Commercialized Prostitution in New York City Part 26

X 130 is a chorus girl during the regular season. She has been with several well known companies.

X 133 is the janitor at X 134, West 28th Street. Four street walkers bring men to their rooms in this building for immoral purposes. One of these women said that they each paid $5 per week to the janitor for the privilege of using their rooms in this way. The janitor has a family consisting of his wife and three children. One boy is 10 and the eldest girl 17 years of age.

On February 13, 1912, between 3.30 and 4.30 P. M., two colored girls who appeared to be 17 and 18 years of age respectively were soliciting men on the street to enter a tenement house at X 136, West 40th Street. The children from Public School No. X 137, a short distance away, were playing along the street on their way home. The colored girls were particularly insistent and talked in loud tones intermingled with vile remarks and oaths. Some of the children who did not appear to be more than 10 or 11 years old noticed the two colored girls and laughed at them, pointing their fingers.

Seven colored families live in this tenement. The prost.i.tutes who solicited offered to reduce the price to 50 cents if the hallway were used. On March 4, 1912, a colored girl entered the hallway with a white man. The conditions in this building are extremely unsanitary. The hallways are dark and full of odors, the stairs in a state of dilapidation.

X 138 and a younger girl rented two rooms in a tenement at X 139, East 122nd Street. On January 30, 1912, about 9.15 P. M., X 138 solicited the investigator on the street to accompany her to this tenement for immoral purposes. The girls paid $4 per week for the rooms and the landlord had told X 138 that they could bring men into the house if they desired. A man by the name of Louis has tried several times to induce X 138 to enter a house of prost.i.tution. "This man," said the girl, "is a swell dresser and wears diamonds." He even went so far one night as to impersonate a detective and threatened to arrest her for soliciting on the street, thinking in this way to frighten her into complying with his request. X 138 said that he receives $50 for every girl he secures for houses.

The investigator called at this address again on February 1 for the purpose of talking further with X 138 and tried to obtain a description of the procurer of whom she spoke. The hour was 5 P. M. As he entered the hallway a boy about 11 or 12 years of age asked him whom he wanted to see.

"Mrs. X 140 has been out and so has Mrs. X 141," said the boy, "and now there are only two w---- on the top floor." Four families live at this address, in which there are 2 boys and 1 girl under 16.

Mrs. X 118 lives on the third floor of a tenement at X 117, West 58th Street. Mrs. X 118 has two daughters; one, a girl of 18, is divorced from her husband whom she met when her mother conducted a similar business on West 49th Street, and lives here with her mother. The other daughter, X 142, is 15 years of age. On February 24, 1912, about 1 A. M., investigator saw a young man talking to X 142 in the rear of the flat. X 118 said X 142 is attending a business school, but different young men who are customers declare that she works in a candy factory. One day a business man who had been a customer received a letter from X 118 urging him to call. He showed the letter to the investigator, and declared that X 142 had written it at the dictation of her mother who he knew could not write English. In fact, the writing was in an immature hand, and the letter poorly composed.

One of the inmates here, X 143, lives at X 144, East 94th Street and uses X 118 flat in which to meet two steady customers at stated intervals. She has been a clandestine prost.i.tute for several months.

X 118 has a list of addresses of girls in a book which she keeps in her bureau. There are 10 families in this tenement. One of the tenants, a Mrs.

X 145, told an investigator that on several occasions the police have been called into the house to stop the noise. She further said that the landlord, X 146, knows the character of some of the tenants and charges them high rentals.

(b) DIFFERENT INVESTIGATIONS OF SAME ADDRESS

As was the case with parlor houses, many tenements were investigated at different times in order to show that the business was systematically conducted:

_X_ 147. _Broadway._

July 27, 1912. X 155, prost.i.tute, told the investigator she "answers calls for this place. $5. Wine sold."

July 30, 1912. X 154, prost.i.tute, told the investigator she "receives men here, $5, $10, $20."

August 1, 1912. X 150, prost.i.tute, told the investigator that "this place is owned by a colored woman; X 149-a, white woman has charge." Prices charged are $3, $5 and $10.

August 1, 1912. There are two apartments in X 147 Broadway owned by colored women. One, X 148, and her sister, X 149-a. These women have white girls conducting the resorts while they, the owners, keep in the background. One apartment, 3rd floor, inside, is operated under the name of X 149. The other is one or two flights above on the same side. Both send for girls supposed to be $3, $5, and $10.

August 8, 1912. 10 P. M. Business and residential district. Six story red brick building. Madame X 148. The investigator counted 2 inmates. Price $5. Girls get half. Drinks $5. Inmates wear gowns and claim to have health certificates. Names of inmates, Stella and Ellen. Girls claim to pay weekly board of $15. Rent paid is $105.

August 15, 1912. X 152, prost.i.tute, told the investigator she "takes friends here."

August 29, 1912. X 156, prost.i.tute, told the investigator she "meets many a good man through this house. Two other apartments here where I see men."

August 29, 1912. X 156, prost.i.tute, told the investigator she "makes many a dollar right in the house. Four good places here."

_X_ 157. _West 27th Street._

February 6, 1912. 8.30-9 P. M. Investigator reports this former house of prost.i.tution now occupied by families.

March 18, 1912. 2:30 P. M. Investigator solicited by inmate Blanche on 27th Street and Seventh Avenue and went to her apartment one flight up, east. Counted two inmates. Price of place $1. Names of inmates, Blanche (madame) and Bella. Name of owner of property as given in the tax book for 1912 is X 158.

_X_ 159. _West 28th Street._

March 5, 1912. 9.50 P. M. Investigator counted 6 street walkers accosting men in the vicinity and using the premises for purposes of prost.i.tution.

Investigator was solicited by one, Jennie, to enter premises. Price of woman and room $1. Owner of this property as given by the tax book for 1912 is X 161. The previous owner was X 162.

Reports from other sources:

Tenement house, double family tenement, janitor giving women privileges after 10 P. M. for a weekly consideration. A procurer by the name of X 163 living on the premises has shipped his girl Rosie to Pittsburg, Pa., into a disorderly house there.

February 1, 1912. Flat house for street walkers.

Tenement House Department report, June 18, 1909. Disorderly house, prost.i.tution alleged, no basis. July 2, 1909: Disorderly house, prost.i.tution alleged, no basis.

_X_ 164. _West 28th Street._

February 8, 1912. Investigator reports prost.i.tution discontinued here.

March 17, 1912. Tenement house inhabited by about 10 families. 12.15 A. M.

Investigator solicited by two French women on street near the stoop of premises to enter this house. Price of women $1. Soliciting from street and windows. Owner of property as given in the tax book for 1912 is X 165.

Reports from other sources:

February 1, 1912. Ground floor, French flats. Almost on every floor "business" is carried on.

Tenement House Department report, January 8, 1910. Disorderly house, second floor. Cause of complaint removed.

Police report June 18, 1909. Disorderly house, prost.i.tution alleged. No basis.

August 19, 1912. Prost.i.tution is practised in this house. Rosie, prost.i.tute, resides in a flat one flight up, and a woman named X 166, also a prost.i.tute, lives on the floor above Rosie. The investigator was solicited from the window of this house.

_X_ 167. _West 29th Street._

March 24, 1912. 8.30 P. M. Investigator was solicited by several colored women in front of this address to come to their rooms. Counted five women soliciting. Price of women 50 cents. Owner of the property as given in the tax book for 1912 is X 168.

Reports from other sources:

Tenement. Some apartments occupied by prost.i.tutes.

_X_ 169. _West 29th Street._