A critical summary of the evidence before the Royal Commission upon the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1866-1869 / prepared for the National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, by Douglas Kingsford.

  • Kingsford, D. P. W. (Douglas P. W.)
Date:
[1869]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A critical summary of the evidence before the Royal Commission upon the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1866-1869 / prepared for the National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, by Douglas Kingsford. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    38 M. 19,571. 913; 19,713-4 Append C. p. 829 17,439: 17,447-8 14,236. 237-40: 365; 657-8 ; 9201-2 ; 9268-9; 11,119; 11,121; 19,706-11 likely to arise, either from mistaking the facts, or from giving them undue weight as presumptions of guilt. Eesidence in a brothei and solicitations in the streets or elsewhere form strong presump- tions of prostitution; but even of these two proofs, one, viz., street solicitation, on the evidence of some of the police, seldomt offers itself, and, unless of a very gross or obtrusive character,- cannot be adequately proved except by the man solicited.* With respect to such facts as association with prostitutes,^ or frequenting places where prostitutes resort, they affori very weak presumptions against women tending towards or recently emerged from prostitution, or against a numerous! “fringe” who, though not belonging to the prostitute class, from various causes, e.g., residence in the same part of the towni and belonging to the same class of society, being their laun- dresses, sempstresses, or servants, &c., are on terms of intimacy and consort with prostitutes. So being constantly im the streets at night in the company of different men, proves! nothing against girls engaged all day in labour, who have onlyi the evening for exercise and recreation, and who with freer: manners may have morals as pure as girls of higher social, grade. Even of the most public proofs of prostitution the superintend-! ent or inspector of police can seldom be directly informed by his.- own personal observation, but must depend on the general report- of the constables who watch the women in the streets. Further the police are embarrassed by the necessity for’ immediate action. They have express instructions that “ all new-comers into the district, being known prostitutes, are to : be brought immediately under the Acts,” and these instructions! are obeyed to the letter. Then as to private prostitutes, fr-equented at their own' lodgings and not betraying their character in public, the pohce have to rely on the information, often by letter and anonymous, I of men who visit these women, of prostitutes, or of persons^ anxious about the respectability of the streets in which they live ■ —information which, from the nature of the charge and the motive i of the informant, is likely to be given under jealousy, spite, wanton- ness, or error. That such information is constantly false the police themselves admit; while, in aid of it, the only resource of * The writer has on several occasioDS heard the police give evidence of solioita- ■ tion, but it has never gone beyond the statement that the woman was seen to ‘ accost a man or men in the streets, the witness being unable to prove that the ■ purpose was prostitution.