🚀 go-pugleaf

began immediately to urge them to become prostitutes; they cried
    and refused, asking to be allowed to go to their foster-mother who
    had brought them up,--not suspecting that they had been already
    sold by her into shameful slavery. The old woman locked them up,
    and beat one of the girls, who had resisted her cruel fate. Their
    meals were all taken into the room where they were kept close
    prisoners from that time. Brought into court, the foster-mother
    was set at liberty, although the history was fully set forth, and
    the old woman declared: "She pledged the girls in my house, by
    receiving thirty dollars from me.... I have a witness who saw the
    money paid." The brothel-keeper was convicted only of assault for
    beating the girl, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment with
    hard labor. No reference was made to her own admissions as
    to buying these girls, and endeavoring to force them into
    prostitution. Ten days later, her case was brought up again, and
    the remaining portion of her sentence was remitted, and she was
    fined twenty-five dollars. No record is made as to what became of
    these hapless girls; it is to be assumed that they were sent back
    to the brothel.

    2. Two girls brought before the Registrar General, both of whom
    pleaded for protection against their owner, stating that she
    intended to sell them to go to California. One of these had been
    bought by this woman for eighty dollars; the girl saw the price
    paid for her; the other said her mother was very poor, and sold
    her for twenty dollars. Each declared she had been living under
    the "protection" of a foreigner until recently, and