One girl's turn: Confessions of a Storyville Prostitute
A fact-based work of fiction presented as the journal of a working girl.
Personal Journal of Emiline Anne Golla
An excerpt
March 15, 1912
This shall be the last night i spend under my father’s control. I am leaving tonight when they've all gone to their beds and taking the train to New Orleans. I feel I have no choice but to leave. Father says I’m to marry Stephen Barker because he is struggling to support the family as it is, and I'm plenty old enough for marriage. But I know I can’t Marry Stephen. Father doesn’t understand. To marry Stephen would bring great shame on him. I’ve allowed myself to be deflowered already, and surely the marriage would have been dissolved once my indiscretions were discovered and I was revealed as a harlot. I've heard there's a district where where the music never stops and the party goes into the night where girls like me, considered unchaste in polite society, can support themselves. With the money I got from selling the grandmother’s cameo, I can afford the train ticket. Tonight's the night! New Orleans, here I come!
March 18, 1912
I arrived in Storyville today 4pm after six days and nights on the train from my hometown Wichita, Kansas. I didn't need to ask directions to the district; there were ladies lined up at the depot (some of them wearing only high heels!) and the men were hooting and running toward the district as they got off the train. Running!
I could hear the ragtime melodies in the air coming from the Grande mansions down Basin Street. This is going to be some adventure!
This shall be the last night i spend under my father’s control. I am leaving tonight when they've all gone to their beds and taking the train to New Orleans. I feel I have no choice but to leave. Father says I’m to marry Stephen Barker because he is struggling to support the family as it is, and I'm plenty old enough for marriage. But I know I can’t Marry Stephen. Father doesn’t understand. To marry Stephen would bring great shame on him. I’ve allowed myself to be deflowered already, and surely the marriage would have been dissolved once my indiscretions were discovered and I was revealed as a harlot. I've heard there's a district where where the music never stops and the party goes into the night where girls like me, considered unchaste in polite society, can support themselves. With the money I got from selling the grandmother’s cameo, I can afford the train ticket. Tonight's the night! New Orleans, here I come!
March 18, 1912
I arrived in Storyville today 4pm after six days and nights on the train from my hometown Wichita, Kansas. I didn't need to ask directions to the district; there were ladies lined up at the depot (some of them wearing only high heels!) and the men were hooting and running toward the district as they got off the train. Running!
I could hear the ragtime melodies in the air coming from the Grande mansions down Basin Street. This is going to be some adventure!
March 19, 1912
Something wonderful happened last night! I went into a restaurant in town to get a meal and met a fine looking woman who asked to join me. She noted my suitcase and asked if I was passing through or staying on. When I said I’d only just arrived and planned to take up residency but did not know where I would stay, she offered me shelter and employment at her home for the night. She said if I fit in, we could talk about me staying there full-time! She left a card with her name and address and told me to come on by after my meal, which she paid for before she left! I can't believe my luck! |
I arrived at the home Madam Scarlet Rose at about 7pm and a maid admitted me! This is by far the biggest house I have ever been admitted to. There are sofas, tapestries, chandeliers, a piano in the grandest parlor I have ever seen, and more rooms than I can count. Madam
Rose met me in the parlor and introduced me to the 14 other girls who lived and
worked there. Janelle, a beautiful French girl, showed me to my room for the
night. She told me not to be frightened. She continued that the work was easy,
the pay was decent and madam would be thoughtful toward you if you always did
as she requested. She opened my cases without asking and began sorting my
garments as she ordered me to undress and wash up at the basin with the cloths
in the corner. She explained that there need always be clean cloths and basin
water, so when you entertain, he and you can be sanitized, before and after. Janelle visually took in my form and then chose
a lacy blouse and flowing skirt and requested I put them on with nothing
underneath. She then left and returned with a pair of fine silk stockings! So
elegant! She said I could pay her back the $6 for the stockings tomorrow. My
expression must have shown my worries about the money and I started to object, but she assured me it
would be fine, and madam would be pleased if I wore them. I dressed as I was
instructed and headed down to the parlor.
There was a colored man coaxing sounds from the piano like
nothing I had ever heard before! Music that just made me want to move my body.
And the lyrics! How bold! Madam met me in the parlor and ogled me for a moment
then said she thought I could do very well here. Janelle had not led me astray;
Madam Scarlet’s eyes said she was pleased. She asked if I had any education or
talents and I told her I could read and write and that I'd sung in the church
choir back home.
|
Madam Rose then asked if I had been experienced and schooled
in the arts of sex and pleasure. I said I had experienced a man's touch before,
on many an occasion, but it was all at the instruction of the gentleman. She
squeezed me around the shoulders then and said I then had all the tools I
needed for success at her home! “Be a good sport and a willing participant. If
you can't be either of those, be a good actress. It's a show”, she explained. There
would be dancing and music and spirits and other indulgences all designed to
make a man relaxed for the big show. The goal was to give the most in the least
amount of time, as to have time to entertain others in the same evening. One
wouldn't want to get tired out on their first trick. She assured me the other
girls would help me with the finer points and I would do fine .
Not half an hour passed and the men starting calling. We all gathered in the large parlor. The men were to be fawned over as soon as they entered. Some younger girls, maybe 9 or 10, was serving wine and beer, I hadn’t noticed them earlier. Perhaps they were the madam’s daughters. Antoinne, our piano professor, was hammering out a ragtime tune, and Just as madam said, there was dancing and singing and good timing. |
Janelle instructed me to go and tend to the gent that had
just arrived and introduce myself. She said it was ok if I didn't want to use
my real name and encouraged me to make up a professional name. I decided then
and there that I would be Miss Cece Tulip. I think it sounds sexy and
playful! I went and introduced myself and sat upon the man's lap. I saw Janelle
wink and figured I had hit the mark. We danced and had wine and I smoked one of
his cigarettes. He excused himself to speak with madam and when he returned, I
was instructed me take Mr. Simon to my room. She leaned in and whispered to
remember what we'd talked about earlier; I nodded, but boy was I nervous!
As I reached my room I saw that another young girl was in my room, fiddling with the wash basin. I tried to dismiss her, but she refused, saying she was the wash girl. She instructed the gent to remove his trousers, and proceeded to cleanse his genitals! Then she said she would return after he was satiated to sanitize him before he left. Nothing about this ritual had been mentioned to me, so I just waited for her to finish her duties. How odd I thought it was for such a young girl to be handling a grown man’s member. Madam must have notified my caller that it was my first time as a working girl, and he seemed most pleased. He asked me to undress and I did so as he watched. It was an odd sensation just being stared at by a stranger as I disrobed. When I finished he removed the rest of his clothing and came to me. He wasn't unpleasant or ugly, but wasn't remarklable in any respect either. He pressed against me gently forcing me backward until we were abed. I followed his lead and instruction and in just a few minutes his pulse and breath quickened and he was spent.
The wash girl must have been listeneing at the door for his vocalisations to cease, because not more than two minutes later, she entered and instructed the man to present himself for sanitation. She perfomed her chore sans emotion , then went about tidying the room. He dressed in silence, then turned to me, and thanked me for a lovely time.
When he'd gone I washed and redressed and was headed for the door when the door opened and Madam Rose appeared. She said Mr. Simon was very pleased and hoped he could call on me again. She said I had passed muster and was welcome to stay and live and work at the mansion! I accepted, and followed her back to the parlor and reintegrate myself into the evening events.
The rest of the evening went by in a rush of activity. I had six callers to my room this night alone! At the end of the evening, I was given one hundred dollars and told me to pay back Janelle for the stockings and spend the rest procuring my own working girl garb. Madam would arrange for a salesman to come so that I might make my purchases. It's just past three in the am, and i am now laying my head to rest.
As I reached my room I saw that another young girl was in my room, fiddling with the wash basin. I tried to dismiss her, but she refused, saying she was the wash girl. She instructed the gent to remove his trousers, and proceeded to cleanse his genitals! Then she said she would return after he was satiated to sanitize him before he left. Nothing about this ritual had been mentioned to me, so I just waited for her to finish her duties. How odd I thought it was for such a young girl to be handling a grown man’s member. Madam must have notified my caller that it was my first time as a working girl, and he seemed most pleased. He asked me to undress and I did so as he watched. It was an odd sensation just being stared at by a stranger as I disrobed. When I finished he removed the rest of his clothing and came to me. He wasn't unpleasant or ugly, but wasn't remarklable in any respect either. He pressed against me gently forcing me backward until we were abed. I followed his lead and instruction and in just a few minutes his pulse and breath quickened and he was spent.
The wash girl must have been listeneing at the door for his vocalisations to cease, because not more than two minutes later, she entered and instructed the man to present himself for sanitation. She perfomed her chore sans emotion , then went about tidying the room. He dressed in silence, then turned to me, and thanked me for a lovely time.
When he'd gone I washed and redressed and was headed for the door when the door opened and Madam Rose appeared. She said Mr. Simon was very pleased and hoped he could call on me again. She said I had passed muster and was welcome to stay and live and work at the mansion! I accepted, and followed her back to the parlor and reintegrate myself into the evening events.
The rest of the evening went by in a rush of activity. I had six callers to my room this night alone! At the end of the evening, I was given one hundred dollars and told me to pay back Janelle for the stockings and spend the rest procuring my own working girl garb. Madam would arrange for a salesman to come so that I might make my purchases. It's just past three in the am, and i am now laying my head to rest.
March 20, 1912
I slept until noon today and thought Madam would be furious, but only about half of the girls were even awake. In the dining room I found coffee, breads and fresh fruits. Yet another youngster was tending to the kitchen. I must have had a queer look about me because Janelle spoke then, saying that the children were all trick babies. When my brow furrowed in confusion she added that sometimes, after turning a trick with a john, pregnancy happened and if a medic couldn’t be reached in time to stop it, the child was born. The children were raised here, living in the attic and working around the mansion. The youngest were cared for by the women who were on their cycles, and the older children until they were old enough to take on chores. The girls did kitchen work, cleaning, serving, assisted with clients (as I had learned last night) and eventually, when the time was right, they were added to the mix of regular working girls. She said we had mother daughter team who turned tricks together in our very home, and that they were very popular with the callers. When I asked about the male children, she said they did chores outside the house like getting coal and water, but they were left to their own devices when they were old enough to find work. What a strange environment! |
April 13, 1912
Everything is going swimmingly here! I feel like I have the routine down. Every night is the same with the parties and dancing and Johns; only their faces change. I now understand what madam told me that first night about being an actress: If you give the men what they want and act as though you like it too, they finish quick as a wink and it's back to the party in no time at all!
Everything is going swimmingly here! I feel like I have the routine down. Every night is the same with the parties and dancing and Johns; only their faces change. I now understand what madam told me that first night about being an actress: If you give the men what they want and act as though you like it too, they finish quick as a wink and it's back to the party in no time at all!
A strange man has
been coming by during the daytime for the last few weeks. The girls say his
name is Ernest Bellocq, but I heard Madam Scarlet call him EJ. I heard that
he's some sort of photographer for the shipyards. He has taken pictures of all
us girls, but doesn't seem interested in being in any of our beds. He had me
pose on a makeshift table made of saw horses and an old ironing plank with one
of the mansion’s many tapestries thrown over top. Considering our profession,
it seems silly to be posed in such a chaste position with the house dog Ollie.
When I saw the printed picture I thought it looked nice, but I was sure glad
the camera didn’t capture the smell of the sewage ditch that is right behind
that fence! Mr. Bellocq and seems to
have a rapport with madam. Maybe she’s hired him to take photos for the next
blue book! I hope I get my own write up.
How glamorous it would be to be featured in the district’s own directory of who’s
who!
|
April 20 1912
It’s been one month since I arrived already. We all work every day of the week, but it's not so bad. We have the afternoons to read or play cards or checkers before it's time to ready ourselves for the evening events. It’s strange how quickly I’ve become desensitized to nudity and how cavalier I’ve become about sex. We all have this attitude. Janelle says if we were married we'd be doing it for free with the same dullard. At least we get paid and have variety in our lives! |
July 5, 1912
It's been a while since I’ve had anything exciting and new to write about. The holiday brought a windfall of travelers to our manse. Madam had the boys running for more supplies all day long. It's the most Johns we have had in a day since I arrived. Everyone says the navy boys being on leave for the holiday is the reason. No matter why, madam is happy and treated us all to shrimp po’boys for lunch today, and is buying us all new high heeled shoes for our hard work. She has sent word to the traveling shop keep that we will receive him at once!
It's been a while since I’ve had anything exciting and new to write about. The holiday brought a windfall of travelers to our manse. Madam had the boys running for more supplies all day long. It's the most Johns we have had in a day since I arrived. Everyone says the navy boys being on leave for the holiday is the reason. No matter why, madam is happy and treated us all to shrimp po’boys for lunch today, and is buying us all new high heeled shoes for our hard work. She has sent word to the traveling shop keep that we will receive him at once!
August 9, 1912
Beatrice and Dolly are having trouble since the big crowd came on July 4th. Seems some of the fellas brought the flesh plague with them and left it behind when they'd gone. The doctor was called and came to treat the syphilis with potassium iodine and mercury, but they don't seem to be improving much. Morale is low among the girls and we are worried about each other. Madam seems interested only in their ability to get back on their feet again so they can work.
Later that afternoon the doctor taught us how to check a man for venereal diseases before servicing him. We are to manually stimulate him until he makes a secretion, then check the color of it. If it looks unnatural or unsanitary, we are to fetch Miss Rose immediately. The wash girls are now to use a bluish-purple disinfect on the Johns to try and stave off infections.
Beatrice and Dolly are having trouble since the big crowd came on July 4th. Seems some of the fellas brought the flesh plague with them and left it behind when they'd gone. The doctor was called and came to treat the syphilis with potassium iodine and mercury, but they don't seem to be improving much. Morale is low among the girls and we are worried about each other. Madam seems interested only in their ability to get back on their feet again so they can work.
Later that afternoon the doctor taught us how to check a man for venereal diseases before servicing him. We are to manually stimulate him until he makes a secretion, then check the color of it. If it looks unnatural or unsanitary, we are to fetch Miss Rose immediately. The wash girls are now to use a bluish-purple disinfect on the Johns to try and stave off infections.
October 14, 1912
Bea died from syphilis yesterday today. All we were told is that she would no longer be working with us, and that there would be no more talk of it. Janelle said this is how it is every time we lose a girl. I feel scared in light of this. It’s been six months since my arrival, but my body feels years older. I’m rethinking my choices and wishing I could go home. I know I never can, but I don’t think I can stay here much longer either. I am going to write to Aunt Helen in California. Perhaps she will receive me.
November 23, 1912
I heard from Aunt Helen today! She was pleased to hear from her sister's kin and has extended an invitation to come to California! It would be fun to have a new adventure! I told Janelle about my but she fears for my safety, but is happy I have found somewhere else to go. With the revelation that my time here has come and gone I make my plans to leave the mansion for good. Janelle says not to tell madam and she swears she’ll keep my secret. I've sent a letter to Aunt Helen explaining I planned to be there before the New Year, but not to bother replying, as I'd be underway before I received her word. |
December 17, 1912
I write this through my tears. A trick has gone horribly awry and Janelle was fatally wounded in an altercation this evening. Madam had a disagreement with a John, shots were fired and my only real friend here is gone. Tonight has to be the night. After the last John is spent, I’ll creep out the back entrance of the kitchen bringing only what I need for my trip, and head for the train station.
December 18, 1912
The train departed promptly at 8am and I bid a final farewell to Storyville, Basin Street, the mansions dance halls and people who filled them. Their silhouettes’ shrink into the horizon until they are swallowed distancing me from the memories of my stint in the city of vice and men. As the red lights fade to black behind me, the sun rises on a new day; a new chapter; a new adventure.
I write this through my tears. A trick has gone horribly awry and Janelle was fatally wounded in an altercation this evening. Madam had a disagreement with a John, shots were fired and my only real friend here is gone. Tonight has to be the night. After the last John is spent, I’ll creep out the back entrance of the kitchen bringing only what I need for my trip, and head for the train station.
December 18, 1912
The train departed promptly at 8am and I bid a final farewell to Storyville, Basin Street, the mansions dance halls and people who filled them. Their silhouettes’ shrink into the horizon until they are swallowed distancing me from the memories of my stint in the city of vice and men. As the red lights fade to black behind me, the sun rises on a new day; a new chapter; a new adventure.
The girls, madam, johns, boyfriends, and mansion in this tale are from my imagination. Their adventure however, is based on facts revealed in interviews with actual people who were there. My intent herein is to educate and entertain.