Chicago's Black Traffic in White GirlsTurner-Zimmermann, Jean
History
Chicago's Black Traffic in White Girls
Turner-Zimmermann, Jean
Chicago (Ill.) -- Moral conditions; Prostitution -- Illinois -- Chicago
"A year ago last summer, 15-year old Margaret Smith was working about
her simple home near Benton Harbor, Michigan. The father, employed by
the Pere Marquette Railroad, was away from home a good share of the
time. One day a graphophone agent came to the house and the family
became interested in one of his musical machines. Shortly afterward
this agent brought with him to the Smith home Frank Kelly, and
introduced him to Maggie, as she was called by her folks. In a day or
two Margaret was on her way to Chicago with Kelly who promised her an
excellent position in the City. Upon her arrival Margaret was sold to
one of the worst dives in Chicago, located on South Clark Street and
owned by an Italian named Baptista Pizza. Here she learned that her
captor's name was not Frank Kelly, but an Italian whose real name is
Alphonso Citro. For a year she was kept as a Slave in this resort,
which was over a saloon, and the entrance was through a back alley.
The only visitors were Italians, who came for immoral purposes.
Learning last summer that Margaret's father, who had been hunting
relentlessly for his daughter, was on the track of her, the girl was
taken by Alphonso Citro, alias Kelly, to Gary, Indiana. When the
father came to the resort with a policeman, he found that his
daughter had gone. She was kept in Gary about two months and then
returned to this disreputable place from which she escaped finally,
the Monday before last Christmas. A young barber took pity on her
after hearing her story, and enlisted the sympathies of his parents
who took her to their home. Alphonso Citro (Kelly) looked for her
almost a week, and at last saw her going from a store to this home,
where she was staying. He went to the house and demanded at the point
of a revolver that she be given up, as he said:
"I am losing money every day she is gone."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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