Part 54 (1/2)
It would be foolish to deny all increase of prost.i.tution since the date of the correspondence just transcribed. The population of New York is now some thirty or forty thousand more than at that time, and female degradation has extended as a natural consequence. Relying upon the estimate of five thousand as correct at the time made, the subsequent augmentation of inhabitants would suppose an addition of about three hundred prost.i.tutes, but to take the widest scope, and a.s.sume that the debas.e.m.e.nt required by hunger degenerated into a habit of confirmed vice, it may be admitted that the number of abandoned women in New York has increased from five thousand in 1856 to six thousand in 1858. This is a very liberal estimate, and the total a.s.signed is certainly not too small.
How much it may be in excess can not be said with precision, but in an argument of this nature it is safer to err in the direction of overstating an evil than to be lulled into false security by too flattering a representation.
The known public prost.i.tutes of New York are thus presumed to amount to six thousand at the present day. But to this number exceptions might be taken. To secure farther accuracy, additional evidence was sought. In the month of May, 1858, the a.s.sistance of the Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners was requested, and, under the direction of its president (General JAMES W. NYE), to whom our acknowledgments are respectfully tendered for his courtesy and aid, a list of queries was submitted to the Inspector of each Police precinct. Below is a copy of the circular, with a synopsis of the replies.
(Copy.)
”Office of the Metropolitan Police Commissioners, ”New York, May 1, 1858.
”Inspector ------ ------: -- Police Precinct.
”SIR, You will please report to this office as early as possible on the questions given below. Let your answers be full and explicit, to the best of your knowledge and belief. s.p.a.ce is left below each query for the insertion of your replies, and you will therefore write them on this sheet, and return it without delay.
”1. How many houses of prost.i.tution, from the most public to the most private, are there in your police district?
”2. How many houses of a.s.signation are there in your district?
”3. How many dancing-saloons, liquor and lager-beer stores, are there in your district, where prost.i.tutes are in the habit of a.s.sembling, in addition to the known houses of prost.i.tution?
”4. How many prost.i.tutes do you suppose reside in your district?”
SYNOPSIS OF REPLIES.
+--------------------------------------------------------------
Houses
Houses
Precincts.
Reported by
of
of
Prost.i.tution.
a.s.signation.
----------
-----------------------
-------------
------------
1
Inspector James Silvey
22
2
” Hart B. Weed
1
3
” J. A. P. Hopkins
9
4
” Morris De Camp
35
13
5
” Henry Hutchings
63
7
6
Acting Inspector Lush
52
6
7
Inspector John Cameron
6
8
” C. S. Turnbull
43
15
9
” Jacob L. Sebring
10
” T. C. Davis
26
1
11
” Peter Squires
12
” Galen P. Porter
13
” Thomas Steers
15
4
14
” J. J. Williamson
39
5
15
” G. W. Dilks
5
19
16
” Samuel Carpenter
6
4
17
” J. W. Hart
20
3
18
” Theron R. Bennett
1
19
” James Bryan
5
1
20
” F. M. Curry
15
1
21
” Francis Speight
15
10
22
” James E. Coulter