Appearing before a magistrate,
Mr Hopkins, at Bow-Street Police-
Court, Jennie Lines a lady of 24,
Whose occupation of artist's model,
Was to be charged of obstruction.
The offending place being a footpath
In Leicester Square, London.
Evidence provided by the Police
Was that the detained had sold
Leaflets, relating to the German
Kaiser - in this process had been
Importuning many gentlemen.
In particular to ask them to, 'buy
One and help the poor Belgians.'
In her refusal to move on, Jennie
Lines was then taken into custody.
At which point she explained,
'Gentlemen give us two pence
And three pence for them, under
The impression they are helping
The Belgians.' Noting that morning,
Jennie Lines had sold four dozen.
The detained informed the court,
That the leaflets were being sold
For a firm based in Albemarle street.
Then from the Mirrograph Company,
A Mr Reginald Lumley stood to say,
That the girl was one of a number
Who they employed - sellers were
To receive half the money gained,
With 5 per cent for the Belgian Relief
Fund - the rest being for the company.
At the Magistrate’s question,
Asking if they had been to the Police,
Mr Lumley said, they rang Scotland
Yard and that no licence was needed.
Was told that it would be no problem.
Mr Hopkins challenged Mr Lumley.
'Does it strike you as a proper way,
To do business in these times?'
Lumley explained that the company
Employed many girls like Miss Lines
Mr Hopkins then gave Mr Lumley
His judgment, saying Mirrograph
Was putting many girls on streets
To beg - in effect they were flooding
The streets with beggars, letting
Them make what they can, by
The very act of street begging.
Mr Lumley replied that what they
Did not strike them in such a way.
It seems that the prisoner,
Having been mentioned as Jennie
Lines, was fined ten shillings
With alternative of seven days
In prison - with no hint or mention
Of this young lady's decision.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914. Danger to Girls - Street Selling Nuisance. The Daily
Telegraph, [online] 27 Oct. p.3.
Col.7. Available at: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03081/Telegraph1914_2710_3081958a.pdf [Accessed: 27 October 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication,
27 October 2014).
#WW1London WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary
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