /
couple Of months IN spite OF the cleanup. |
The prostitutes convicted and run out
Of town are mostly poor Mexicans or girls
! without any friends The doWntoWn |
! roo-nine houses have been partly cleaned |
| out but are still being used 70 some
extent as assiEnation houses The most
Of the prostitutes who formerly lived IN
them have been forced 10 move TO places
! which are not so exposed
Very disgusting reports reach ne that
} a number Of the detectives and deputy
I sheriffs are permitting roorning houses
70 continue operations because OF thelr
| illicit relations with the women IN cnarse-
I On the whole prostitutes have mercy
| transferred their bases Of operation from
the down town rooniing houses % the
apartment houses and private residences
| further ont Most Of the apartment
houses seem to have inmates. and come
/ are regular nests OF prostitutes one OF /
I the most nagraut IS On Estrela street
I lire there. One OF these girls IS supposed I
to have relations with one OF the CITY
says 'LynchyiHe L Wcrsf.
Among the outlying places the worst
! place left IS probably Lynchvlile, sette-
inent adjoining the canao Of the s5th IN
fantry- We are informed that u Is m
hzhited mainly by old time line prosd-
/ tufez and that q number OF shacks nave
I sprung up about TIE edges OF AL the
| camps. where prostitution IS carried OF
Street walking Is Still quite fagrant
I street walkers taking their customers 20
the smaller downtown roouling houses.
night great deal OF prostitution is now
carried on in the daytime =,
The two specific suggestions tlat
have TO make in face Of these conditions
are 2 thorough renr=anizatlon % the po-
ice department ard sheriffs Office an
! Of the opinion that until this IS done
can be secured IN q Paso-
Expects Citizens TO Cooperate
y note the attached letter ron US
county attorney 70 mayor DAVIS suggest
I ing that the federal government assume
, the burden OF prosecuting these cases. be-
cause OF the fact that juries n the county
! the lack Of adequate laws. II lures
: composed OF citizens OF FL Paso n so
unwilling to cooperate with the Eosesn-
I uent's program as TO turn loose. N spils
! OF the evidence. notorious prostitutes,
! many Of them in highly infectious stage
! OF venereal disease. then the CITIZENS OF
I Fl Paso will, have TO abide by the conse-
Quences-
! mend that the department OF justice en-
! tirely assume the burden properly az
] tached to the law enforcing officials %
your city and county. All federal agencies
! viii continue to cooperate. but the prl-
. mary responsibility rests with and must
? be discharged by the local Officials
Z | renew the suggestions contained in my
! | letter Of December 20 to c b Hudspeth-
Very truly yours.
"Baseom johnson.
Major. Sanitary Corps. y. A.
Things to Be Done
December 20, 1871
= &C. B. Hudsreth. e Paso;
+ 4. In response to your request ana
after conference with Raymond B. Fos-
5 dick chairman OF this commission. sena-
, tor Sheppard and yourself. yesterday after
noon. am submitting herewith a memo
raudum OF the things that ought % pc
/ done by FL Paso before this commission
can give the city a clean bill Of health
, So What we want e Paso and every
z | other community in OF near which sol
2 diers are located 70 do IS briefly to make
= prostitutes. and other carriers Of venereal
disease. and alcohol hard to find The
harder you make II 10 ind the better
: | We will like il At present our repre-
I / sentstives report that BON alcohol and
: / white and Mexican prostitutes are ex-
: | tremely easy to find in FL Paso- Ihe
i responsibility for the infection Of soldiers
: by venereal disease rests on the commu-
I nifty They do not get such disease IN the
2 camps. Specifically 1 would suggest;
2 Suggests Campaign Against Owners
E | "(a) A vigorous legal campaign against
D owners OF property used for immoral pur-
{ poses. as provided by your so called IN
Z Junction and abatement law. See sec
, tons 501-5oe penal code. 1915 edition.
, | "tb} Many proprietors OF bogus nptfls
{ | now permitting prostitution on the prem
, I ises could be put out OF business by strict
. enforcement OF the excellent city Ordi-
D [ nauces governing tenements and lodging
| houses when legal evideuse OF their con-
s noction with prostitution is difficult 10
: -(el A large part Of Chihuahuaita. tho
= ! Mexican portion OF FL PEso. could be alb
> l solutely torn down II fhe building ordt-
= | nances were enforced I am Informed
that this was started by the previous cit,
administration. but stopped by the pres
S ent one II this were done IL Would re-
% duce prostitution which fiourishes in shese
; ! warrens. where detection IS difficult. lC
/ would be still more important epidemic
] logically for prostitution IN these places
| is much more dangerous than elsewhere
l. being likely 70 result in typhus and other
! Infectious as well as venereaL
says should Find Better Way.
- ~(dl some way should , found 10 es-
r. cape from the present City custom OF
Il arresfing prostitutes for vagrency and as
l. sessing light fines. Either tie maximum
q $500 and 100 DAYS In jaiD should be as
% sessed in fragrant cases e. g. macanes
| and old offenders). and the case taken
u through the county court u appeal Is
< taken (as It is claimed would always ne
e the easel; or a new ordinance should De
e drawn up. This matter was brought TO
y the attention Of the mayor and city coun-
r. Gil by me personally last summer ano
II