Prostitute Uses Son, 5, to Get Customers

Posted on August 12, 2009 by lmharnisch
Aug. 12, 1899, Police Court  

Aug. 12, 1899: Prostitute Susie Benson uses her 5-year-old son to procure customers. When she sees a likely man she has her son grab the him by the coattails and say: "Mama wants to see you." She says she had to resort to a life of shame to support her child after her husband deserted her.

"The case is one of the saddest that has come before the court in a long while," The Times says. 

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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1 Response to Prostitute Uses Son, 5, to Get Customers

  1. Unknown's avatar CrouchingBruin says:
    August 12, 2009 at 11:52 am

    What’s amazing is the second story, about two teens fighting for the “smiles” of a girl. Here we are, a hundred years later, writing about gang members shooting each other up instead of anything so innocent.

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