The Underworld Sewer: A Prostitute Reflects on Life in the Trade, 1871-1909For twenty years Josie Washburn lived and worked in houses of prostitution. She spent the last twelve as the madam of a moderately fancy brothel in Lincoln, Nebraska. After retiring in 1907 and moving to Omaha, she turned to "throwing a searchlight on the underworld, " including the "cribs" of Nebraska's largest city. The Underworld Sewer, based on her own experience in the profession, blazes with a kind of honesty unavailable to more conventional moral reformers. Originally published in 1909, The Underworld Sewer asks why "the social evil" is universally considered necessary or inevitable. Washburn minces no words in exposing the conditions that perpetuate prostitution: the greed and graft of landlords, pimps, alcohol vendors, dope dealers, police officers, city administrators, and politicians; the competition for circulation by sensation-seeking newspapers; the indifference or intolerance of law-abiding, church-going citizens; the false modesty that prevents family discussion of venereal disease; the double standard that allows men to indulge their sexuality but punishes women who do so. This knowing social history and commentary on human nature is transfixing. Through her strong words, Josie Washburn, a shrewd businesswoman, was determined to end the social evil by giving a voice to its victims-mainly the women who sold their bodies and who had reason to hate the buyers. Sharon Wood is an assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago. |
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Contents
IS IT NECESSARY | 14 |
THE HOLDUP | 22 |
THE MAN LANDLADY | 42 |
HISTORY OF THE ONEYEAR WAR | 53 |
MAN THE AGGRESSOR | 97 |
OUR SOCIETY | 105 |
A CAUSE | 115 |
BETRAYAL | 128 |
ONE NIGHT | 188 |
FAIRY AND VICTIM | 204 |
THE RICH DAUGHTER | 216 |
THE UNWRITTEN LAW | 224 |
PARENTS | 235 |
REFORM SCHOOLS | 244 |
CLUB WOMEN | 247 |
PLAIN TALKS No 1 No 2 No 3 No 4 | 252 |
ABANDONED WIFE | 136 |
THE VAMPIRE | 142 |
THE ASSIGNATION HOUSE | 151 |
THE DEPTH | 158 |
THE FIRst Drink and tHE SALOON | 165 |
MADAM | 176 |
NATURE | 268 |
THE CLERGY | 271 |
REFORM AND REFORMER | 287 |
DISEASES | 303 |
THE INSTITUTION 316 | |
Common terms and phrases
Anna Wilson become beer believe boys brothel campaign cause CHAPTER chief of police Christian world church compelled Comstock Law condition court crib owner crime crowd customers dance daugh daughters decollete derworld disease disgrace door dope downward road drink earn existence fact fallen women friends furnish girls and women grand jury he-landlady Herald human jail Josie Washburn keep kind king gambler known landlady liquor living lovers lower ward madam ment mind Miss Douglass monster moral nation ness never newspaper oath officers Omaha One-Year War parents patronize political politician preacher profit prostitutes protection public house public sentiment question realize red-light district reform regard residence district respectable rich saloon sisters slave social evil society soul stories street talk tell thing tion Tom Dennison true truth UNDERWORLD SEWER underworld woman unwritten law vampires wife young
References to this book
Pistol Packin' Madams: True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West Chris Enss Limited preview - 2006 |