From the Richmond Sentinel, 7/1/1864, p. 1

Mayor's Court. - Not for a long time has the Mayor's Court been so crowded with prisoners as on yesterday morning; still amongst them all there was no case of importance or even of ordinary interest. Most of the prisoners were either women or negroes.

Fourteen white women, of different ages, whose names we omit as of no earthly interest to our readers, were charged with keeping a house of ill-fame to the great annoyance of the people of their neighborhood. The women occupy the house on Wall street, near Franklin, known as Ruskell's stable. It is a large new brick house, containing at least a dozen rooms, which are rented out separately. Some how, probably from the lower part being once used as a livery stable, it has always been tenanted either by persons of the lowest character or of the most destitute description. More thieves and burglars have had their local habitation in it and been captured under its roof than in any other house of its age in the city. Several times all its tenants have been committed to jail as disorderly characters, but they either soon got at liberty and returned to it, like the sow to the more, or it was filled by persons of equally bad character. Recently its inmates having become particularly disagreeable to the neighbors, complaint was made to the Mayor, who issued a warrant for the arrest of every person found in it. The warrant was executed by the police at a late hour Wednesday night, when the police found there fourteen women and three men. Ten of the women were under thirty and were of the vilest character, the dirtiest person and the most brazen face. - The other four were between forty-five and sixty and it was clear hat only extreme poverty had driven them into such disreputable associations. Among the captive females we noticed Amanda Logan, who is now under indictment for receiving a quantity of goods stolen last spring by burglars from Major William Allen.

The young women were impudent, but the old folks were much distressed at their situation. - The whole party having been called to the bar, Mr. Bradford and a number of other persons residing in the neighborhood were examined as witnesses. It appeared that this was the most disorderly house in town. The women, during the day, exposed their persons in the windows, and halloed at, threw at and spit upon all passers by. But when the sun went down arrived the time for the exercise of their most disagreeable practices. They got drunk and made night hideous with their maudlin revelry, which was varied by fights and shrieks and cries of murder. This sport was kept up throughout the greater part of every night, and persons living on Franklin street, a square off, could not sleep for the wild hurly-burly.

The Mayor committed the whole crew to jail, in default of security to keep the peace and be of good behavior.

[Other case not transcribed.]

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