The Secrets of the Great City: A Work Descriptive of the Virtues and the Vices, the Mysteries, Miseries and Crimes of New York CityMcCabe, James Dabney
History
The Secrets of the Great City: A Work Descriptive of the Virtues and the Vices, the Mysteries, Miseries and Crimes of New York City
McCabe, James Dabney
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel; New York (N.Y.) -- History
"It must be here mentioned that no pay whatever, not even in the shape
of presents or equivalents, is received from the parties who 'adopt'
the children thus confided to the care of Mrs.----and Dr.----. On the
contrary, this amiable couple are only too glad to get rid of the
'infant darlings' in some lawful way, and thus to avoid any further
expense or delay upon their account. Those to whom the children are
really indebted for their birth are required to bear the expense,
which, as just stated, is fixed at one hundred dollars. And the only
fear entertained by the madame and the doctor is, that 'people will not
apply fast enough for the babies,' who are, from the day of their
birth, sent at once to wet-nurses dispersed over the city, who, if the
regular methods fail, are themselves allowed to adopt the children, or
to dispose of them, by 'adoption,' to other parties."
But few of these "private establishments" are well managed. The
majority are conducted by ignorant, avaricious quacks, who have no
knowledge of surgery or medicine, and who either kill or injure their
victims for life. Frequent arrests of these people are made every year,
but the punishment is seldom inflicted as it should be. It is, as a
general rule, only in such first-class establishments as that of the
wickedest woman that patients are well treated or skilfully served. In
the majority of them the most horrible suffering and certain death
await the poor creatures who enter them. There are very few exceptions
to this rule. The newspapers are full of the advertisements of the
wretches who conduct these establishments, and there are always an
abundance of applications from unfortunate women. They come here from
all parts of the country. In the best establishments nature is allowed
to take its course. In the others, the ignorant quacks attempt to
hasten the result by artificial means. The end in such cases is death.
A JUVENILE ESTABLISHMENT.
You will see in almost any city paper a number of such advertisements
as this:
"ADOPTION.--Two beautiful infants, male and female, five and six months
old. Call upon Mrs.----, No. 25 E.----th street."
The following will show the meaning of such advertisements:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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