Year: 1870

In the iron palisaded pen of the Tombs Police
Court was placed yesterday morning, by the side Of
two professional feminine pickpockets, young
girl, with on intelligent, broad, girish face, whose
quiet stare around the court and into tho c0uu-
tenances OF all ABOUT her looked too much like innos
cence 10 be mistaken for mpudence Tne magts-
trate had not yet arrived, and she was waiting, with
number OF drunken men and women. her oppog.
iunity FOR being mngistcrially disposed OF.


In the body OF the court, on the side appropriAt66
to The female part OF the audience, was the mother
OF this giri, a ceanly looking. decently attireds
industrious appearing woman, whose unobtrusivo
dress ana quiet demeanor made her conspicuous
IN the bevy OF ra and faded beauty that surrounded
her. arrayed In It's l!dttlng. dirty, faded 1nery and
dollar store jewelry. Side by side with the honest
mother or the girl IN the iron pen creature In
the form OF woman and In the garb OF q lady, who
was the "boss' or an uptown establishment for the
retailing OF vicious lndulgences to any man who
came with sufficient greenbacks TO command the
luxury OF an hours seclusion with any one OF her
girls" Some OF this creatures 'girlsn were there
also with all the "girlishness' taken out OF them
long ago, wearing borrowed nnery that did duty
for poor representation Of young ladyism. Their
smutty Jokes. their lon-mouthed talk, their empty
gigyle shook the wrinkles OF fat the rum ana
wniskey marked countenance Of the "nagn that
owned this cluster OF feminine humanity. Now and
then court oilcer ordered silence and this small



sumed the appearance OF form fun OF boarding
school GIRLS


They filled up this interval OF silence by an aur-
ing and ascivious smirk and unmistakabe facial
ana nnger signs TO the male occupants OF the oppo.
site benches. The overtures were not, however
turned by the men, rough, dirty and hardened
q good many OF them were. An innate sense OF
pity seemed to disarm all the rougher manly nature
and the invitations 10 pantomlmlc display OF incip


tent vice were not reciprocated by the lords OF the
creation.


When Justice Cox arrived Helen Brown for this





among the earliest brought before the magisterlal
eye. The officer VINO mad her. in charge said
that the girl was fourteen years Of age and tnat he
had found her at u house OF prostitution In Mercer
street The mother stepped forward and begged, for


the sake Of the best interests OF her child tat she be-
sent I'll the House or the Good Shepherd. she
told the magistrate in few words her reasons for
this request, and Justice COX complied with the
desire OF the mother and the girl was spendliy
removed 10 the prison part OF the Iombs until
favorable opportunity presented itself Tor her
ration OF her moral nature.


The HERALD reporter OF the court had converse
ton with Mrs. Brown and as the plain and simple
narrative or her daughters fall was not quite the old
story Of sin and sname its more salient details have
! had more lasting embodiment given to them than


that which they had IN the narrative or the narrator
ana the memory OF the listener.


was a married man OF distinguished reputation. 1t
was the weekly duty OF an elderly sister OF Helen,
| named Jennie, TO take this mans domestic linen
home, and be paid Tor the washing OF the same.
One evening this elder girl tJcnniel came


home from her weekly visit to this mar
Il
| dignaton, and telling her mother III the painest


terms that she would not take that "man's wasnlnge
home again. for he nal grossly insulted her. TIM
two talked II over. and they decided that an Helen


was SO young she could be safely sent with It, Helen


was despatched with 1t and sne contined 10 take II,
and no harm apparently came OF her Industrial
errands.


| one day some female companions of Helen called
upon her mother and told her that II they would
| let Helen 90 and work where they worked at arti.
nclal nowcr making IN Mercer street. she would get
from 50 to So 80 per week; they wouId take care
OF her and see she came to harm, and she would
Themnoter consented to let her daughter 20 TO this
work. Helen returned regularly at the appointed
time every evening and quite as regularly brought
her wages which sometimes amounted To even moro
than five dolars-weeks In which 1t was said she
had been more than usually industrious
In one OF those flashes OF intuition which seem to
preface the coming OF harm, but without the
slightest apparent ground for 1t, the mother sus
pected something wrong. She visited the house in
Mercer street. In company with her husband, and
while waiting on the stoop TO be admitted to the
house they became aware that 1t was brothel. To
intensity their Indignation respectfully dressed,
gray headed old man came TO the door and asked q
girl who opened the door II Helen was In ana THAI
she had disappointed him the previous night.
The husband had taken a pistol with him,
vowng that II their suspicious were subs.antated
he would ktl the vloator OF his daughter. lie put
his hand In his pocket, 10 draw the pistol but the
mother nterfered aud in the general 'muss'; that
ensued the .sold MANI was hussed by the girls OF
the Establishment INTO the house and the worthy OLD
couple left OUT IN the cold. Helen speedily
reclaimed by the police, aud was induced TO con-
fess that she was seduced by the man Jennie had
ran away from,