Year: 1867

From an article in the San Francisco Times


entitled Glow Life in San Francisco we clip


the following paragraph descriptive of what is


generally called a''Deadfall:" d1 7o


The genus deadfall is well represented on


the Barbary Coast It flourishes here to an


amazing extent, and the first thought of the


visitor is, how can all the spiders that inhabit


these webs, contrive to catch flies sufficient
for their support. Perhaps we shall be able,
bye and bye, to explain this mystery At pres
ent we shall have to do with the appearance


and attributes of the spiders and their webs.


Dotted along both sides of Pacific street are
numbers Of what at first sight look like shops,


but at glance at the interior shows that they
are miniature drinking saloons. A green lat
ticed screen stands just inside the door, and on
passing this the visitor finds himself in small
room, with bar running across one side of it,
few shelves behind laden with bottles, and
another door, partially concealed by curtain,
fronting the main entrance, and leading into a
kind OF inner sanctum, furnished with sofa
and couple of chairs. In this bOudoir the
spider sits. The fierce insect is represented
by a young woman, or girl, flashiIy dressed,
and dissipated looking. In the glare of day
these creatures shun the light, and keep their
haggard cOuntenances and aching eyes in some
dark c0neealment. When night approaches
they take their station, neatly dressed, and not
seldom, painted cheeks. Woe betide the un


lucky countryman who shall fall into the hands
of these Circes then, for they will surely trans
form him into the likeness of swine, and they
will squeeze him dry Trustnot, O young man
from the interior, their becks, and mods, and
Wreathed smiles place not thy confidence in
the sincerity of their bold protestatiOns of sud-
den attachment inspired by thy manly charms /;
yield not to the braZen shamelessness of their
cosmopolitan caresses nor suffer them to over
come thy better Judgment, and persuade thee
to treat them to sparkling champagne. For
the wine of the Barbary Coast is a mocker,
and its inhibition is fraught with danger to thy
pleth0ric purse. The smiles of the Sirens are
deceitful, and their hearts are full Of guile.
Better cast thy gold into the Bay, and return
to thy ranch, empty of pocket, but clear of
head, than contribute to swell the gains of
these treaeherous women, and learn by bitter
experience the perils of great cities How
the deadfalls work may be ascertained in mo-
ment by reference to the Police Reports Al
most every week some silly fellow is a prose-
cutting witness against one of these women, on
a charge of robbery. And to be robbed by
such means TO suffer these coarse, hard
ened, desperately depraved wretches-women
who have forfeited all claim to gentle c0nsid-
eratIon-tO entice and beguile and sWindle you
Shame upon you, tillers of the soil! your very
have more sagacity than yourself
Late at night, III some Of these places, the
lowest of them, the scene is revolving. Tn the
larger ones, four or five girls are employed,
and these are probably drunk every night of
their lives. Surrounded by thieves and con-
victs, breathing an atmosphere tainted by every
impdrity, they revel, and shout, and become
hoarser with every fiery drink, while the vile
creatures round laugh at their shalnelessness,
and tempt them on to further depths Of dtgra-
dation. The deadfall has no redeeming tea-
tlre; it is bad from first to last !; it is an eye
sore and plague spot; it is a source Of degra-
dation to the women who keep it and to the
men who frequent it tits utterly, irreclain-
ably, and shamefully bad Let us leave it.