The Project Gutenberg eBook of Commercialized Prostitution in New York City, by George J. Kneeland.

Insane—Transferred to asylums

Insane tendencies

Feeble-minded (distinctly so)

Border-line—neurotic

Weak-willed—“No moral sense”

“Wild”—truants—run-a-ways

Wages in Domestic Service—23 Cases

Table XXI
BEDFORD CASES

CAUSE OF FIRST SEXUAL OFFENSE

Love							108	38.71%

Pay	{	Married	{	Living with husband	1	11
		Married	{	Separated from "	10	11
		Single	{	Lover	17		57	20.43%
				Playmate	4
				Stranger	25	46

Force	{	Relative				7
		Lover				27
		Playmate				3
		Stranger				25	62	22.22%

Weakness							23	8.24%
Physical predisposition							2	.71%
Unknown							27	9.64%
Total Number of Cases							279

Table XXII
BEDFORD CASES

MENTAL CONDITION

Table XXIII
BEDFORD CASES

CAUSES. REASONS GIVEN BY THE GIRL

A.	In connection with her family
	1. Immorality of the parents	15
	2. Incompatibility	39
	3. Neglect and abuse	26
	4. No mother or father or neither	166
	5. Over indulgence	10
	6. Over strictness	35
	7. Poverty	9
	8. Turned out	6	306

B.	In connection with married life
	1. Death of husband	5
	2. Desertion by husband	8
	3. Immorality (includes cruelty or criminality)	14
	4. Incompatibility	26
	5. Husband put girl on street	2	55

C.	Personal reasons
	1. Bad company	75
	2. No sex instruction	10
	3. Idle or lonely	5
	4. Sick, needed the money	4
	5. Ruined anyway	10
	6. Lover put girl on the street	10
	7. Previous use of drink or drugs	7
	8. White slave	2
	9. Tired of drudgery	4
	10. “Easy money”	17
	11. Dances	13
	12. Lazy, hated work	20
	13. Stage environment	9
	14. Love of the life	15
	15. Desertion by lover	3
	16. Desire for pleasure (theatre, food, clothes)	48
	17. Desire for money	38
	18. Ashamed to go home after first escapade	1	291

D.	Economic reasons
	1. Can’t support herself	5
	2. Can’t support herself and children	1
	3. Couldn’t find work	13	19
	Total	671

Table XXIV
BEDFORD CASES

OFFENSES

No. Cases, 647

Misdemeanor
Assault 3rd degree	9
Attempted suicide	1
Concealing birth of child	1
Corrupting morals of a minor	3
Indecent exposure	1
Keeping a disorderly house	3
Maintaining a place for smoking opium	1
Petit larceny	71
Unlawfully injuring propt’y	1
Using vulgar and indecent language in public	1
Total,	92	or 14.21%

Felonies
Assault 2nd degree	4
Attempted grand larceny	13
Burglary 3rd degree	3
Felonously selling cocaine	1
Grand larceny, 1st degree	12
Grand larceny, 2nd degree	63
Manslaughter, 2nd degree	3
Receiving stolen goods	4
Robbery	2
Total,	105	or 16.22%

Other Offenses
Associating with dissolute persons and in danger of becoming morally deprav’d	50
Common prostitute	272
Disorderly child	25
Disorderly conduct	44
Frequenting disorderly houses	6
Intercourse with boys	1
Public intoxication or habitual drunkard	14
Vagrancy	38
Total,	450	or 69.55%

Table XXV
BEDFORD CASES

PREVIOUS RECORDS, SO FAR AS CAN BE ASCERTAINED

Bedford State Reformatory for women	13
Catholic Protectory	4
County jails	6
Florence Crittenton Home	7
Gerry Society	4
House of Good Shepherd, Brooklyn	20
House of Good Shepherd, New York	34
House of Mercy, Inwood	23
House of Refuge, Randall’s Island	15
Insane Asylums	2
Magdalen Asylum	16
Massachusetts State Industrial School, Lancaster	3
New York Juvenile Asylum	5
New York State Industrial School, Rochester	3
New York State Training School for Girls, Hudson	6
Orphan Asylum	20
Penitentiaries	7
Sherbourne Prison	1
Washington Square Home	3
Waverly House	4
Wayside Home	13
Workhouse	65
Various other homes for Wayward Girls	31	305	47.1

Say never in institution and never arrested previously			255
Admit one or more previous arrests, but got off with fine, suspended sentence or discharge, and claim never to have been committed			66
Admit having been on probation			21
Total Number of Cases			647

OF THE ABOVE

Arrested twice, once fined, once on probation		1
In one institution, twice arrested and once on probation		3
In one institution, three arrests and on probation		1
In one institution, several other arrests		3
In one institution, workhouse eight times, six months each		1
In two institutions		30
In two institutions, several other arrests		6
In three institutions		5
In three institutions, several other arrests		2
In four institutions		1
In four institutions, several times Raymond St. Jail		1
Six months in workhouse, four times arrested, twice fined		1
Workhouse once, six times arrested and fined		1
Workhouse once, seven times arrested		1
In two institutions, workhouse once, fined three times, and on probation		1
In Madgalen, twice; Good Shepherd, once; 10 days in workhouse; three times arrested; on probation once		1
In workhouse twice; arrested six times; on probation once		1
In one home; workhouse twice; twice fined, and once discharged		1
Workhouse, three terms		1
Workhouse, three terms, six months each; four times fined.		1
In three institutions; workhouse, three times; seven other arrests		1
Arrested about 30 times; City prison, 10 weeks; workhouse, 6 terms; fined over 20 times		1
Three times on the Island; arrested over 30 times		1
Twice at Good Shepherd, workhouse two terms and arrested nine times		1
Two and one-half years House of Refuge, arrested five times; on Island four times		1
Two terms at Hudson; three arrests; workhouse, three months; Bedford for third time		1
House of Refuge, four years; Juvenile Asylum, one year; more than 40 times at the workhouse, once on probation		1

GRAPH ILLUSTRATING TABLE XXVI

Table XXVI
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

BIRTHPLACE

American Born		Foreign Born
New York City	210	Austro-Hungary	34
Other parts of N. Y. State	53	Canada	11
Alabama	2	England-Scotland	9
Arizona	1	Finland	0
Arkansas	1	France	4
California	6	Galacia	2
Colorado	1	Germany	24
Connecticut	4	Holland	0
Delaware	2	India	0
District Columbia	3	Ireland	12
Florida	3	Italy	6
Georgia	3	Mexico	1
Illinois	4	Poland	9
Indiana	2	Roumania	2
Iowa	0	Russia	46
Kansas	1	Sweden	5
Kentucky	2	Switzerland	2
Louisiana	0	Venezuela	1
Maine	0	West Indies	7
Maryland	5	Total No. foreign born	175	28.68%
Massachusetts	24	Total No. American born	435	71.31%
Michigan	1	Total	610
Minnesota	1
Mississippi	1
Missouri	0
New Hampshire	1
New Jersey	17
North Carolina	6
Ohio	3
Oregon	0
Pennsylvania	23
Rhode Island	2
South Carolina	7
Tennessee	0
Texas	3
Virginia	8
Vermont	0
West Virginia	0
Wisconsin	2
Unknown	33
Total	435

Table XXVII
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN CITY AND COUNTRY OF 147 CASES, BORN IN THE UNITED STATES

City born	85	57.82%
Country born	62	42.18%
Total	147

Born in cities of New York	52
Born in cities of other states	33
Total		85

Born in country, New York State	1
Born in country, other states	61
Total		62
		147

Table XXVIII
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

REASONS FOR COMING TO NEW YORK OF 400 CASES BORN OUTSIDE THE CITY, AMERICAN AND FOREIGN

Ran away to escape home conditions		4
To live with family or husband		63
To obtain work, or easier work		57
To practice prostitution		42
To see New York		10
With lover		11
Unknown or not given		213
Total Number Cases		400

Table XXIX
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

EDUCATION

Does not read or write in any language	68	11.15%
Reads and writes a foreign language	20	3.28%
Reads and writes English, no further education	335	54.92%
Finished fifth grade	34	5.57%
Finished Grammar grades	74	12.13%
Entered High School or Business courses	36	5.90%
Unknown	43	7.05%
Total Number of Cases	610	100%

Table XXX
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

OCCUPATIONS

Before entering prostitution 662 cases used			After entering prostitution 497 cases used
Artist	..			1
Book-binding	1			..
Canvasser	2			..
Chambermaid	34			5
Clerk in small store	9			..
Companion	1			..
Department store	70	10.57%		10
Errand girl	1			1
Factory	215	32.46%		24
Domestic service	117	17.67%		20
Laundry	16			1
Librarian	1			..
Manicure	4			2
Massage	1			..
Millinery	12			2
Nurse girl	34			1
Office work	20			0
Palmist	1			..
Salvation Army worker	1			..
Sewing	16			4
Steel Engraver	1			..
Stenographer	8			..
Teacher	1			..
Telephone operator	13			..
Theatrical work	20			3
Waitress	53			6
No work	10		Supported by prostitution only	353
Total	662		Supported by husband or parents	23
			Stealing	11
			Unknown	30
			Total	497

Table XXXI
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

Age

Years of age	Number entering Institution	First sexual offense	Number entering prostitution
6	..	1	..
7	..	1	..
8	..	..	..
9	..	1	..
10	..	2	..
11	2	5	3
12	2	9	1
13	..	7	..
14	7	33	7
15	7	67	32
16	20	59	45
17	28	83	67
18	43	77	73
19	54	56	59
20	51	35	66
21	31	31	37
22	54	32	35
23	41	12	25
24	54	10	24
25	31	7	13
26	31	11	9
27	20	3	8
28	28	6	6
29	15	1	1
30	23	5	4
31	14	2	2
32	14	1	2
33	6	..	..
34	7	..	..
35	1	..	1
36	5	3	1
37	2	..	..
38	1	..	..
39	2	..	..
40	4	1	1
Total	598	561	522

Highest Age	40	40	40
Lowest Age	11	6	11
Average	22.66 years	17.95	19.60

GRAPH ILLUSTRATING TABLE XXXI

Larger Image

Table XXXII
CASES IN INSTITUTIONS, OTHER THAN BEDFORD

WEEKLY EARNINGS—BEFORE ENTERING PROSTITUTION

		Living	$.50	$1.00	$1.50	$2.00	$2.50	$3.00	$3.50	$4.00	$4.50	$5.00	$5.50	$6.00	$7.00	$8.00	$9.00	$10.00
Wages of Trades excluding Domestic Service	High 377 cases	..	..	2	..	1	2	6	5	14	15	57	9	60	48	42	22	28
	Low 377 cases	..	1	2	..	9	13	41	20	36	26	73	29	48	15	22	8	12

Wages of Domestic Service	High 156 cases	..	2	..	4	14	14	20	14	17	25	33	2	6	2	1	1	..
	Low 156 cases	4	..	2	7	11	22	15	17	19	26	22	7	2	..	1	..	..

$11.00	$12.00	$13.00	$14.00	$15.00	$18.00	$20.00	$22.00	$25.00	$30.00	$50.00	$70.00	Highest wage	Lowest wage	Mode, wage of greatest frequency	Average wage	Mode
4	27	2	4	14	..	7	1	5	1	..	1	$70	$1.00	$6.00	$8.10	$6.00
..	10	1	1	4	..	4	..	1	1	..	..	30	.50	5.00	5.53	5.00

..	..	..	..	..	..	1	..	..	..	..	..	20	.50	5.00	3.99	5.00
..	..	..	1	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	14	Liv’g	4.50	3.63	4.50

COMBINED WITH PROSTITUTION

		Living	$.50	$1.00	$1.50	$2.00	$2.50	$3.00	$3.50	$4.00	$4.50	$5.00	$5.50	$6.00	$7.00	$8.00	$9.00	$10.00
Wages of Trades excluding Domestic Service	High 63 cases	..	..	..	..	..	..	2	..	..	2	8	..	12	10	6	3	3
	Low 63 cases	..	..	..	..	..	..	2	2	5	5	14	..	12	3	8	2	6

Wages of Domestic Service	High 15 cases	..	..	..	..	1	2	3	..	..	1	3	..	2	2	..	..	..
	Low 15 cases	..	1	..	..	..	5	2	..	2	..	4	..	..	..	..	..	1

$11.00	$12.00	$13.00	$14.00	$15.00	$18.00	$20.00	$22.00	$25.00	$30.00	$50.00	$70.00	Highest wage	Lowest wage	Mode, wage of greatest frequency	Average wage	Mode
..	6	..	..	6	..	2	..	1	1	..	1	$70	$3.00	$6.00	$9.98	$6.00
..	..	..	..	3	..	..	..	1	..	..	..	25	3.00	5.00	6.83	5.00

..	..	..	..	1	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	15	2.00	...	5.10	...
..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	10	.50	2.50	3.70	2.50

GRAPH ILLUSTRATING TABLE XXXII

Earnings in Trades excluding Domestic Service