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Water Street Dance Houses

About This Item

  • Title: Water Street Dance Houses
  • Date: 23 September 1857
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.01005
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 23 September 1857: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Kaylen Michaelis Kevin McMullen Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Water Street Dance Houses." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.01005.xml (TEI)
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WATER STREET DANCE HOUSE.—

Yesterday we published the particulars of a fatal row, in which a man was shot down and killed in Water street, New York. Morrissey, the homicide, has been committed to prison to await examination. The whole affair occurred as our readers will have perceived, at one of those infamous dens which have made the name of Water street disgraceful.

What are the police about? Why are these hideous excrescences suffered to exist and parade their infamy so unblushingly? A little while ago, a perfectly quiet place in 11th st. was broken open and it habitués exposed. But here in Water street every house is devoted to prostitution and bad rum—every one is disorderly, every one is reeking with disease and debauchery—but still no measures are taken to abate these abominable nuisances.

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