The Vice Bondage of a Great City; or, the Wickedest City in the World — John Shaqi
The Vice Bondage of a Great City; or, the Wickedest City in the WorldHarland, Robert O.
History
The Vice Bondage of a Great City; or, the Wickedest City in the World
Harland, Robert O.
Chicago (Ill.) -- Moral conditions; Prostitution -- Illinois -- Chicago
The affidavit follows:--State of Illinois, County of Cook, SS.
I, James Barnes, residing at 419 State street, being first duly sworn, of
my own free will and accord upon my oath depose and say:
That on Thursday, September 15, 1910, I and Frank Burns, and one Smith
whose first name is to me unknown, were standing at the corner of Clark
and Van Buren streets, when a man, a heavy set fellow with iron-gray
mustache, Hackett, by name, a hanger-out at Kenna's saloon, north-east
corner of Van Buren and Clark streets, asked us if we were doing any
voting. I said no. He said that he could take the three of us over and
vote us and that he would pay us 50c a piece and give us a couple of
cigars each. We said we didn't want to take any chances. He said it was
all fixed up--that he would give us the names we were to vote under and go
down with us and tell them it was all right. He gave us the names,
typewritten on a plain envelope, of which he had a pocket-full.
Burns and I went with him to the polling place on Clark street, between
Jackson and Van Buren streets, down in the basement. (4th Precinct, 1st
Ward, within 300 feet of the Union League Club.) He went down stairs with
us. There were two or three others waiting to vote. We gave the names we
had--I voted under the name of T. M. Hayes, 99 Van Buren street. Hackett
told the man in charge of ballots to give me a Democratic ticket. He did
so. I then went into the booth and was followed by another man who said he
would fix it up for me and he marked the ticket, told me to fold it and
take it out and vote it. He had small gray mustache, gray hair,
forty-eight or fifty years old, gray suit. I gave the ballot to the man at
the ballot box who took it and put it in the box. I then went out and the
man who marked the ticket went up stairs with me and said to me, "Go down
to the corner and meet the other fellow," meaning the man who took me
down, Hackett. I met him by the Princess Hotel doorway. He took me inside
the hallway and gave me half a dollar and two cigars--ten centers.
I voted again in about half an hour under the name of Henry C. Williams,
99 Van Buren street (same ward and precinct), under same conditions as
before and got seventy-five cents the second time, as he had no more
cigars. He took two other fellows down while we waited for him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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