UNDERGROUND DRINKING DENS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 782, 13 April 1877, Page 4

UNDERGROUND DRINKING DENS.

The police of San Francisco have lately made a raid upon a number of underground drinking dens in oan Francisco which are known as “ dives” or “ nudodenns.” These were practically dance houses built below the street level, but some of them bad degenerated into brothels and hot-beds of vine. In three of them it was found that there were secret chambers, which could be shut off by sliding panels, and there were apartments in which an abominable traffic was carried on at night, in spite of the utmost vigi’ance of the police. In some of the chambers there were sliding panels, communicating with other adjoining chambers Into these horrible dens men were inveigled by women, then stupefied bv drugs, and at a signal the sliding panels would admit confedeiatea who would rob the helpless victims of their money and valuables, and throw them into the street. Any resistance was piomptlv stifled by powerful bullies, and murders were not unfrequent. The dens were often owned bv wealthy persons, living in luxury, and occupying influential positions, in fact some of them were re gular attendants at church, and were admired for their seeming piety and philantrophv The number of murders, suicides, robberies, and miscellaneous crimes which were traced to these dens, at length aroused th" apathetic authorities The police had been in pay of the proprietors of these “dives,” and winked at their abominations, but at length the popular outcry forced them to action.