Monday, 14th July 1913 Girl Bares New Vice System

The Atlanta Georgian

Monday, July 14, 1913

Young Woman From the Country Says She Was Lured to Resort on Peters Street.

Raid Frees Victim of Alleged Gang From a Resort on Peters Street.

Five White Men and Dozen Negroes Arrested in Raid Are Convicted in Court.

*Editor's Note: This article was also published under the headlines "Police Hunt Vice Band's Leader" and "17 Caught in Vice Drag Fined," the latter article containing the following six paragraphs in brackets. The sub-headlines for each article are listed above in the same order. There is also a continuation of the article on a second page, which does not show on the scanned source text.

[The police crusade against vice resulted Monday afternoon in the conviction and fining of five white men and twelve negroes who were caught in a raid on a negro dive at 76 Chestnut avenue early Sunday morning.

Judge Broyles sharply scored the existence of such alleged dives, and declared every effort must be put forth to close them. Chief Beavers has ordered the house closed immediately.

The trial created a stir in police court, as eight of the negroes were chauffeurs for some of the most prominent men in Atlanta, who were on hand to make bond for them.

The white men, who were fined $15.75 each, are C.F. Smith, clerk, of 54 Angler avenue; S.B. Moore, clerk, of 131 South Pryor street; A.B. Arnold, of Macon; J.W. Little, of Macon, and C.D. Kirk, of 348 North Jackson street.

Eight of the negro men were fined $10.75 each.

Eilene Lester, who, it is alleged, runs the place; Henry Lester, her husband, and Theresa Gilbert and Minnie Jones, two other negro women implicated, were bound over to the Superior Court under $500 bond each.]

General Order Issued.

As a result of a sensational story told in police court Monday morning by Effie Drummond, a 20-year-old country girl, who was arrested Saturday when the police raided the boarding house of Mrs. Lulu Bell, at Fair and Peters streets, Chief Beavers at noon issued a general order for the arrest of Joe North, named by the Drummond girl as a "white slaver."

The girl charges that North, after he had promised to marry her, lured her to the Bell woman's place, and after giving her liquor until she was stupefied, forced her into the companionship of men whom he and the Bell woman had brought to the place.

Chief Beavers thinks the testimony of the Drummond girl forms an important link in the chain of evidence he is weaving around members of the vice ring said to exist in Atlanta.

The testimony of the girl indicates, the police believe, that North merely was the agent of men higher up, and that he acted on their instructions in luring the Drummond girl, and possibly others, to the Bell woman's place.

Tells All to Court.

The Chief has announced that every phase of the girl's story will be investigated thoroughly. Some of the things she has told dovetail into statements made by other girls who have been lured to ruin by the band which is alleged to have its headquarters in Atlanta.

The story of the Drummond girl was one of the most astounding and dramatic told since Chief Beavers started his vice probe. She laid bare the workings of what the police believe is an organized gang of "white slavers."

"I came to Atlanta three weeks ago from my home in the country near Rockmart, Georgia," she said. "I heard lots about Atlanta and what a great town it was. I had never been in a town larger than Rockmart, and I thought the people in Atlanta would be as good and kind to me as they were in my own little home town.

"After I had been in Atlanta about a week, I met Joe North. I was lonely. I had made no friends, no one had offered to help except some women with whom I would have nothing to do, and I was glad to meet anyone who showed an interest in me. He was very nice to me at first. He took me to shows and I had a good time.

Promised to Wed Him.

"Then he began to make love to me, and finally asked me to marry him. I had learned to love him in the few weeks I knew him, and I promised to marry him.

"Then he said he would get me a boarding house where he could be near me, and he took me to Mrs. Bell's place. He said it was a nice, respectable boarding house, and I didn't know any better. For a few days he treated me as nice as ever, and then he began urging me to drink beer. After I drank one or two glasses of beer I became almost intoxicated and North took advantage of my condition.

"After that he made me drink all the time, and he brought his friends to see me. The first time he brought a man there he made me get drunk.

"Mrs. Bell and North got all the money I made. They said I owed them for room rent and board.

"Lots of times I wanted to go back home, but they wouldn't let me. North said if I tried to get out of the house he would cut my throat.

Says She Was Threatened.

"On one occasion he rubbed a razor across my throat, and said if I didn't see the men he brought to the place[…]

Continued on Page 2, Column 1.

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