 | OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 |  |
STATEMENT OF A PROSTITUTE.
The narrative which follows — that of a prosti-
tute, sleeping in the low-lodging houses, where
boys and girls are all huddled promiscuously toge-
ther, discloses a system of depravity, atrocity, and
enormity, which certainly cannot be paralleled in
any nation, however barbarous, nor in any age,
however "dark." The facts detailed, it will be
seen, are gross enough to make us all blush for
the land in which such scenes can be daily per-
petrated. The circumstances, which it is im-
possible to publish, are of the most loathsome and
revolting nature.
A good-looking girl of sixteen gave me the fol-
lowing awful statement: —
"I am an orphan. When I was ten I was
sent to service as maid of all-work, in a small
tradesman's family. It was a hard place, and my
mistress used me very cruelly, beating me often.
When I had been in place three weeks, my mother
died; my father having died twelve years before.
I stood my mistress's ill-treatment for about six
months. She beat me with sticks as well as with
her hands. I was black and blue, and at last I
ran away. I got to Mrs. — , a low lodging-
house. I didn't know before that there was such
a place. I heard of it from some girls at the
Glasshouse (baths and washhouses), where I went
for shelter. I went with them to have a halfpenny
worth of coffee, and they took me to the lodging-
house. I then had three shillings, and stayed
about a month, and did nothing wrong, living on
[Description: 915EAF. Page 413.]
for, as I got some pretty good things away with
me. In the lodging-house I saw nothing but what
was bad, and heard nothing but what was bad. I
was laughed at, and was told to swear. They
said, `Look at her for a d — modest fool' —
sometimes worse than that, until by degrees I got
to be as bad as they were. During this time I
used to see boys and girls from ten and twelve
years old sleeping together, but understood nothing
wrong. I had never heard of such places before I
ran away. I can neither read nor write. My
mother was a good woman, and I wish I'd had
her to run away to. I saw things between almost
children that I can't describe to you — very often I
saw them, and that shocked me. At the month's
end, when I was beat out, I met with a young
man of fifteen — I myself was going on to twelve
years old — and he persuaded me to take up with
him. I stayed with him three months in the same
lodging-house, living with him as his wife, though
we were mere children, and being true to him.
At the three months' end he was taken up for
picking pockets, and got six months. I was sorry,
for he was kind to me; though I was made ill
through him; so I broke some windows in St.
Paul's-churchyard to get into prison to get cured.
I had a month in the Compter, and came out well.
I was scolded very much in the Compter, on ac-
count of the state I was in, being so young. I
had 2s. 6d. given to me when I came out, and was
forced to go into the streets for a living. I conti-
nued walking the streets for three years, some-
times making a good deal of money, sometimes
none, feasting one day and starving the next. The
bigger girls could persuade me to do anything they
liked with my money. I was never happy all the
time, but I could get no character and could not
get out of the life. I lodged all this time at a
lodging-house in Kent-street. They were all thieves
and bad girls. I have known between three and
four dozen boys and girls sleep in one room. The
beds were horrid filthy and full of vermin. There
was very wicked carryings on. The boys, if any
difference, was the worst. We lay packed on a
full night, a dozen boys and girls squeedged into
one bed. That was very often the case — some at
the foot and some at the top — boys and girls all
mixed. I can't go into all the particulars, but
whatever could take place in words or acts between
boys and girls did take place, and in the midst of
the others. I am sorry to say I took part in these
bad ways myself, but I wasn't so bad as some of
the others. There was only a candle burning all
night, but in summer it was light great part of the
night. Some boys and girls slept without any
clothes, and would dance about the room that way.
I have seen them, and, wicked as I was, felt
ashamed. I have seen two dozen capering about
the room that way; some mere children, the boys
generally the youngest. * * * *
There were no men or women present. There were
often fights. The deputy never interfered. This
is carried on just the same as ever to this day, and
is the same every night. I have heard young
girls shout out to one another how often they had
been obliged to go to the hospital, or the infirmary,
or the workhouse. There was a great deal of
boasting about what the boys and girls had stolen
during the day. I have known boys and girls
change their `partners,' just for a night. At three
years' end I stole a piece of beef from a butcher.
I did it to get into prison. I was sick of the life
I was leading, and didn't know how to get out of
it. I had a month for stealing. When I got out
I passed two days and a night in the streets doing
nothing wrong, and then went and threatened to
break Messrs. — windows again. I did that
to get into prison again; for when I lay quiet of a
night in prison I thought things over, and con-
sidered what a shocking life I was leading, and how
my health might be ruined completely, and I
thought I would stick to prison rather than go back
to such a life. I got six months for threatening.
When I got out I broke a lamp next morning for
the same purpose, and had a fortnight. That was
the last time I was in prison. I have since been
leading the same life as I told you of for the three
years, and lodging at the same houses, and seeing
the same goings on. I hate such a life now more
than ever. I am willing to do any work that I
can in washing and cleaning. I can do a little at
my needle. I could do hard work, for I have
good health. I used to wash and clean in prison,
and always behaved myself there. At the house
where I am it is 3d. a night; but at Mrs. — 's
it is 1d. and 2d. a night, and just the same goings
on. Many a girl — nearly all of them — goes out
into the streets from this penny and twopenny
house, to get money for their favourite boys by
prostitution. If the girl cannot get money she
must steal something, or will be beaten by her
`chap' when she comes home. I have seen them
beaten, often kicked and beaten until they were
blind from bloodshot, and their teeth knocked out
with kicks from boots as the girl lays on the
ground. The boys, in their turn, are out thieving
all day, and the lodging-house keeper will buy any
stolen provisions of them, and sell them to the
lodgers. I never saw the police in the house. If
a boy comes to the house on a night without money
or sawney, or something to sell to the lodgers, a
handkerchief or something of that kind, he is not
admitted, but told very plainly, `Go thieve it,
then.' Girls are treated just the same. Any
body may call in the daytime at this house and
have a halfpenny worth of coffee and sit any length
of time until evening. I have seen three dozen
sitting there that way, all thieves and bad girls.
There are no chairs, and only one form in front of
the fire, on which a dozen can sit. The others
sit on the floor all about the room, as near the
fire as they can. Bad language goes on during the
day, as I have told you it did during the night,
and indecencies too, but nothing like so bad as at
night. They talk about where there is good
places to go and thieve. The missioners call
sometimes, but they're laughed at often when
they're talking, and always before the door's
closed on them. If a decent girl goes there to
get a ha'porth of coffee, seeing the board over the
door, she is always shocked. Many a poor girl
[Description: 915EAF. Page 414.]
boys have boasted about it. I never knew boy
or girl do good, once get used there. Get used
there, indeed, and you are life-ruined. I was an
only child, and haven't a friend in the world. I
have heard several girls say how they would like
to get out of the life, and out of the place. From
those I know, I think that cruel parents and mis-
tresses cause many to be driven there. One
lodging-house keeper, Mrs. — , goes out dressed
respectable, and pawns any stolen property, or
sells it at public-houses."
As a corroboration of the girl's statement, a
wretched-looking boy, only thirteen years of age,
gave me the following additional information. He
had a few rags hanging about him, and no shirt —
indeed, he was hardly covered enough for pur-
poses of decency, his skin being exposed through
the rents in his jacket and trowsers. He had a
stepfather, who treated him very cruelly. The
stepfather and the child's mother went "across
the country," begging and stealing. Before the
mother died, an elder brother ran away on account
of being beaten: —
"Sometimes (I give his own words) he (the
stepfather) wouldn't give us a bit to eat, telling us
to go and thieve for it. My brother had been
a month gone (he's now a soldier in Gibraltar)
when I ran away to join him. I knew where to
find him, as we met sometimes. We lived by
thieving, and I do still — by pulling flesh (stealing
meat). I got to lodge at Mrs. — , and have
been there this eight months. I can read and
write a little." [This boy then confirmed what
the young girl had told me of the grossest acts
night by night among the boys and girls, the lan-
guage, &c., and continued] — "I always sleep on
the floor for 1d. and pay a ½d. besides for coke.
At this lodging-house cats and kittens are melted
down, sometimes twenty a day. A quart pot is a
cat, and pints and half pints are kittens. A kit-
ten (pint) brings 3d. from the rag shops, and a
cat 6d. There's convenience to melt them down
at the lodging-house. We can't sell clothes in
the house, except any lodger wants them; and
clothes nearly all goes to the Jews in Petticoat-
lane. Mrs. — buys the sawney of us; so
much for the lump, 2d. a pound about; she sells it
again for twice what she gives, and more. Per-
haps 30 lb. of meat every day is sold to her. I
have been in prison six times, and have had three
dozen; each time I came out harder. If I left
Mrs. — 's house I don't know how I could get
my living. Lots of boys would get away if they
could. I never drink, I don't like it. Very few
of us boys drink. I don't like thieving, and often
go about singing; but I can't live by singing, and
I don't know how I could live honestly. If I
had money enough to buy a stock of oranges
I think I could be honest."
The above facts require no comment from me.
| OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 | |