1915-03-15cn

“In the police court this morning, Jacob Miller, a colored man, and his white wife, Annie Miller, were charged with keeping a house of questionable repute at 24 Railway street.”.”

Hamilton Times.    March 15, 1915.

The police court reporters were all over the case involving a reported house of prostitution, with the accused being partners in a mixed race marriage. Readers were sure to be titillated by the case for sure.

Not only were the accused managers of the house of different races, so were the two hookers, one white and the other black. The names they gave the police were Kathleen Wilson and Agnes Wilson

Antonio Delorenzo, Louis Malto and Samuel Capaque were also in court, charged with being frequenters of a house of ill-fame.

Jacob Miller was visibly upset as he stood in the prisoners’ docket:

“Miller, with tears in his eyes, stated that he was in total ignorance of what was going on in his home, but his wife stated that her husband forced her to keep the house, as he did not work.”¹

¹ “Colored Man Blamed All on White Wife”

Hamilton Times. March 15, 1915

On Saturday evening, March 13, 1915, a raid was made on the house at 24 Railway street, with Deputy Police Chief Whatley commanding a squad of Hamilton constables, and all swept up in the raid were confined in cells until the Monday morning session of the police court..

Mr, Miller did provide some humor during his testimony, his words being recorded by the Spectator reporter, who attempted to capture the speech patterns of the accused:

“ ‘I’m away at my paper-hanging all day, judge, and honest tuh goodness, I didn’t know of anything crooked. The women folk jest sit around and gossip and smoke, but further than that I don’t know nothin’ said Jake.

“ ‘Didn’t you have any suspicion there was something wrong,” asked the cadi.

“ ‘Not a suspish – but, judge, y’know what women folks is,’ laughed Jake.”²

² “Another Raid By Morality Squad : Police Clean Out Resort on Railway Street.”

Hamilton Spectator.    March 15, 1915.

In her testimony, Jakes’s wife, Annie, hotly denied her husband’s claims, saying that he knew about it all as he wanted money but did not want to work for it. His paper-hanging efforts were few and far between.

A long line of constables testified that they had been spying on the Miller residence for some time, and had seen many men entering and leaving the home at all hours of the day and night.

The three men caught at the house testified that they were there to see Jake Miller about something else entirely. The judge didn’t believe them for a moment.

The judgement was as follows:

“Jake and his wife were fined $50, with an option of two months’ vacation; the inmates were rapped for $20 each, and the three foreigners, charged with being frequenters, were fined $2.”²