Commercialized Prostitution in New York City Part 8

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.

" " " 26 3,700 819 20 2 4 1 2 " " " 27 3,000 570 16 1 2 1 2 " " " 28 3,000 741 16 1 3 1 3 " " " 28 1,200 441 8 1 2 1 " " " 36 3,000 748 16 2 3 1 2 3,000 S.

" " " 36 2,800 706 15 3 3 1 1 ------ ------- --- -- -- -- -- ----- Total $81,727 $19,655 432 50 87 24 65

Similar data were also procured--and in substantially the same manner--for eight five-dollar houses.[226]

TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE MONTHLY RECEIPTS OF HOUSES FROM INMATES, MONTHLY EXPENSES, NUMBER INMATES, NUMBER MADAMES, ETC., IN 8 FIVE-DOLLAR HOUSES.

House House No. No. No. Lowest Location receipts expenses inmates madames maids price of of house St. (1/2 fees) service

No.--W. 38 $ 2,400 $ 871 12 2 4 $3 " " 41 1,800 924 10 2 3 5 " " 46 2,800 938 14 2 3 5 " " 46 3,200 952 16 2 5 5 " " 46 1,800 760 12 1 4 5 " " 47 3,000 871 15 2 3 5 " " 49 1,800 878 12 2 3 { 2 { 5 " " 52 1,600 885 9 2 3 5 ------- ------ --- -- -- --- Total $18,400 $7,079 100 15 28

Ten disorderly tenements were studied in the same way, with the following results:[227]

TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE MONTHLY RECEIPTS FROM INMATES, MONTHLY EXPENSES, NUMBER INMATES AND NUMBER MAIDS IN 10 DISORDERLY APARTMENTS.

House receipts House No. No.

Location St. (1/2 fees) expenses inmates maids

No.--W. 43 $ 500 $ 189 3 1 " " 45 600 235 3 1 " " 49 700 259 4 2 " " 50 700 264 4 2 " " 55 600 261 4 2 " " 58 800 143 4 2 " " 58 800 175 4 2 " " 58 1,000 440 5 2 " " 60 500 208 3 2 " " 65 600 144 3 1 ------ ------ -- -- Total $6,800 $2,318 37 17

We have deliberately refrained from attempting to make even an approximate calculation on the basis of the foregoing tables of the profits annually derived from commercialized prost.i.tution in New York City. But a moment's reflection will suggest the enormous sums involved. If, for example, the table dealing with thirty parlor houses, _i. e._, less than one-half of those investigated, even roughly represents the monthly volume of business, over $2,000,000 a year are paid to their inmates, one-half of which is at once paid over to the houses; the running expenses of the houses are about one-quarter of a million; but the profits are not reduced by this sum, for the payments of the inmates for board and lodging are supposed to be equal to the expense of conducting the establishment.

Moreover, the estimates above given entirely omit certain very important indirect sources of revenue,--for large profits are derived from the sale of liquor, tobacco, lewd pictures, booklets, verse and other reading matter. Finally, patrons often tip lavishly, leaving "gift" or "luck"

money, and in innumerable other ways add to the revenue of the resorts.

The total expenditure incurred and the net profit to the exploiters, therefore, run high up into the millions annually.[228]

A partial confirmation of the scale of the estimates above given is furnished by the following incident:

During the evening of May 3, 1912, one of the owners of a house of prost.i.tution in West 25th Street was trying to sell a one-third interest in his one-dollar resort. He had written on a sheet of brown wrapping paper the receipts and expenses for one month in connection with the business in this house. This doc.u.ment is in our possession. The items which interest us in this connection are receipts for four weeks and two days, or 30 days in all: First week's receipts, $1,735; second week, $1,612; third week, $1,463; fourth week, $1,401; two days, $243; making a total of $6,454 for the thirty days, or an average of about $215 per day.

The average number of inmates in this house is 15. In that case, each inmate earned $15, that is, received 15 men each day.

The income of the street walker is probably subjected to greater fluctuations than that of the house or flat inmate, weather and other conditions greatly affecting her earnings. It is therefore impossible to gain any conception of the volume of money that changes hands in consequence of street business. Samples are, however, available; the account book which was secured from a young prost.i.tute, neither very aggressive nor very attractive, who solicits on East 14th Street and receives usually one dollar for her services, runs as follows:

Wednesday $7.50 Thursday 7.00 Friday 9.00 Sat.u.r.day 9.50 Sunday 4.50 Monday 7.50 Tuesday 8.00

a total of $53.

The items for the next seven days are as follows:

Wednesday $6.50 Thursday 6.50 Friday 7.00 Sat.u.r.day 12.00 Sunday 10.00 Monday 9.00 Tuesday 6.00

a total of $57.

The following six days' receipts were as follows:

Wednesday $6.00 Thursday 6.00 Friday 3.50 Sat.u.r.day 8.00 Sunday 5.50 Monday 5.00

a total of $34.

The following seven days' receipts are:

Wednesday $6.00 Thursday 5.00 Friday 3.00 Sat.u.r.day 7.00 Sunday 8.00 Monday 6.00 Tuesday 6.00

$41 in all.

There were only five more days accounted for, when the girl ceased to keep any record of her receipts:

Wednesday $3.50 Thursday 2.00 Friday 5.50 Sat.u.r.day 4.50 Sunday 10.50

the total of these five days being $26.

Thus in 32 days, this poorly dressed, rather ignorant and unsophisticated street walker, earned $211, an average of between $6 and $7 per day.

Practically all the figures in the above concern profits derived from the sale of the bodies of women. In addition, the exploiters--owners and madames mainly--derive further gain (by no means inconsiderable in amount) from such items as the sale to their women, at exorbitant prices, of clothing and other feminine requirements. Huge as these immediate profits of exploitation are, they are enormously increased by the vast sums made from the sale of intoxicating drinks, which business has been shown to be so closely allied with prost.i.tution, and by abnormal rentals received for the use of all kinds of property for purposes of prost.i.tution. Even then, the stupendous although unknown figure involved in the maintenance of this army of upwards of 15,000 women in New York City fails to indicate what prost.i.tution costs society. For perhaps the greatest cost of all is yet to be mentioned, namely, disease. Wherever prost.i.tution exists, there venereal disease flourishes,--maiming, incapacitating the partic.i.p.ants surely, and not infrequently innocent ones in close a.s.sociation with them.