Part 8 (1/2)
The decline in values has continued since the date of the above conversations. At this moment an interest in certain places can be purchased for the amount of a night's profit.
(3) BUSINESS DETAILS, ETC.
It is impossible to give even an approximate estimate of the receipts from the business of prost.i.tution in Manhattan during a stated period. We could not secure access to the books of the owners, even if they kept accounts, which none do in a systematic way. But bits of direct evidence, absolutely accurate and reliable, in the shape of records for a day, a week, or month were obtained here and there; we can also report what owners and inmates say regarding their incomes. Whatever allowances are made for overstatements and misstatements, intentional or accidental, the total is sufficiently staggering.
The most eloquent and significant exhibits obtained were the cards on which the night's business of the inmate is punched. These casual bits of information are in no wise exceptional. One shrinks from multiplying them by the number of women engaged, and the number of days in the year.
Lillie, inmate in a vice resort in Sixth Avenue[222] showed the investigator a white card in which were punched 7 holes, each representing one customer or service at $1 apiece, or $7. It was the record of her earnings during a period of six hours ending at one A. M. on March 14th, 1912. Of the $7, Lillie received $3.50 as her share, from which amount $1.50 was deducted by the madame to pay her board for the day.
The account of 6 inmates in a West 58th Street resort showed that on Sunday, April 21st, Alma had earned $7; Pauline, $15; Pansy, $14; Rose, $17; Bella, $16; and Ruth, $15: a total of $86, or an average of $14 per day for each inmate. The price in this house ranged from $2 to $5, according to the customer. The receipts of 3 inmates for another day in April were, Rose, $49; Alma, $16; and Ruth, $30: a total of $95, or an average for the day of $31 per inmate. The receipts on May 3rd, 1912, were as follows: Rose, $28; Bella, $21; Alma, $13; Pansy, $4: a total of $66, or an average of over $16 per day per inmate. For the week April 22-28 inclusive the receipts from 4 to 6 inmates were as follows:
Monday, April 22nd, 1912, $50 Tuesday, April 23rd, 1912, 38 Wednesday, April 24th, 1912, 34 Thursday, April 25th, 1912, 39 Friday, April 26th, 1912, 54 Sat.u.r.day, April 27th, 1912, 53 Sunday, April 28th, 1912, 57
This gives a total of $325 or an average of about $46 per day.
Sixteen white cards were obtained from a dollar house in West 28th Street showing the earnings per inmate on July 9th, 1912. ”Babie” is credited with $27; Buster, $30; a girl whose name is not readable, $27; Charlotte, $23; Dolly, $20; Dorothy, $11; Minnie, $15; Eva, $16; one whose name is not given, $15; another, name not given, $14; another, $10; others whose names are omitted, $14, $14, $9, $8, $11 respectively. The total is $264 or an average of about $16 per inmate for the day. The madame when paying the inmates the one-half due them for their day's work always deducted the sum of $1.50 for board.
In the figures above given, there is no element of doubt whatsoever: they are taken from the actual records of the day's business,--the cards in the possession of every inmate. Whether they can be regarded as fairly representative is another question, which it would be futile to discuss.
We possess, however, certain totals, the precise reliability of which the reader must judge for himself. It has been stated that our investigators succeeded in establis.h.i.+ng themselves on an intimate footing with those most prominently concerned in the commercial exploitation of prost.i.tution.
They took part in conferences, and could discuss business and its prospects without suspicion. From time to time these agents found themselves in position to canva.s.s freely the question of returns, past, present and future. The approximate estimates of the value of the various properties prior to the Rosenthal murder; and the main items of expense incurred in their conduct were set down as thus obtained. In regard to the general credibility of the figures it is to be remembered that these men are decidedly communicative among themselves and that any exaggerated departure from probability would have drawn forth expressions of skepticism or disbelief; on the other hand, it is not pretended that the figures are more than roughly significant of the scope and profits of a fluctuating trade; they are given for what they are worth.
TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE MONTHLY RECEIPTS FROM INMATES, MONTHLY EXPENSES, NUMBER OF INMATES, NUMBER OF MADAMES, ETC., IN 30 ONE-DOLLAR HOUSES.
+-----------------------------------------------------
House receipts[223] (1/2 fees) + +----------------------------------------------
House expenses[224]
+ +----------------------------------------
No. inmates
+ +----------------------------------
No. madames
+ +-----------------------------
No. maids
+ +-------------------------
No. lighthouses
+ +---------------------
No. owners
+ +------------------
Value of business
S=sale B=bid.
------------------------------------------------------ Location A B C D E F G H of house No.--W. 18 $3,600 $814 18 2 4 1 3 ” ” ” 24 3,200 735 17 2 3 1 2 ” ” ” 25 3,200 606 16 1 3 1 2 ” ” ” 25 4,000 839 24 3 4 1 2 ” ” ” 25 3,227 705 20 1 3 1 1 $5,100 S.
” ” ” 25 3,000 571 9 2 3 3 ” ” ” 28 2,800 729 17 2 4 1 2 ” ” ” 28 3,000 821 16 4 3 1 3 ” ” ” 31 2,800 516 12 3 3 2,000 S.
” ” ” 35 2,400 788 14 3 3 1 2 ” ” ” 40 1,200 275 4 2 2 ” ” ” 40 1,000 293 6 2 1 ” ” ” 40 2,000 628 12 2 3 1 2 ” ” ” 56 3,200 797 20 3 4 1 2 ” Sixth Ave.[225] 2,400 691 14 1 2 1 2 ” ” ” 3,600 689 19 2 4 1 2 4,400 S.
” ” ” 2,400 733 14 2 3 1 3 ” ” ” 2,000 593 12 1 2 2 ” ” ” 3,200 555 12 2 2 3 6,000 S.
” ” ” 1,200 437 5 1 2 1 1 ” ” ” 3,200 667 15 2 2 1 2 3,750 S.
” ” ” 3,600 847 20 2 4 1 1 ” ” ” 2,800 627 15 1 2 1 4 10,000 B.
No.-- W. 24 2,000 674 10 1 3 2 4 {2,500 S.
{3,200 S.