Commercialized Prostitution in New York City

y with promoters and their assistants during a period of many months, listening to their conversations, consulting with them about business deals, helping them "make up thei

g themselves they talk about their business dealings with great freedom, and probably with more or less general accuracy. They eat and drink, buy and sell, plan and scheme like other business men; and under such circumstances the facts and conversations presented herewith were obtained. On the other hand, it must be distinctly stated that our agents were not authorized or permitted to "frame up" cases in order to secure facts. They did not operate houses of prostitution in the eff

ASING

mecklers" are employed. The "meckler" is paid a fee, never less than $30 and some

roperty. Through the pawnbroker who occupies the first floor, the "meckler" in question ultimately succeeded in securing the owner's[186] consent: the rental was $300 a month, despite the wretched conditions of the premises. He therefore rented the upper floors to three oth

enant could be evicted and a new lease issued under a different name. This was said to be the usual plan when the police made an arrest or issued an eviction notice. The go-between carried out his instructions literally. The house agents candidly admitted that "the owner knows that the only thing we can let the house for is for a cat-house" (meaning a house of prostitution). They stipulated that the place

edge of the facts. In some places, direct responsibility is avoided through renting empty apartments to janitors for a rental ranging from $40 to $50 a month. The janitor furnishes these apartments on the instalment plan and sublets

other places, the agents rent apartments by the week, demanding payment in advance. After a day or two, they may inform the occupants that a complaint has been made and that they will have to m

investigation had already discovered disorderly conditions. The remaining 38 agents were classified as doubtful. Some of them were annoyed because the investigator openly hinted her purpose; they suggested that they did not care, but would not knowingly rent the property in their charge for such a business. Others pretended to ignore the questions of the investigator and gave her 65 separate addresses where apartments could be rented. They were willing to rent apartments of this character, but did not want to appear to do so. A young man in a real estate office on Eighth Avenue stated that they "never ask people for their marriage certificates; they require only that tenants conduct themselves quietly." One well-known agent[192] betrayed and i

t is a vice resort. As many as 16 such resorts were found in one 7-story building. In another, every apartment ex

cket or divide with the landlord. The lease of a house[193] of prostitution in West 26th Street places the rental at $100 a month; the keeper[194] pays $150. On October 5th, 1912, three men were negotiating with a real estate agent[195] in West 30th Street, who agreed to rent them two houses[196] in West 38th Street at extortionate rates. On the same day, an Eighth Avenue agent[197] was promised a bonus of $50 per month fo

t take a chan

lied, "the rent wil

Street. The building is 5 stories high and four families live on each floor, paying a monthly rental of from $20 to $25. The street walkers, however, pay as much as $40 per month for th

DING IN

each have a sixth interest in another resort which he gave them as a present. His one-dollar resorts are located on the following streets:-three on Sixth Avenue, two each in West 25th Street and West 24th Street, and one each in West 28th Street,[206] West 31st Street,[207] and West 40th Street.[208] He is also the proprietor of a $5 ho

was subsequently accounted for by the owner as follows: "Do you suppose if the new partner had not had a good woman, I would have taken him in for that sum? I would have to take a woman in anyway and give her at least 20 per cent of the profits, without getting anything for it except her labor. To start with, I am getting $1,500 and a good woman; I save $25 per week on a procurer, and besides get a partner who is interested in the house and not a total stranger who does not care whether the house does business or not; the place is running straight now." While these two men were discussing this economical move, the madame[213] of a house in W

nt to sell?" a

d she has to go to the mountains; also h

is business

regarded $2,000 as too much for a one-third interest, as the hot months were com

"you cannot buy m

pay for; occasionally, therefore, tentative arrangements are made. A madame is i

00; March 19th, a sale of a one-third interest in a West 40th Street resort for $1,500,-a poor investment, for the house was shortly closed; in July, 1912, a one-third interest in another resort in West 40th Street was purchased for $3,000 by an owne

in a hot dispute; one of them had been a silent partner who never "came to the front" when extra demands were made on the finances of the firm, but left the other to pay the bills. It was claimed that, as a result of his neglect, the house was closed and an officer was ordered to stay inside. The business was ruined. Finally the officer was removed, whereupon the "silent" partner wished to be recognized as owning a share. As the complainant had borne the brunt of the difficulties with the police, as well as the

, for its value on variations in public opinion and municipal po

very active in closing houses of prostitution in Manhattan. An owner who was put out of busi

"bing," I get a raid and a cop in front of the door for a whole month. Then the cop was taken away and I opened again for a few days, when, "bing," another $300 raid with a cop inside. I was tipped off that my partner did not suit, so I bought her interest for $600 while the cop was still inside. I then "doubled up" with a friend. We opened very slowly; I would not let the

ble, and it was practically impossible to secure them except at large prices. On June 4th, a part owner in a house in West 25th Street declared: "It is impossible to get something decent unless you pay a prohibitive price. I had to pay $1,700 for a one-third interest in this place and only to-day I paid $1,000 for a year's lease on three house

tuation and declared that the houses would be closed and their business ruined. On August 6th, 1912, while discussing the situation, one of them[219] declare

I think of it-I will sell

aid for this share several months before was $1,700, and the same sum was demanded and r

n a Sixth Avenue place was worth $2,000. On August 8th,

l give you $500, and I am taking a gambl

above conversations. At this moment an interest in certain

NESS DET

f they kept accounts, which none do in a systematic way. But bits of direct evidence, absolutely accurate and reliable, in the shape of records for a day, a week, or month were obtained here and there;

s of the inmate is punched. These casual bits of information are in no wise exceptional. One sh

one customer or service at $1 apiece, or $7. It was the record of her earnings during a period of six hours ending at one A. M. on March

The price in this house ranged from $2 to $5, according to the customer. The receipts of 3 inmates for another day in April were, Rose, $49; Alma, $16; and Ruth, $30: a total of $95, or an average for the day of $31 per inmate. The r

pril 22nd

April 23r

April 24t

April 25th

pril 26th

April 27th

pril 28th

f $325 or an average

$27; Charlotte, $23; Dolly, $20; Dorothy, $11; Minnie, $15; Eva, $16; one whose name is not given, $15; another, name not given, $14; another, $10; others whose names are omitted, $14, $14, $9, $8, $11 r

on an intimate footing with those most prominently concerned in the commercial exploitation of prostitution. They took part in conferences, and could discuss business and its prospects without suspicion. From time to time these agents found themselves in position to canvass freely the question of returns, past, present and future. The approximate estimates of the value of the various properties prior to the Rosenthal murder; and the main items of expense incurred in t

E MONTHLY RECEIPTS FROM

BER OF MADAMES, ETC.,

ca

ouse

ipts

ees)

ses[2

ate

ame

ds

house

s Val

si

sa

bi

$3,600 $814

200 735 17

200 606 16

000 839 24

7 705 20 1 3

000 571 9 2

800 729 17

000 821 16

516 12 ... 3

400 788 14

00 275 4 ...

00 293 6 ...

000 628 12

200 797 20

25] 2,400 691

689 19 2 4

0 733 14 2

0 593 12 1

555 12 2 2 .

00 437 5

667 15 2 2

0 847 20 2

627 15 1 2 1

,000 674 10 1

20

700 819 20

000 570 16

000 741 16

200 441 8 1

00 748 16 2

800 706 15

7 $19,655 43

d in substantially the same manner

E MONTHLY RECEIPTS OF HO

, NUMBER MADAMES, ETC.,

ca

se St.

ce

ees)

nses

ate

ame

s Lo

ic

rv

$2,400 $87

,800 924

,800 938

,200 952

,800 760

,000 871

,800 878

,600 885

400 $7,079

studied in the same way, wit

E MONTHLY RECEIPTS FROM

UMBER MAIDS IN 10 DI

ca

se St.

ce

ees)

nses

ate

a

43 $500

600 2

700 2

700 2

600 2

800 1

800 1

1,000

500 2

600 1

,800 $2,

lume of business, over $2,000,000 a year are paid to their inmates, one-half of which is at once paid over to the houses; the running expenses of the houses are about one-quarter of a million; but the profits are not reduced by this sum, for the payments of the inmates for board and lodging are supposed to be equal to the expense of conducting the establishment. Moreover, the estimates above given entirely omit certain

e of the estimates above given is

h in connection with the business in this house. This document is in our possession. The items which interest us in this connection are receipts for four weeks and two days, or 30 days in all: First week's receipts, $1,735; second week, $1,612; third wee

is therefore impossible to gain any conception of the volume of money that changes hands in consequence of street business. Samples are, however, available; the account book which

sday

sday

day

rday

day

day

day

al of

e next seven day

sday

sday

day

rday

ay 1

day

day

al of

x days' receipts

sday

sday

day

rday

day

day

al of

seven days'

sday

sday

day

rday

day

day

day

in

ounted for, when the girl ceased t

sday

sday

day

rday

ay 1

these five da

norant and unsophisticated street walker, earne

exploitation are, they are enormously increased by the vast sums made from the sale of intoxicating drinks, which business has been shown to be so closely allied with prostitution, and by abnormal rentals received for the use of all kinds of property for purposes of prostitution. Even then, the stupendous although unknown figure involved in the maintenance of

to estimate the number of cases under treatment by physicians; in addition to these, large numbers endeavor to conceal the truth by foolishly resorting to quacks, advertised nostrums, etc. F

of venereal patients; nevertheless, 5,380 persons-6.33 per cent of all cases treated in 13 different hospitals-were venereally affected, about two-thirds male, one-third female. These infections occur at any time from the firs

le tests devised by Wassermann and others are applied. For example, 308 adults were admitted to the medical wards of a certain New York hospital during the months of January, February, and March, 1913; though the Wassermann test for syphilis was made in the case of only 166 of these, 38, i. e., 23 percent of those examined, gave positive results;

in the cases first mentioned i

s Fe

widowers single

0 57 58

ding, 250; public entertainment, 120; personal service, police and military, 186; laboring and servant, 1,181; manufacturing and mechanical industry, 932; agricultural, transportation, and other outdoor employments, 645; no occupations, 58; classified as unknown, 8; children, 11

1,036 from gonorrh?a; 9 from chancroids, and 105 from complications. Eight hundred and eighty-three of th

would still be incomplete, even if we knew the actual volume of syphilis, gonorrh?a and chancre; for there would remain to be included the remote effects, not less certainly due to venereal affection, and even more fateful and costly than the immediate manifestations,-paralysis, sterility, m