AN INGESTRE-STREET DEN.

NZ Truth, Issue 93, 30 March 1907, Page 5

AN INGESTRE-STREET DEN.

A Christchnrch Case.

Little Girls Visit the "Laundry."

What a Neighbor Saw.

Fashionably Dressed Young Lady Visits the Den on a Bicycle

And Stays Some Hours with the Chows Late at Night.

Filthy Premises— lnspector Doyle on the Job.

•There is an. alleged laundry run by a Ohow, or a number of them, m In-getre-street r that calls aloud for police supervision and inspection.. Although this show is to all outward appearances a soiled .garment depot, the neighbours— respectable white neighbours— have very good reason to know that it is nothing of the sort. They know that it is . a dirty, stinking . Cbines^^tMialittfil-- 1 -^ the worst * B-^Wtff7^*ath'ißy , nightly _ disturbed by -mpst 6b jeoti<)nable evidence to that effect. If the Chow would condiict his brotheLiri some put 6f the way corner, where ' its., foidepusness would not offend ttie sight of decent people, and if he' limited Ms patrons and his wares to the depraved class that naturally gravitate to these • dens, the case would be bad enough. But the Ohow doesn't do this. His troubles about the - law. The policeman hunts and harries THE WHITE PANDER, but the yellow devil can stick a few did vegetables m his front window, or paint a laundry sign above his^ door and sin ivith impunity. He doesn't need to' go into any bock Street. The main streets, among rerespectable white citizens is quite good enough for him. But the 'mere fact of his keeping a brothel is not - the worst offence Iby a long way. It is the class of girls he entices into his den, ' to satisfy the lust of his sensual countrymen, that constitutes the greatest crime, and calls most loudly for immediate supervision. It is the, little white girl, of tender years that Chow concupiscence covets. So disgustingly and beastly brazen are these brutes' that one nip-Jit recently' a- neighbour of the In-gestre-street 'den saw a girl— a welldressed, pretty girl, of about 16 or 17 years of age--entef the ' She waspmet ,;by v a Ohina;man, and they entered a •smalls rtf6m .at the back. This could all be plainly seen from the neighboring; windows. By-and-by the Obwiamah emerged, and the girl, coming to the door, called "Joe," whereupon ; another slanteyed sooner came out and entered the room with the girl. This was repeated ; four * times (a 'different . Chow each time), and then the girl went away with a heavier purse, no doubt, aftd seemingly little on her conscience to trouble, her tor her awiul, \ . DEGRADING DEBAUCIJERY. , ' OW aitootber J pc^sio^ 'When rone -of •'the : neighbours was returning home rather late one evening, foe was surprised to see a well-dressed young woman ride up to the laundry on a bicycle, The girl, for sine was quite young, was so like a Society belle that he ' was compelled to ascertain whether she ; had not made a mistake and enter--ed the Ohmkey 's house instead , of tfaat of some friend near by. He went to the gate and saw the bicycle leaning against the inside fence. He .waited, thinking that perhaps the; show ; was a laundry 'after . all, and: lhat the girl, had gone- in to get- her. • Sunday blouse, or clean cuffs, or something; He. waited long enongh Jo allow of the wrapping up of 50 blouses, arid then it suddenly dawned upon him that this well-dressed nvclis't, with the haJidsome face and , 'fine figure, must be a Chinese moll. And so sfie was. 'Or at least, must be condemned as one upon very strong •circumstantial evidence. The neighbour'went into ;his house, and ascending a stairway, looked over into the Ohow, premises. He could discern <bhe shadow of the girl plainly upon a window Wind/ and saw her walk past followed by THE FIGURE OF A CHOW, •.'as though towards another room. .Determined to see the v thing .through he decided to watch until the girl came out, or at least, until such time as he was convinced that she intended to stay for. the night. After about •an hour, however, the shadows ' began to. move again, and ■presently the- girl came out. She said "good-night" quite affectionately to hei very evident lover, jumped on her bike and tode away^ What more damning evidence of a" young, and to all appearances, well-brought up, and ' innocent girl's awful degradation ? Riding '„ a bicycle to the Chinaman's door, openly entering his dwelling and stayiwg there an hour or so, and then riding away. Can any right-thmking person say that that gifl r was "'riot there for immoral purposes? That she was not being "paid to become the slave of one or more Chinamen? But even, giving her the benefit of the doubt, and being charitable enough to , suppose ''"that she only went there tp talk or learn laundry work, or any other innocent purpose, is ' it not revolting to think that, an English girl, a white' girl, and a supposed Christian girl, should dhopse to consort with the Vile Pagan ? Is it not enough to . 'make ANY HONEST MAN'S BLOOD BOIL . to thimk that such things can possibly ■ .be. We might understand it m a big city, where, amongst the many thousands of girls, bred under all sorts of conditions, there are bound to be some perverts— some -who have thrown back to the beast instinct. But m Wellington, the centre of Godly, free, pure New Zealand ,• it is beyond contemplation that such a state of affairs could exist. It is enough to make the white population rise up and drive the yellow devils into the sea. But ffris- is not the only complaint that has beeii made against these particular . ifigestrerstreet Dhows. It appears that from some I of the windows of the surrounding houses— from the bath-room, of one m particular— a full view of the Chows - back-yard is obtainable. When these l&effla.&i Intel the ifr& fow&w

acts that are always performed m privacy, except among the lower brutes, they- don't make the least endeavor to hide their, indecency, but expose themselves m the most horrible and disgusting} manner. They do it openly and brazenly, as though with .the express purpose of making themselves , obnoxious to their neighbors, and ' showing their contempt lor the white people's prejudices and customs. It is about time that the, police kept a strict watch upon this place, and when the offenders -are, caught, as they most easily might be, such asa example should be made of, them that they will not be able to continue their putrid practise for •many months to come.