SOCIAL AGENCIES
It is true in general that if you have a good family you do not have a
bad individual. The well-organized family, with property and standing,
is in a position both to regulate and gratify the wishes of its members.
The boy of good family has no occasion to steal or the girl to practice
prostitution. Therefore, when a member of a family shows a tendency to
demoralization, good people, benevolent institutions, and the State
naturally try to strengthen the family, to save the whole situation of
which the boy or girl is a part; and when a family is about to be
wrecked they try to strengthen it both for its own sake and for the
security of the children.
If we examine the following document, which is a specification of the
type of family situation described more generally in document No. 58 (p.
100) above, we realize the difficulty of the task of a social agency
which attempts to rehabilitate a broken family and to save the children
from demoralization by visiting, giving food or money, taking the
parents into court, and coming to the rescue in times of crisis. The
case represents the patient and heroic work of a charity organization
during nearly twenty years. The record extends from the time the oldest
child was three months old to a period following her marriage. It is a
very long record, and I am able to give only a portion of it. This is an
immigrant family, but in the largest cities as many as 80 per cent of
delinquent children are foreign born or native born of foreign
parents.[92]
83. Joseph Meyer, a German Pole born of peasant parents, came to this
country at the age of twenty-three.
Mrs. Meyer, an illiterate woman, had been in America six years at the
time of her marriage. She had for two years prior to her marriage done
housework.... The first application for assistance occurred in 1898 when
Mrs. Meyer came to the Relief and Aid Society of Chicago, asking rent.
Mr. Meyer had been out of work for three months; there was one child
[Mary] 13 months old.... [This was two years after the marriage. There
is no further report until the family applied to United Charities in
1908. Meantime other children were born, Tillie in 1899, Theodore in
1903, Bruno in 1908].
January 30, 1908, Mrs. Meyer came to office of United Charities. Husband
had not worked for four years; mentally slightly abnormal. She had
recently begged, but usually had been working very hard. Mary picking
coal from the tracks.... [Helped by United Charities and County Agent.]
January 3, 1909. Visited man at home, says he had to care for children
while wife went out to work. Told him he must get work at once as doctor
says he is able to work. Family receiving help for a year and a half.
Woman working as janitress in United Charities office.
November 1, 1910. Miss Campbell, whose mother has employed Mrs. Meyer
for years, in office to ask if man cannot be sent to Bridewell. Says
woman has come to work with arms black and blue from beatings.... Mrs.
Meyer says man has not worked for more than two months at a time in the
19 years of his married life; says he taunts her with the fact that she
must work while he stays at home.
November 3, 1910.... Man given 60 days in Bridewell.
January 13, 1911. Visitor heard ... that man had taken carbolic acid New
Year’s eve. Asked woman about this; at first she did not want to tell,
but finally acknowledged it; says he took 20 cents worth of poison while
she was at work. The children yelled when he fell and the landlord came
in.... Woman says man sleeps during the day and will not sleep at night,
annoying her considerably, thus causing her to lose considerable sleep.
Quarrels with her and uses vile language in the presence of the
children.
January 16, 1911. Man in office asking to be arrested, said he is unable
to live with woman any longer. [Jealous of unmarried man who calls.]
Also stated that woman took some clothes from office of United
Charities, where she is janitress. Mrs. Meyer acknowledged doing this
and said man told her to take anything she could lay her hands on, as
she did not receive enough salary for the amount of work she did....
While woman was away at work, man burned all the bedding, lace curtains,
new veil Mary had received at Christmas, insurance policies, all the
woman’s clothes he could get hold of and some of the children’s clothes;
also broke a clock and bit up woman’s wedding ring....
January 20, 1911. Visited a neighbor who said at the time the man was in
the Bridewell the woman had some man staying with her....
Visited. Mary ironing; does not go to school; said father has not
returned; said father has very often abused mother for many years and
mother would not tell any one; also says the man who has been coming to
the house bought her mother a comb for Christmas, worth about $1.00,
which her father also burned.
February 8, 1911. Mary in office to say her mother was sick; told same
story as mother regarding Tony R., says he is a brother of Mrs. Meyer’s
brother’s wife. [March 7, 1911. Man given a year in Bridewell. August
25, Mrs. Meyer gave birth to a boy. Mary working in the Mary Crane
Nursery at $3.00 a week.]
October 21, 1911. Miss C. ’phones to advise office about Mary. Says that
many small articles have been disappearing since Mary arrived. Finally
they deliberately put temptation in her way by leaving money in the
nursery room, which disappeared within a half hour and nobody but Mary
had entered the room. Mary steadfastly denies everything, and they feel
absolutely baffled by the mother; they had found her to be untruthful
several times which has complicated matters since she has been working
at the nursery.... Later visited and told mother.... She cried and said
that Mary did not bring anything home, and said she had warned her
before she started to work that she was not to touch anything; said she
never brought home any candy or anything which would lead her to suspect
her of wrong doing. Mother went to work; Mary stayed home.
February 8, 1912, woman in office; said man had come home the day before
at noon ... and the children let him in. When she came home he knelt
before her and kissed her hands and begged her to allow him to remain.
Because he humbled himself to kneel before her she weakened and told him
if he worked he could stay....
March 14, 1912, Mary in office first thing in the morning to say that
her father tore good overcoat into strips last night and burned it in
the stove; that early this morning when they were all asleep in the
house, he tore the curtains down and cut them, cut some of woman’s
clothing into strips, poured kerosene over feather beds, slashed the
leather seats of the four dining-room chairs and did other damage of
this sort. [Threatened to buy pistol and kill Mrs. Meyer.] ... Mrs.
Meyer frightened and nervous and broken-hearted over the loss.... [Later
Mary ’phones that her father has come home and is sitting quietly in the
kitchen.] Visited. Mr. Meyer announced that he had nothing to say for
himself except that “the woman got the best of it and had everything her
way.” He stated that he knew the patrol was coming for him that day and
wished to “fix” things for his wife, that he “had not done much but had
done something.” His attitude in the matter was one of spite and the
attitude of his wife toward him unusually fine. Despite all that had
happened she was rather gentle and almost pathetic in her statement of
the case....
March 15, 1912, case tried in court. Man had no excuse to give and did
not attempt to defend himself before Judge other than to make the
statement that “there was a God in Heaven.” Was given $100 costs; sent
to House of Correction....
May 3, 1912. Took Mary to Dr. Healy ... he could find nothing wrong with
the child.... While she is slow she is normal.... He finds no evidence
of kleptomania; he fears that too much temptation was put in the child’s
way. [Found new rooms for the family so that man might not find them
when released.]
December 12, 1912, a neighbor ’phones, saying Mr. Meyer home, and as
Mrs. Meyer wanted to put him out again he beat her unmercifully [with a
poker].
December 24, 1912, woman says man was arrested....
February 14, 1913, visited Detention Court. Man was sent to Kankakee
[insane asylum]. After sentence was pronounced woman and Mary were
hysterical; said they had never wanted him to go and they would not
leave the court unless he was released. Woman’s cousin told Mr. Moore
that Mary is not working ... and that she is making her mother’s life
miserable. Mary ... begins to show something of her father’s
temperament.... The child’s confidence has never been gained. She has
always taken her father’s side, and her mother is worried over her as
she feels she is untrustworthy, is rouging her cheeks and not coming
home directly from her work. She is a woman whose enjoyment of household
possessions is undiminished by the miseries of her domestic experience,
as is a natural coquetry which she has always possessed. We believe that
this is an innocent attribute and that all her husband’s accusations of
infidelity are the suspicions inevitably resulting from sexual obsession
in a man otherwise unoccupied for 20 years. He has, undoubtedly, a
diseased mind.
April 3, 1913, woman says that Mary did not go to work today as the
paint made her sick. Asked that we call up the firm and verify this.
Mary had been to Miss Farrell to get suit which had been promised her,
but failed to see Miss Farrell and insisted upon getting a coat for
which she agreed to pay $8 on the installment plan. An agent came to the
house to collect for this and Mary behaved so badly, screaming and
crying, that woman finally paid him $2. Mary now has the suit from Miss
Farrell and woman wishes to return the coat, but she refuses to do so.
[Mary discharged from present position because it was proved she stole
from one of the girls. Mary refused to take housework offered her.]
June 9, 1913, woman in office in great distress; says Mary has not
worked at all at the hat factory [as she had pretended].... Has been
going with a girl who worked there. The girls say the employer is an
evil man and showed them a check book and said they could draw what they
liked.... Mary [refused to let him kiss her but] stole this check book
and on the 29th forged a check for $12 which she brought her mother
saying it was her pay. On the 2nd she forged another check for $11; $6
of this she gave to her mother and $5 she spent at Riverview Park....
July 29, 1913.... Probation officer says Mary lost her job on the 25th,
that one of the girls had loaned Mary a ring and when the time came for
Mary to restore it, Mary could not find it.... [A report from Kankakee
that Meyer had escaped was followed by a letter saying] “he escaped one
evening but returned of his own free will at bedtime and has since been
residing in the Institution.”...
January 17, 1914, Mary brought home $6 on the 14th but insisted upon $4
being returned to her, and with this she bought a very elaborate hat of
black velvet and gold lace. Talked with Mary. She was very defiant and
said that she would spend her money on clothing until she had something
to wear. Was not satisfied with the coat that United Charities had given
her from second-hand store. Said she would keep her money until she
could buy a new-style coat. Told her that if she did so the United
Charities would not help with food.
January 22, 1914, Mrs. Meyer in tears. The forelady at the shop where
Mary works telephoned that Mary had gotten married in court today....
Mary gave the date of her birth as December 18, 1895 [instead of 1896]
and signed the affidavit herself....
January 30, 1914, visited. Asked Mrs. Meyer to take a position....
Suggested Mary could stay and take care of the children.... Mary was at
first very unwilling to consent to the plan. While the visitor was there
Mr. Andersen [her husband] came in. He agreed to the plan at least
temporarily.
February 4, 1914, Mrs. Meyer in office. Says the work is too hard at the
present situation and she is not earning enough to feed the children.
Mary has had to give her money and she is ashamed and sorry. She feels
too nervous to work and wants United Charities to get Mr. Meyer out of
asylum to support her. Jennie, her niece, took her to visit him and she
found him nicely dressed and sober, doing teaming work. He promised
never to drink and to support the family.
A letter written by the United Charities June 16, 1914, states “We have
found her this spring in a peculiar mental condition due, we think, to
sheer discouragement and a feeling of having been defeated in life. All
of her home furnishings are dilapidated and of long usage, because of
her inability to replace them. She has been a woman who always took a
peculiar delight in her home and longed to have it furnished daintily so
that it did not compare so poorly with the homes where she has worked.
We feel now that if we might help her replenish her linen and some of
her household supplies we might be able to tide over their period of
discouragement and help her to feel that life was again worth
living....”
August 19, 1914, Mrs. Meyer and Mary in office. [Mary very well dressed
and living in her own apartment.] Mary says she has been helping her
mother continually with food and clothing. Her husband makes $19 a week
but she has to pay $17 rent and $5 a week for her furniture. She also
has to save money because she is now several months pregnant. Her
husband wishes her to have a doctor. She is planning to have a midwife
because it is cheaper. Advised her not do this.... During a period of
unemployment for her husband she refused to seek aid at her mother’s
suggestion as she felt too proud....
November 13, 1915. Tillie still earns $4.00 a week.... Must buy new
dress [refuses to wear dresses given by charity as being
old-fashioned—same as Mary]. For lack of satisfactory dress she has not
gone to church for 3 weeks. Mrs. Meyer fears she will slip away from
church unless allowed clothes she wants. Her [Mrs. Meyer’s] ideas become
more and more erratic. She said she wishes she were dead, had only
trouble.
For the past year the church [Irish, not Polish, for the latter always
demanded money instead of giving assistance] has had a decided influence
over Mrs. Meyer. Her children attend the parochial school and the priest
has taken a very active interest in their welfare.... The family lives
in a less congested district and although Mrs. Meyer is still very
nervous and frequently complains, the whole complexion of the family has
changed. She is very interested in a mothers’ cooking class started last
winter ... and is also being taught to write by her 12–year-old son....
If the man remains in Kankakee and the children keep well we feel sure
the family will eventually become self-supporting. It is surely the
highest point as far as the standard of living is concerned.... The
present system of County relief cannot but have a debasing effect upon
the family, particularly upon the children, who frequently must
accompany the mother in order to bring home the dole of inadequate
rations.... Mary is a good housewife and a sensible mother. She is
contented and happy and her ideals are considerably higher, due directly
to her husband.[93]
In this case the social agency, the charity organization, takes the part
formerly played by the large family (kinship group) and the community.
The man in the case, the cause of the disorganization, is treated as
insane. Pretty certainly he would not have been insane in Europe, in his
original community. He would have been difficult, but the pressure of
the large family and the community would have kept him within certain
bounds. His violent behavior is also due in part to the fact that his
wife does not behave as a member of a community or family. She resorts
to American institutions, hales him into court and lands him in jail.
She must do this because she has no family and community back of her,
but she breaks the family solidarity. This and the fact that she
practices American freedom in associating with another man and receiving
presents from him make him “insane.” The wife in the European community
would not have taken such liberties; community gossip would have
restrained her.
On the other hand the woman never lost her ideal of a home, and the
coöperation of the charity organization enabled her to endure. The
removal of the man was a positive benefit. Further, the Irish Catholic
Church came into the case at a certain point and played the part of a
religious community. Its intervention gave aid, status, and recognition,
particularly to the girls. (The Polish Catholic Church in America always
exacts payment, and in general Polish organizations here interest
themselves only in those members who are worth while; the derelicts it
leaves to American institutions.)
Another saving element in the situation is that Mary was treated as a
member of a family, not as a transgressor against the State. She stole
repeatedly and forged checks, but she was never taken into court for it.
It was fortunately “overlooked”, as parents overlook such defections.
Mary was not betrayed sexually; she did not seem to be so disposed.
Perhaps she was lucky in this. Certainly she was fortunate in her
marriage, and through it became stabilized and an element of strength in
the larger family. Her sister Tillie has a better chance than Mary had.
But at the same time a review of the whole case leaves the feeling that
Mary’s future was never secure from the date of her birth to the date of
her marriage. There were not sufficient formative influences to assure a
social organization of her wishes.
The efforts of the federal government during the war to control the
behavior of girls who were either wild already or went wild during the
excitement resulted in many cases in the attempt to stabilize the girl
by improvising good family and community influences for her. The work
was in charge of the Girls’ Protective Bureau. The methods used were in
the main similar to those of a juvenile court. Families of good standing
made it a part of patriotism to take girls into their homes and made
extraordinary efforts to influence them. The workers of the Bureau acted
both as parents and as community. The result was often very good. Where
the girl was not bad but had, for example, run away from a country home
to see a boy from her neighborhood, she was eventually returned home
without demoralization. But the records show in general that the
influence of an extemporized family and community is not usually
sufficient to give a new scheme of life to a difficult girl. She does
not belong really to the new family and community, as in the case of the
girl born there. She is placed under discipline. She is not a daughter
of the family, to be married like a daughter of a family. She has not a
life-long train of memories, making her a part of the situation. She
usually appreciates her new security for a time, but presently the
desire for new experience, recognition and response return and if
possible she runs away. Case No. 84 is typical of the result when a girl
of bad habits is placed with a family of good standing which is
sentimental about her, patronizes her, treats her half as servant, half
as family-member, excludes her as far as possible from the world and
exhorts her. On the other hand this girl was not very bad. She needed
simply a situation in which she could live, with some response and
recognition.
84. Marie Morse, age 16, who first came to our notice on June 15th when
one of our protective officers found her at 11 P.M. in front of the
Northwestern Station in the company of two sailors.
Marie had then been living with her father for three weeks. It was found
that he, in his effort to be what he considered good to her, had given
her her own way until she did nothing but “run the streets” from morning
until late at night and quite refused to obey him....
Marie claims that her mother “picked up with men” in Riverview, so she
could do likewise. The mother does not deny having once spoken to a man
she did not know, but explains it by saying that Marie was teasing for a
ride in Forest Park and she could not afford to give it to her, so a
gentleman volunteered to give them both two rides. Marie stated that her
mother had a colored woman living with them, and that she (Marie) was
forced to sleep with this colored woman. The mother does not deny this,
but said that her church teaches her that color makes no difference, and
that Marie only slept once with this woman, and that was when Marie
chose to do so....
Visited Mr. Morse. He showed visitor every corner of their rooms, which
were in good order and clean. He does all the work of the home. Marie
refuses to do anything, even very personal things. Mr. Morse’s young
married niece (aged 26) came in to cook his Sunday dinner for him. She
stated, when Mr. Morse left the room, that Marie had absolutely no moral
standard at all and when she and other relatives would advise her, she
would say “That’s nothing—mother does it.” She states that Marie has
told them absolutely dreadful things and thinks nothing of it; thinks it
is all right to “pick up” with and go with any man....
Found a place for Marie with Mrs. R. M. Harriman, Winnetka. Marie will
care for two children, under three years of age, will receive $3.00 a
week, room and board. She will have her own bathroom and very pleasant
surroundings. Mrs. Harriman is a woman of quality who will be able to
give Marie personal and home standards.
Mr. Harriman ’phoned. Wants to know a little about Marie, as they
already like her but she seems so lonesome; wanted to go to movie and
they told her that there were none out there. Marie asked to let her
“beau”, a chauffeur, know where she is and Mr. Harriman told her that
his daughter of seventeen is not yet old enough to entertain, so he
surely would not let Marie have men call on her. Marie said she was a
Roman Catholic, and as the Catholic Church is but three blocks from the
house, he told Marie he expected her to go every Sunday. There is a
splendid girl working next door and he had Marie meet her, as he knows
she will not let Marie do anything she should not do. Mrs. Harriman will
be very glad to see visitor if she will ’phone first. Mrs. Harriman took
Marie out on Monday and bought her some good sensible clothes.
Marie goes to church with Julia, the Catholic maid next door. They often
spend the evenings in one another’s yards. This is Marie’s only friend
and Mrs. Harriman states that she is often quite lonesome. They are
interesting her in books and she has nearly finished one. They felt this
would keep her mind off her old friends. Mrs. Harriman states that she
often keeps her busy unnecessarily “rubbing up the silver or dusting
books” just so she won’t become so lonesome and sit looking off into
space as she did do much during her first week there.
Mrs. Harriman states that her duties are not heavy. All the washing,
including Marie’s, is sent to the laundry and Mrs. Harriman uses the
vacuum cleaner herself on the rugs once a week. When Marie was told to
put her laundry in, it was found that she had none—wore no underwear but
skirt and corset cover. They were too large, so Mrs. Harriman showed
Marie how to fix them and let her do this evenings. Mrs. Harriman told
how Marie’s eyes beamed when she heard Mr. Harriman talk of a drive they
had to Great Lakes, and later in the evening she asked Mrs. Harriman
about it.
Marie wanted to bring a chauffeur friend up to the house, but they
forbade it telling her she was too young to have company. Mrs. Harriman
feels that when her daughter returns from her summer visit with
relatives and Marie sees how she is expected to do, Marie will be better
satisfied with the program they have mapped out for her....
Mrs. Harriman took visitor in the house to talk with Marie. The girl
certainly looks well. She is somewhat stouter and tanned and her cheeks
are rosy. She has improved immensely—looks well kept, neat, clean and
happy. She showed visitor her room and bath, which are very nice, bright
and sunny, well ventilated, clean, and the furniture and carpet were
good pieces and in good condition. She stated that Mrs. Harriman was
going to put nice curtains and pictures up for her. Marie said that
Julia, the girl next door, did not have nearly so nice or large a room
and no bath at all. She showed visitor the dresses she was given and
said the yellow one which she wears on Sunday “looks fine when it is
fresh.” Marie expects to finish reading “Pollyanna” tonight, and Mr.
Harriman already has another book for her. She liked “Pollyanna” very
much. Mr. Harriman also told her there were books of travel there which
would teach her as much as if she went three years longer to school, and
Marie seems anxious to begin reading them....
August 12, went to Winnetka. Mrs. Harriman says they sent Marie to the
Kings’ to ride to Lake Geneva. Mrs. Harriman explained that there are
times when friends go on trips with them and when they cannot therefore
take Marie as they do not have room enough.
Started out with Marie. We walked down to the bank. On the way Marie
stated that she had now worked three weeks and that she had no money
except the $1.25 balance paid by Mrs. Johnson this morning and 30 cents.
Expressed surprise that she had not at least $5.00 saved. Told her we
would deposit this $1.00 in the bank, that hereafter she would deposit
$2.00 each week and buy one thrift stamp, and the remaining 75 cents was
more than enough to spend. Visitor signed bank slip so that Marie cannot
draw without visitor’s signature. Marie was going to buy thrift stamp
and visitor explained that she could wait for that until next week as we
were going to the doctor down in Chicago and she would need lunch money.
Explained also that she should not expect the Harrimans to continue to
give her carfare and R. R. fare, etc., that while they did so through
kindness, they were under no obligation to do so.... Told her she was no
longer a child now and must mold her own character and plan for her
future, to support herself, to buy her own clothing, to save something
for times of illness or possible accident.
Reached Chicago. Went to Childs for luncheon. Gave Marie bill of fare
and advised her to choose good, plain, nutritious food according to what
she could afford to spend. She chose well, her luncheon costing her 30
cents. When visitor ordered her own dessert, she ordered ice cream for
Marie and paid for same. Marie while on the street passed two Catholic
Sisters and remarked to visitor that they were from St. Patrick’s, where
she went to school when living with her mother....
At County Building and explained case. After examination, Dr. Stanton
stated that it is not possible to know if Marie has had improper
relations recently on account of [seduction seven years ago]. She
questioned Marie very closely and Marie stated that all the sailors and
soldiers had asked her to have intercourse with them, but that she
positively had not done it.
Took Marie to the Northwestern Station. While going over, Marie said, “I
wish I could see my friends.” Told her we had her up there to get her
away from the seemingly bad company she had been in; that she was not to
come to Chicago except with visitor and never, even with her father, to
be out of Mrs. Harriman’s house after 11:30; that she was no longer a
child and just must make up her mind to obey the plans of the G.P.B., or
it would make it very hard for herself; that she was old enough now to
substitute other forms of recreation for the kind she had been indulging
in. She could read, write, sew, or rest after her work. Told her visitor
would probably call once each month....
Mr. Harriman in office. Saturday Mrs. Harriman gave Marie a pair of
shoes. Monday morning, August 19th, she paid her. Marie cleared her
room, etc., and at one o’clock told Mrs. Harriman she was going to the
bank. Mrs. Harriman told her she was much pleased. Marie left and has
not been seen or heard of since.
Mr. Harriman ’phoned. Said Marie told maid next door some time last week
that when things had quieted down a little she was going back to her
mother, or to her father’s relatives, in Hammond. [Marie went to her
mother, but both disappeared and were never located.][94]
In the following case of far-going demoralization the influences are
also improvised. The girl’s mother was bad and taught her to be bad. An
interesting feature in the document is the complete transformation of
the girl under the influence of the physician. She had been dirty and
disorderly and became clean, orderly, and interested in work. It
frequently happens that some particular influence, perhaps the effect of
another personality, defines the situation to the demoralized girl,
brings a conversion, and she begins to reorganize her life
spontaneously. But in this case the life of the girl was so totally
unorganized that it is impossible to regard this transformation as
anything more than a phase of security between two periods of new
experience. Quiescent and orderly periods are in fact the rule in such
cases and social workers learn to estimate the length of their duration.
The physician himself does not hope that any permanent change of
character has been effected. We may suspect also that Helen is mentally
inferior, of the moron type, but even so we must speculate as to her
character if she had been situated from the beginning like little
Calline in document No. 36. A clean and protected moron is not far from
corresponding to the ideal woman of the Victorian age.
85. June 12, 1918. Helen Langley. Age 19. Very childlike in appearance
and this impression is exaggerated by her yellow bobbed hair, short
skirts, etc. Although she has been observed continually in places and
always with men, in scarcely any case has the same sailor or civilian
been seen with her more than two or three times. She has no fear of the
Protective Officers, with whom she is always free in her attitude—runs
to greet them, offers them candy, etc. It has been impossible to have
any serious conversation with her, as she is irresponsible and heedless.
Visited her brother Mr. Edward Hunt and his wife. They stated that Helen
was born at North Chicago, September 17th, 1899. She was irregular in
her attendance at school, did not pass the 4th grade and stopped going
altogether when she was 12 or 13 years old. She has never been known to
read a book or magazine, not even the “funny” page in the paper, and the
brother believes she is unable to write anything beyond her signature.
Although the family were known as Swedish Lutheran, Helen had no
religious training and did not attend church or Sunday School. According
to the brother she was depraved from the time she was 12 years old when
she began to “go crazy over the boys”, to attend dance halls and to go
out on motor trips with unknown men. When 14 years old she was attacked
by a neighbor in a field near her home and since that time her life has
been a series of immoral relations with sailors and civilians. Edward
Hunt believes these tendencies are inherited from his mother, who gave
birth to an illegitimate child before her marriage and whose immorality
afterwards broke up the family repeatedly and turned his father into a
drunkard and an idler.... From the time Helen was a child her mother
encouraged her in every sort of immorality and helped her in deceiving
her father or boldly defying him. Mrs. Edward Nelson stated that Helen
to her knowledge has brought on several abortions with the assistance of
her mother....
On March 23rd, after a three weeks’ acquaintance, Helen married George
Langley, a sailor rated as a first class fireman.... She was four months
pregnant at the time. She told her relatives and friends that she was
marrying Langley in order to secure the allotment and insurance. She and
her husband lived for three weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Hunt and then
took a room with Mrs. De Lacey, 147 Sheridan Road. Shortly after her
marriage Helen appealed to the Red Cross and was given $14.00 to pay her
rent. This money she spent for a pink sweater and a silk skirt....
Visited Mrs. Anna Langley. Talked with her and her son, Bill. The whole
family has been crushed over George’s marriage. Their chief concern
seems to be the allotment and insurance, which George transferred from
his mother to Helen. They want, if possible, to prevent her from
receiving the first payment, which is due July 1st. On one occasion
Helen tried to represent herself at the Post Office as Mrs. Anna Langley
in order to secure the allotment. George Langley is under treatment at
the Naval Station for disease contracted from his wife. For this reason
and because of her continued loose behavior he is trying to secure a
divorce before he is sent to sea early in July. Mrs. Langley and her son
stated that Helen has been brought before the police several times to
their knowledge and spent one night in the County Jail last January.
Bill is willing to make a sworn statement giving the names of two
Waukegan men who have admitted to him they have contracted disease from
Helen....
Visited Chaplain Moore. He sent for George Langley, who stated that he
had been in love with Helen from the moment he saw her, and had begged
her repeatedly to marry him, which she refused to do although she was
having immoral relations with him. Langley knew that she was diseased
and was going about with other men, but felt certain that she would
behave if she married him. He has tried to live with her, but she was
lazy, dirty and disorderly, went out every night with other men,
returning at two or three in the morning. He stated that Mr. Hart, with
whom they lived in North Chicago, is willing to testify that she brought
sailors to her room many times in the absence of her husband....
Telephoned Miss Judson, Superintendent of the Lake Bluff Orphanage. She
stated that a baby boy, about one week old, was found in the woods by
some school children on October 27th, 1916, and brought to the
Orphanage. The child was tagged “Baby Langley” and was in a most
advanced stage of syphilis. It was attended by Dr. Brown, city
physician. Miss Judson took all the care of the baby herself, as it
required constant attention and was so diseased that she would not
endanger the nurses. The baby died on January 1st, 1917.
Visited Helen. She told about the birth of her baby in October, 1916,
and of how she disposed of it in the Lake Forest woods. She stated that
she has never worked regularly, but has had several factory positions
and has done housework for Mrs. Watrous of Waukegan, Mrs. Gerley of
Waukegan and for Mrs. Christianson of North Chicago. She stated that she
has succeeded eight or ten times in bringing about miscarriage with the
use of an instrument which was bought by her mother at Pearce’s Drug
Store and which her sister-in-law taught her to use....
Observed Helen at the circus in company with a sailor. She went
afterwards to an ice cream parlor and a chop suey restaurant, was
followed to North Chicago and was observed in the woods at midnight.
Consulted Judge Pearsons of the County and Juvenile Courts and Assistant
States Attorney Welch. They agreed that it was imperative to detain
Helen at once and decided that an arrest should be made on a charge of
disorderly conduct. The examination will be made immediately so that she
can be placed under medical treatment for the three weeks awaiting her
trial. In the meantime her age can be verified and a decision made as to
whether she will be tried on the grounds of feeble-mindedness or
delinquency....
Interviewed Mr. Hart, with whom Helen had rooms with her husband for
about two months. Mr. Hart says Helen is a “worthless character”; says
he is “in wrong” with the neighbors for having her there. Showed me room
and bath occupied by Helen. Both rooms contained a lot of dirty clothes.
He said she had not washed while she was there. Trunk filled with
rumpled clothes, stained and soiled rags, etc., bedding which was new
when she came, was soiled and filthy.
Visited County Jail. Asked to see Helen. Was told by Mr. Griffin, the
Sheriff, that Helen was removed by Dr. Brown, County Physician, on June
21. Mr. Griffin said that Helen is not in the County Hospital. He would
make no further statement and advised that we go to Dr. Brown for
information.
Interviewed Dr. Brown in his office. He offered to accompany visitor to
place in which Helen is kept on condition that the address shall not be
made known to any one in Waukegan. He said that he expected Helen to be
cured and in condition to be discharged in a very short time as several
slides according to his own analysis have proved negative....
Drove with Dr. Brown to County Hospital. Helen is under care in one of
the tuberculosis cottages. The tuberculosis nurse, Miss Gean Crawford,
was willing to assume the care on condition that Helen’s disease should
not be known to the other nurses. Helen has gained several pounds and
looks like a new person, is content and happy, sleeps most of the day
and said she feels rested for the first time for years. She takes all
the care of her own cottage, has become very tidy in her habits, enjoys
washing her dishes, etc., and keeping things in order. Helen said that
her plan when she is discharged is to find a good place where she can do
housework. She intends to have nothing further to do with men,
particularly sailors. She loves to do sewing and handwork and showed the
most astonishing amount of embroidery which she has done for one of the
nurses. She asked for news of her family and said that she has begged to
see her mother, but the Doctor and nurse have convinced her that it is
best to have no visitors. She is out of doors most of the day, but sees
nothing of the other patients.
Helen is now employed in the kitchen at the County Hospital, lives in
the servants’ quarters and is to be paid $25.00 a month. She has proved
so quick, willing and efficient that Dr. Brown would like to employ her
permanently, but he realizes that it will be impossible to hold her
after she knows that she is well. He would like to keep her at least
through August, as she is a great help with the canning. As long as she
continues to be content he will not send the final specimen to the State
Laboratory.
Visited Dr. Brown. He refused absolutely to permit Helen to be visited
by any of the Protective Workers. Said she is doing excellent work, is
very content, and begs to remain at the hospital. Although Dr. Brown is
unwilling to undertake the responsibility of Court parole, he would like
to retain her as a permanent employee, on condition that there is no
interference from the Protective Bureau or the courts.
After talking over the matter with the State’s Attorney and Dr. G. G.
Taylor of the State Board of Health, it was decided that no better plan
can be made for Helen than to allow her to remain in the hospital with
the hope that Dr. Brown will change his policy as to visits from the
Protective Bureau.[95]
The penitentiary and reformatory, to which offenders are condemned by
courts of law, have, as is well known, never been generally successful
in reorganizing the attitudes of their inmates on a social basis. They
represent the legal concept of crime and punishment and the theological
concept of sin and atonement. Where society is not able to organize the
wishes of one of its members in a social way it may exterminate him or
banish him to a society of the bad, which corresponds to the theological
purgatory from which there is a chance to return to a society of the
good. The punishment is supposed to atone for the offense and effect the
reformation.
The following case was handled by a particularly well equipped
reformatory for girls above the juvenile court age. Its staff at the
time was large and scientifically trained. It was probably more
completely equipped for the psychological study of its inmates than any
other institution whatever, and its records are more complete than any I
have seen elsewhere. But an institution dealing with a large number of
girls sentenced by the law courts, many of them hardened and rebellious,
has quite as much as it can do barely to maintain order. The situation
is the same as in the penitentiaries for men. The present case is not
typical; the girl is far from being as demoralized as the average girl
in the same institution. I cite it here to indicate what are the
attitudes of a girl in this situation, how accessible a girl may be to
influences and how unprepared an institution of this type is to employ
any organizing influences.
Esther had no previous bad record. She may or may not have had some sex
experiences; that is not unusual with girls of this class. It was not
shown that she was sexually diseased. Probably she was not but was
frightened into thinking so by a doctor who wanted $100.00. Her offense
was slight and casual. It might have been passed over with a reprimand,
or, as in the juvenile court, with a period of probation; but she was
nineteen—above the juvenile court age. The institution recognized, in
the statement given first below, that it would not be for her welfare to
hold her there, and placed her out on parole.
86. Statement from the Laboratory of Bedford Hills Reformatory for
Women:
Esther Lorenz was committed to the institution March 23, 1914, from
Special Sessions, N. Y.
Offense: Petit Larceny. She was born in Prag, Bohemia, and educated in
Bohemian and German. She has a father and sister living in the old
country and an aunt in New Jersey to whom she came three years and a
half ago. This aunt and her family are poor and very foreign and
unprogressive. Esther worked for them faithfully and gained little
knowledge of English or training of any sort while with them. She left
them several times and took positions as waitress in private families,
still helping them out from her meager earnings. Her last position was
as waitress in a small restaurant in New York where she met Lilian Marx.
She had been there eight months when the restaurant went out of business
and the girls were thrown out of work.
It was soon after this that the girls stole from Macy’s store several
articles, two pairs of 59–cent stockings, a belt and some cheap manicure
articles, apparently on the impulse of the moment, because they saw
another girl doing it so easily. In jail they were warned by the other
girls not to tell the truth about anything and they were too frightened
to think what to tell. Esther’s story was in the main true, but Lilian
made up in obedience to the other girl’s suggestion a conflicting tale.
The probation officer felt that she was not getting the truth, and as
the two girls were so young and so without protection, she advised their
commitment to the institution in order that the institution might
investigate their case more thoroughly.
Investigation in the case of Esther revealed nothing further against the
girl than the one offense for which she was arrested. We have found her
to be intelligent, conscientious, and, far beyond other girls, sensitive
to fine distinctions of right and wrong. It was the opinion of the
Laboratory that she might get more harm from association with the girls
than good from a long term in the Reformatory and that it would be well
to parole her as soon as she had had some training and a suitable
position was in view....
She will not write to her aunt because ... the aunt said she did not
know any such girl. Will not write to her father because she does not
want him to know anything about the matter. She had heard that we
sometimes send girls back to their own country, and she would be glad to
go except that she would have to make some excuse to her father for
being sent back. When I asked her if she would tell him the truth she
said: “Tell him that I was sent home for stealing a pair of stockings?”
It seems to strike her as quite ridiculous.
[The following letters (except the last) were written by Esther to her
friend Lilian and show her general attitudes. The letters were written
mainly in Bohemian during the seven months she was on parole, and were
translated for the institution by a Bohemian woman whose rendering is
similar to the few letters written in English by Esther. I have adapted
the translations only slightly. About half the letters are printed
here.]
October 1, 1914. My dearest Friend: I received your letter with which I
was very happy. I am glad to hear that you have a nice place. Dear
friend, I apologize not to answer you right away. I have lots of work. I
have two people and little baby girl. I have so much work; I haven’t got
even time to wash my face.... In the morning I get up at 5 o’clock and I
wash porch, then I make breakfast. I had eight to the table and I was
the 9th one, so you can immagine what work I had. So then I had to wash
dishes, then wash diapers for the baby. I got to clean two ducks and I
got to make eight beds as whole first floor and I had to set the table
and cooking all alone. No one helps me and everything got to be ready 1
o’clock, so you can imagine how I was dancing in the kitchen. That’s the
way it goes, every night I go upstairs half past ten or eleven. When I
come up I’m like dead; soon as I lay down I sleep. So imagine how I look
worse every day. I have $14 month and she promises me more next
month—that what she says. I like to know if I see them [money]. She is
very snike [snake?]—every evening when she goes to bed she take me
around the neck and kiss me but who knows for what she do that. I work
very hard, Dear sweetheart, you ask me to come to see you but how can I
do that; I haven’t got no shoes and no money, I am very poor. If you can
you come over on Saturday evening and sleep with me. I got big bed. On
Sunday we can look for [an Italian friend, not a bad character] and we
go in a place where we can have a good time and lots of kissing. We
going to look for some nice man but something better, not only working
man; we shouldn’t have to go to work. I am angry with my aunt, she don’t
want to take my lawyer, so they may go on my back [“take the air”] I
take him myself when I have that money, don’t you think. She told on me
that I have different name and that I am Catholic not a Jew, so now Miss
R. will be angry with me that I told her lies but she and Miss T. and
all the rest may go on my back. I don’t worry now they know. How we
fool, them. Innocent. Friend, aint they fools, aint they fools! She
[probation officer] is a good girl. Sunday School. [Term applied
derisively by the girls of the officials, the institution and of
themselves.] My dearest Friend, I wrote to T. and the letter come back.
He isn’t there any more and may be he is in Phila. Wouldn’t be that nice
if he knows we are paroled; he be happy, don’t you think so? Dear
Friend, all the time I couldn’t come to see you before I have new shoes;
and then we go to dance together; they would not know where we were
going. If you can, come over. This is such a little country—one house
half an hour from the next. Every night when I go to bed I am thinking
how I used to have and how I have it now, but when my relatives wouldn’t
help me out, God knows what he got to do. Your lady ask you how I like
my place, so say I couldn’t have any better place. My nose is always
bleeding; I dont know what to do. My lady told me she send for doctor
but I don’t want any. So, dear Friend, dont be mad at me I didn’t answer
right away. For that I wrote you such a letter that is worth something.
And write, Esther. And sleep sweet. And sweet dreams. Love to you from
your dear friend.
My dearest Friend: ... I see that you didn’t forget me. True friend.
When you want me to answer you always right away, every letter, just the
same I expect from you that you should answer my letter like a true
friend. Don’t you think I have a right? Friend, dear, what I’m going
anyway to do if I have to suffer always so much with my sickness? I
suffer so much, you know. Dear girlie, nobody wouldn’t lend you any
money. I was asking people and they promised me and later they say again
that they havn’t got money themselves. So you see how it is, how the
people are false.
Doctor told me that if I let go that further that I wouldn’t have never
any children, and you know when we get married we would like to have
children, but where I should take $100 when I haven’t got them and for
the trial too they ask $100, so answer me if I haven’t got [am not]
right. I like to help us out but what can I do without any money. I
wrote to the lawyer if he can make trial for you and he answer me that
he like to talk to me about—he couldn’t make any answer—he said that he
wrote letter to Bedford, that they should let us free, that we was
working hard enough, that we are long enough in places, and so Miss T.
wrote me that I should wait and Miss R. wrote me a letter too, that’s
going to be everything all right, and my lady she received a letter from
Miss R. that she come to see me next month and I think that I be free.
The lawyer wrote letter to him and they are afraid from him, ha, ha.
[frightened into this, course]. The lawyer spoke to Judge and Judge he
said that we never be free, so lawyer he wrote to me that soon as
possible I should come to N. Y., and I should tell him why we want the
trial and I tell him that we’re not guilty, that we does that from
foolishness [thoughtlessness] and we was nervous, and going to tell that
we were invited to the wedding and so that happened; that we was like
out of mind, that we didn’t realize what we were doing. Don’t say that
we are guilty, otherwise we wouldn’t come out and that would be a shame.
We be put in a newspaper when our trial come on and we shouldn’t say
“guilty”, but if you wouldn’t listen to me, say anything you like. Still
I beg on you don’t say on me. If they ask you, say that you don’t know.
Do you understand me? Listen Friend, make yourself stuck up [act proud].
Don’t act like a baby—that way you never come out. What should I do next
week; I am supposed to come to N. Y. and I havn’t got fare for train;
that cost $8. I come there and like to see you but I wouldn’t have much
time. The lawyer he going to keep me about one hour and about 4 o’clock
I’m through with my work and then till I get to the station and then
take two hours till I get to N. Y. and that be about 7; and I want to be
back about ten if be possible. I don’t want my lady she should catch on
for she never would let me go there. Don’t say anything to your lady
that I come to N. Y. because you’re be such a one you never can keep
quiet, do you understand me? I’m sometimes so angry at you that I would
tear you to pieces cause you never keep your mouth shut. You got too big
mouth. I think when you got a sweetheart that your big enough to have
more sense. Once in a while you have not got your sense.... Sometimes I
have a right to tell you that, so don’t be angry on me and write me
right away, and tell you head you should have a good time, but not yet.
Wouldn’t you be glad to see me. Its six months since we didn’t see one
the other. Maybe we wouldn’t know one the other. I let you know when I
come.
November, 1914. Dear Friend: I received your letter and I was very glad
to hear from you. I am glad that you don’t forget me. I will forgive you
this time, but don’t do that again. I going to lose my patience. You
know what that means. I don’t have to wait very long for a letter. Dear
friend, I am going to moving pictures every Wednesday and every time
when I going out I see the nice young mens. How they love them, the
girls, and we can’t help that. I met one nice man and he want to go with
me for a good time but I realize maybe he some kind of detective, so I
told him. “What do you want, I can’t understand you.” “Oh, you know what
I mean,” [he said]. I told him, “You big slob, you leave me alone,” and
he left me. He was very nice, and he was a blond. That was a joke. Dear
friend, if you could come with me to moving pictures, there we would
meet nice mens. Wouldn’t that be nice? I have my hands so hard like a
man from hard work, so you can immagine how hard I am working. So the
rest of it I am going to write to you next time. I am writing for a call
for a lawyer and he get one too. My uncle he pay the lawyer so that
going to be for sure.
With such a Italians [as T.] we wouldn’t go any more. The lawyer want us
to have a witness and I told him we had [the Italian] and now I must
tell him we havn’t got any. That’s going to be hard again. I wrote to
the Frenchmans and the letter comes back. What can I do and I got to
give an answer to the lawyer right away. Good-by. Lots of kisses. Your
friend.
Dear Friend: Forgive me that I didn’t answer your right away. Dear
Friend I have such a cranky lady. If I stay here another two months with
her I think I go crazy. I was very sick the other Sunday. We had 8
people and so you can immagine what work I had. Only if you would see me
you would get frightened how I look; I am only bone and skin and pale in
face. You would say that I go by and by in grave. Everybody ask me
what’s matter with me but you know I can’t tell everybody I come from
Bedford. You know when I had these 8 people to table and I have to wait
on table and after they was through I get such a cramp like I had in the
Tombs. My lady she was so mad at me that I leave the dishes and I went
to lay down. Friend you wouldn’t know what it is when we have our home
again. When anything hurts you we can get help—but this way we are like
dogs—don’t you think I’m right? If you can only see this and how I worry
about both of us how we should come free. Friend, I didn’t understand
your letter. You want I should write to Miss R. or you do it?
Friend, dear, I am sending you a letter. Be so kind—send it from
Brooklyn or New York. You know he [doctor] ask me where I live, so I
told him I am a dressmaker from Newark but when the letter going to be
sent from Brooklyn or New York, but don’t let you lady see that because
that doctor is only for bad sickness [venereal], only for women which
are sick from men; otherwise you bring me in a trouble more than I am.
He’s known all over. So soon as you get the letter, mail it right away.
Don’t let the letter lay no place they shouldnt see it. If my lady
should know this, so I know its only your fault. My lady told me that
you show every letter you get from me to your people and they write one
another, so if you be true to me you do what I ask you. He’s the doctor
what going to cure me. Dear Friend forgive me that I write such a short
letter. I’m very tired. Answer right away will you and then I write to
you one long letter and I come to see you soon as possible. With
happiness and kisses from your true friend. Esther.
[Note by parole officer: When Esther was asked to translate the original
of the foregoing letter ... she omitted the sentence with the word
“doctor” in it.... When she had finished the letter I asked her if she
had not omitted a sentence, pointing out. She read it again and said:
“Oh, yes, he is the doctor what’s going to make me well, that is, my
head well.” I reminded her that she had previously said he was the
doctor she was keeping company with and also a doctor for women’s
sickness. She was evidently quite confused but insisted that she meant
all women’s sickness, and that he treated women only, not men.]
Dearest Friend: I am letting you know I received your letter. I was very
happy with it. Dear Friend I write to T. where is the lawyer. He went
there and told him that he met us on the street, so see how T. is false;
so lawyer ask my uncle where did we pick up the two boys, so uncle ask
me how is it with the boys—where we met them, so I have trouble yet
again.... When T. come to you so you tell him that he meets us on the
street but we are not street girls; give him good but tell him we are
innocent. Ha, ha, Dear M., Miss R. was here yesterday and ask me about
trial, I didn’t know what to say, she had so much to say [knew so much
that Esther was surprised]. Friend why did you tell your lady that we
going to have trial. I didn’t tell mine nothing. You’ve got to say
everything out before there’s any start. You know she going to let it
out to Bedford. Miss R. told me your lady wrote to Bedford—that she
write there every month, so realize how stupid you are. Excuse me that I
scold you like that but I can’t help. I am very excited and angry that
you must tell everything you know. I asked Miss R. if I can go and see
you and she told me “no.” So I ask her if you can come see me and she
told me she ask your lady if she let you go. I told Miss R. that I am
willing to give you money for train if you havn’t got it. You should
come to see me soon as possible and then we going to talk over....
December 1914. Dear Friend: I must say that I like it here, because Miss
R. asked me if I like it here. If not she will give me another place,
but I would lose my good references and that would make it very bad, as
they might say I do not know how to work—or then I could perhaps not
come out in the trial.
Tell me what to do. The lawyer always wants money, and I have none now.
My uncle gave me some or told him he would give him later, but you know
my uncle promised to give it to him right away, if he himself had money,
but he poor fellow is in debt yet on account of his business that he
had.... I cry every day and pray to God he should help me.
I also went with one young fellow to have a good time and earned $2 and
what is that? For that I bought stockings and what I needed and the $2.
were gone. I am now the same as you are, everything tires me. I would
rather not see myself.
Let me know my dear what I must buy for you for Christmas or else I
might buy something what you do not like.
[Note by parole officer: Esther herself translated this ... passage as
follows: “I was in town for a good time and I see the young man with the
$2.” She then explained: “I don’t mean that as it sounds; it means that
before in New York I met a young man when I was getting off the car. I
lost the heel from my shoe and slipped and this young man picked me up
and gave me $2. which I dropped out of my pocket-book.” Then translates:
“I was in town and I spent $2. for stockings and other things which I
needed.” Explained: “I havn’t meant that I got $2. from the man the way
you have taken it up.”]
My dearest friend: I received your letter with happiness. I read letter
about five times and I going to read it again. I laugh so much. You
wrote, I were only fooling them. Ha, dear I think you know me already,
how I know to fix things up. I want to make them jealous, Ha, ha. I go
to laugh so much, so much. If you want to marry one of the officers, you
know what they are, they are ever the other [army] men. They can’t marry
only a poor girl. If they want to marry they got to have a girl with
lots of money 20,000 Kronen, and they got to put the money down for
guarantee. If happens something to your sweetheart officer, then you get
the money back. Do you understand me, Sunday School? But dear we havn’t
got the mens yet, we have to wait for them. If we going to get mens like
that, cause we not rich. What your boys says? Did you give them the
letter to read. Ha. ha we fooled them. All right, my sweetheart, we
going to go always together. You have a right just scold him enough,
Italian T. Such a Italians! He didn’t have to say that he meet us on the
street. Listen friend, if my uncle ask you if that T. is my sweetheart,
then tell him the truth. Otherwise he wouldn’t help me out. He could be
very mad. Tell that these are merely some acquaintance. Don’t forget.
Friend come to me, I am not allowed to go to see you. You come over and
we going to have good time together. Here its lots of nice young men.
Listen dear, my lady ask me if I’m going to school and where I’m going
when I go out and I told her that I go to visit girls which I knows from
school, but I’m going to moving pictures and I have three nice young
mens, that’s always so, ha? They said, say kid, how much do you want,
one dollar? Then when he feels like to have something—and want to go
some place, then I tell him $1.00 that is too cheap. I have no time,
maybe next time, so I fool the boys there.
To us usually come one man with eggs. He brings me eggs Wednesday, in
the afternoon and Saturday. Always when he comes we kiss each other, but
he isn’t rich; that’s nothing for us but when you can get a kiss from a
man, its nice, isn’t it? Ha, ha. I have always a good time with him. I
wish you can be here with me, then you see what fun we can have ...
Sunday School.
Dear Friend: Just now I was at the P. O. and I get letter from you, so I
am very happy again. Dear Friend, would you think that T. has a factory?
You think if he is such a rich man he would not write like that. His
handwriting is like when a cat scratches. T. he don’t write to me, so I
don’t write to him either. So I wrote him today and I told him he would
go to see you. Dear, we was in newspapers. My lawyer, he put us in and
[it said] there we was innocent, that we forgot to pay it. Ha, ha, so we
are innocent, don’t you think so. That was nice newspaper. I got to
laugh so much at that. I were laughing so much that I got stomach ache
from it. So T. when he comes to see you, tell him enough and tell him
about cheap watch what you have and pocket-book they say we took.... And
don’t forget to bring me my sweethearts picture and then I am going to
put in—and I am going to show that picture to my lady to make her
jealous. Don’t forget to get receipt from the ring what I put in the
pawn shop. Friend, I want you to pay for the ring. I like you should pay
if you can do it for me. I going to send it to you but your sister
should not know anything about it. Don’t tell her nor my uncle either.
You know what I should get from him. T. is nice, isn’t he? I wrote to
the lawyer and he answered me such a nice letter and he isn’t married
yet; he is only young yet. Maybe I going to make love to him. Ha, ha,
friend, I got new sweetheart again. Ha, that egg man I don’t like him no
more. I don’t kiss him any more because he is only egg man. I want
something better, don’t you think, friend?... I go home to see uncle and
to see the lawyer. I must see him how he looks.
January 1915. My dearest friend: Your letter and present I received. I
was so happy that we are so good friends always. My dear, how do you
like that present what I sent you. You want to know something new. Today
I am twenty years old, my birthday. When you going to have your
birthday, dear,—I have big trouble about your dress; I didn’t know what
to do I should help you out with it. You know that time I put different
name, now I couldn’t remember what kind name I put and after while I
remember I put a name Reich. So they answer I should send first $4.40 so
tomorrow I go to city. So dear I helping you out much as I can.... I
send you receipt from that dress you should believe how much I paid. So
darling right away tomorrow I take $4. from my lady’s pocket bag and
when you send me $4 I going to put them back....
Dear Friend: ... I going to have a trial this month or start of next
month, so don’t say anything about the hat, only about the stockings and
about the belt. You must go through to see that you know how to speak in
the court. Let your sister speak. I don’t want to work for servant
always. That going to cost $125. I have two lawyers; one ask $78, so if
you come out would you pay half of it or don’t you want to be with me on
the trial? So let me know darling, I got to work too, but so much I take
time to write to you. I am always so happy when I get letter from you. I
got to go, for my letters to get them; to us don’t come no
letter-carrier; I got to go on the post-office. I usually go on the
evening and no one think of me and you forgotten me too because you got
fellow and you don’t want me to know something about it. I have one too
in Philadelphia. My lady told me she would not have taken me out from
the Institution but she saw I was innocent; so she took, me. Here is
nice blond man....
Dear Friend: Just today I opened letter which made me very happy. I
always can hardly wait till I can fool them. Dear Friend tell me what I
can do. I just received letter from my lawyer that I have to go to N. Y.
and he send me bill for $100. When I receive that I din’t know where I
am; I thought I faint when I saw the bill. Listen dear tell me where I
can get the money. On 30th I have to have it. They going to start the
trial. My lawyer he told it going to be bad, that we got to say the
truth, but don’t say anything about the pocket-book and the little
things.... But only the money, what I do about it. My uncle said he
hadn’t any and no one to borrow from. I can’t fool any Jew, Ha, ha. I’m
all broke down. I am afraid when the day come when I come between those
young mens [lawyers] how I going to stand there, I wouldn’t have no
money to pay, so I think the day come to take my life. Now answer me
what you going to do. I going to wait for your letter. Address, Franz
Joseph, C. K. o. f. Wein, Kaiser Palace.
Dear Friend: ... I know something new, if you want to do that. I think
you should dress yourself nice and put a veil on your face, nobody
should know you, and go to the store where we took the things—that was
on 2nd February 1914. That was on Thursday and this time is on a
Thursday again and 2nd of February. If I were in your place I would buy
one hat for spring and ask for a receipt and then I would buy two pair
stockings and belt—and I pay you for it and the stockings and the hat
would be yours. And you should keep the receipt and when its our trial
you could show the receipt of your lawyer and your sister and me too and
those receipts it is going to say second of February, second month,
Thursday. That’s the way we going to burn our people. You need hat and I
need 59 cents pair stockings. Soon as you send me the receipts, my lady
she have a machine, so I going to change it from 1915 to 1914, and then
we going to win. We wouldn’t have to be ashamed about it. You know she
didn’t see me when I took the belt, so we can say well we have receipts
for the stockings and maybe they did not see us to take one belt and
hat; and this I going to tell to the lawyer that I thought I paid
already and I put that in my pocket-book and he’s going to think that’s
how it is. Friend, do that and you going to see how we come out. I was
awfully afraid when I received letter from lawyer and he say it would be
very hard with us but I think [the foregoing story] be very good. With
that we come out very nice. I can make another excuse. I can tell that
we bought that [altogether] and when we get the receipts I was so
nervous from those detectives when they catch us that I couldn’t
remember right away what we does with these receipts and I could put the
receipts in my cuff of coat.... And I going to put the tickets in my
cuff in the toilet—you know how we put our handkerchiefs in—and I going
to forget the coat and maybe they going to examine the coat and find the
tickets. We can play then innocent. So think over darling. I would do
that if I only can have a chance to go to N. Y., like you. You get card
from me but its only for fun.
P. S. Was it 4 o’clock in afternoon or 2 o’clock when we were in the
store—Thursday, 2nd Feb., and we locked up at 5 o’clock.
Dear Friend:... I received letters from my sister and they were so
happy; they want me to come home soon as I get that letter. But you know
how can I go. I haven’t got the money and I am not free and I don’t want
to ask them about money and now its the war; they need the money
themselves. My sweetheart is not killed yet, so I going to take him when
I get home. He always asks about me if I’m angry at him. I rather take
him than American; they only want to have girl got to have money. The
poor girl they don’t want her and those which are not rich they are
nothing worth. Don’t you think so friend, I am right? Don’t be angry
friend. Love and kisses.