Chicago and its cess-pools of infamyWilson, Samuel Paynter
History
Chicago and its cess-pools of infamy
Wilson, Samuel Paynter
Chicago (Ill.) -- Social conditions; Prostitution -- Illinois -- Chicago
The sergeant springs up, tells the officer to take charge of the room,
and hurries to the cells. We follow him. The door in number ten is wide
open, and the doorman is in the act of cutting down the woman, who has
suspended herself by the means of a line made of her garters. He lays
her on the floor, in the cell, and he and the sergeant bend over and
gaze into the bloated face. The woman is not dead and exhibits signs of
returning life. Efforts are made to restore her, and are successful.
As she recovers her consciousness she raises herself on her elbow, and
glaring around savagely, curses bitterly the men who have saved her
from death, and begs for a drink of whisky. No liquor is given her,
however, and when the officers are satisfied she is out of danger,
she is hand-cuffed, to prevent her from attempting further violence.
The rest of the night she keeps the place lively with her yells and
blasphemous cries.
We return to the desk with the sergeant, who enters the occurrence in
the “Blotter.” We are scarcely seated when two of the worst looking
tramps to be found in Chicago enter, and come up to the desk.
“Cap’n,” exclaims one of them in a thick voice, “let’s have a
shake-down for the night?”
“All right,” says the sergeant, “show these men back.”
The tramp who has spoken, encouraged by the ready granting of his
request, says coolly, “You hain’t got a chew of tobaccer, Cap’n, you
can let a fellow have?”
“No, I hain’t,” answers the sergeant, imitating the voice and
expression of the tramp; “but I’ll send you in an oyster supper
presently, with a bottle of Mum’s extra dry, and a bunch of Henry
Clay’s; and perhaps some of the delicacies of the season, if they are
to be had.”
The tramps laughed at this sally, and followed the officer to the
lodging room.
Half an hour later four policemen enter the room bearing a stretcher,
on which is laid a badly wounded man, while two or more lead in the
assailant, who is securely hand-cuffed, and bears the marks of the
officers’ clubs. He had assaulted and stabbed the wounded man in a
brawl in a saloon on Fourth avenue; had resisted the officers who
attempted to arrest him, and had proved so dangerous that they had
been compelled to club and hand-cuff him. The wounded man is sent to a
hospital in an ambulance and the statements he made are recorded in the
“Blotter” by the sergeant. The name and address of the prisoner is also
written down, and he is sent to a cell, with the irons still on him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account