urn:taro:dalpub.00913 District Court - Dallas County 'Vice Court Records' Finding aid prepared by Bryan McKinney. Texas/Dallas History & Archives, Dallas Public Library October 07, 2009
1515 Young StDallas, TX 75201
 Finding aid encoded by Bryan McKinney on October 07, 2009 Overview of the Collection Texas/Dallas History & Archives, Dallas Public Library
1515 Young St Dallas, TX 75201
 District Court - Dallas County District Court - Dallas County - 'Vice Court Records' 1909-1911 3 cubic feet MA09-13 The records are in English. Scope and Contents

The Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division came upon these court records by accident. They were labeled Vice Court Records, a misnomer that stuck and was kept for convenience. Most misdemeanor court records have been destroyed over a certain amount of time. These court cases were found amongst the Dallas County Civil District Court records. Most of these papers fall within two series, one, a June 1909 case conducted by County Attorney Dwight L. Lewelling against saloons in Dallas who have installed a screen obstructing the entrance, something which could have one's liquor bond revoked at the time. The other major series deals with the attempt by the North Dallas Improvement League in 1910-1911 to battle attempts by the City of Dallas, and the Mayor and County Commissioners to establish a legal red light district where prostitution would be allowed. In October of 1910 they began filing injunctions against those who owned and ran property used for prostitution. These court records contain Writs of Injunction, and some include Plaintiffs' Original Petition, Citations, Sheriff's Certificates of Service, Defendant's Answer and Affidavits. No file is complete and the decision of the courts is not present. Also included is a group of miscellaneous court cases not relevant to either the saloon door screen cases or the North Dallas Improvement Leagues' battle against authorizing the red light district known as Frog Town. A miscellaneous series also exist which contains blue law and more liquor board injunctions.

The prostitution cases are especially of interest. By 1906 the Dallas City Commissioners had proposed that the area of northwest downtown Dallas, Frogtown, become a sanctioned red light district. A poor area with working class inhabitants, Frogtown was bordered by North Dallas, a rising neighborhood home to the business elite. A law passed by the Texas State Legislature in 1907, Article 4689, made it possible for citizens to file injunctions against anyone affiliated with a bawdy house, which the North Dallas Improvement League began to do beginning in October 1910. The case was finally resolved in March of 1911 when the Texas Supreme Court issued a writ of error ruling that the Dallas ordinance authorizing the prostitution reservation was void, because the city commissioners could not suspend state law, only the state legislature could do that. The city of Dallas would have to legally enforce state laws against prostitution. Researchers should view Not in my Backyard, by Gwinnetta Crowell for a detailed study of this confrontation.

Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Organizations: District Court - Dallas County Places: Dallas (Tex.) Subjects: Prostitution - Dallas Titles: District Court - Dallas County - 'Vice Court Records' Preferred Citation

MA09-13 District Court - Dallas County - 'Vice Court Records' Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, Dallas Public Library

 Processing Information

processed by Bryan McKinney

Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1 - County Attorney Lewelling - Saloon Screen Cases 1 1 The State of Texas v. Berry Starks et al 1 2 The State of Texas v. I. Garonzik et al 1 3 The State of Texas v. H. Garonzik et al 1 4 The State of Texas v. W.C. Ward and Sons et al 1 5 The State of Texas v. H.R. McDaniel et al 1 6 The State of Texas v. Moses Thyfault et al 1 7 The State of Texas v. Shelh Brown et al 1 8 The State of Texas v. J.L. Martimo et al 1 9 The State of Texas v. J.F. Martin et al 1 10 The State of Texas v. J.M. Lee et al 1 11 The State of Texas v. Moore and O'Connell et al 1 12 The State of Texas v. Alf Martin, et al 1 13 The State of Texas v. W.M. Landers et al 1 14 The State of Texas v. Robert Clark et al 1 15 The State of Texas v. Chas. Spiess et al 1 16 The State of Texas v. A.D. Roberson et al 1 17 The State of Texas v. J.E. Morgan et al 1 18 The State of Texas v. George Kettle et al 1 19 The State of Texas v. W.H. Irby et al. 1 20 The State of Texas v. Martin Koch et al 1 21 The State of Texas v. R.H. Seawell et al 1 22 The State of Texas v. Ed Smith et al 1 23 The State of Texas v. S. Jacobs et al 1 24 The State of Texas v. T.H. Moore et al 1 25 The State of Texas v. S. Loeb et al 1 26 The State of Texas v. A.J. Fitzgerald et al 1 27 The State of Texas v. Sam Ford et al 1 28 The State of Texas v. Thomas Walker et al 1 29 The State of Texas v. Tobe Hunter et al 2 1 The State of Texas v. L. Lanza et al 2 2 The State of Texas v. R.M. Wright et al 2 3 The State of Texas v. Jno. C. Haupt et al 2 4 The State of Texas v. Jake Ward et al 2 5 The State of Texas v. W.A. Glasby and Co. et al 2 6 The State of Texas v. Felix Tanco et al 2 7 The State of Texas v. B.B. Johnson et al 2 8 The State of Texas v. A. Jacobs et al 2 9 The State of Texas v. S.B. Fisher et al 2 10 The State of Texas v. J.J. Petsch et al 2 11 The State of Texas v. T.H. Knight et al 2 12 The State of Texas v. W.L. Pool et al 2 13 The State of Texas v. J.R. Jones et al 2 14 The State of Texas v. W.E. LaRogue et al 2 15 The State of Texas v. R.S. Brock et al 2 16 The State of Texas v. C.R. Meyers et al 2 17 The State of Texas v. Robt. H. Clark et al 2 18 The State of Texas v. H.S. Knight et al 2 19 The State of Texas v. H. Groux et al 2 20 The State of Texas v. Jno. C. Hauph et al 2 21 The State of Texas v. J.R. Kendall et al 2 22 The State of Texas v. S. Hyman et al 2 23 The State of Texas v. W.A. Spore et al 2 24 The State of Texas v. S.W. Cobun et al 2 25 The State of Texas v. R. Monk et al 2 26 The State of Texas v. J.N. Ivy et al 2 27 The State of Texas v. J.H. Fritts et al 2 28 The State of Texas v. Jno. H. Seuchal et al 2 29 The State of Texas v. S.W. Cobun et al Series 2 - North Dallas Imporvement League - Bawdy Houses Injunctions 3 1 The State of Texas v. Stella Henderson et al 3 2 The State of Texas v. May Russell et al 3 3 The State of Texas v. Mrs. M.J. Murray et al 3 4 The State of Texas v. Fay Nowlin et al 3 5 The State of Texas v. Irene Adams et al 3 6 The State of Texas v. Belle Jones et al 3 7 The State of Texas v. Carrie Avery et al 3 8 The State of Texas v. Helen Shelby et al 3 9 The State of Texas v. Anna Thomas et al 3 10 The State of Texas v. Anna Thomas et al 3 11 The State of Texas v. Emily Herbert et al 3 12 The State of Texas v. Edith Boyd et al 3 13 The State of Texas v. Birdie Brown et al 3 14 The State of Texas v. Fannie Smith et al 3 15 The State of Texas v. Anna Goldberg et al 3 16 The State of Texas v. Anna Taylor et al 3 17 The State of Texas v. Minnie Tiller et al 3 18 The State of Texas v. Bob Frazier et al 3 19 The State of Texas v. Leigh Chastain et al 3 20 The State of Texas v. Bert Carter et al 3 21 The State of Texas v. Birdie Pryor et al 3 22 The State of Texas v. Anna Taylor et al 3 23 The State of Texas v. Irene Jones et al 3 24 The State of Texas v. B.M. Burger et al 3 25 The State of Texas v. J.C. Moody et al 3 26 The State of Texas v. Mrs. M.W. Bell et al 3 27 The State of Texas v. Mrs. Ida Skaggs et al 3 28 The State of Texas v. Inez Jones et al 3 29 The State of Texas v. J.F. Vanderwalk et al 3 30 The State of Texas v. Louis Hengy et al 3 31 The State of Texas v. Alice Weaver et al 3 32 The State of Texas v. Mrs. Kissel et al 3 33 The State of Texas v. Mary Burns et al 3 34 The State of Texas v. E.D. Donnelley et al 3 35 The State of Texas v. Jno. Irwin et al 4 1 The State of Texas v. Babe Wilkerson et al 4 2 The State of Texas v. Elizabeth Fanback et al 4 3 The State of Texas v. Clara Barklow et al 4 4 The State of Texas v. Nellie Dumont et al 4 5 The State of Texas v. Helen Douglas et al 4 6 The State of Texas v. Nona Joyce et al 4 7 The State of Texas v. Della Murdock et al 4 8 The State of Texas v. Mrs. W.M. Bell et al 4 9 The State of Texas v. Hennie Wick et al 4 10 The State of Texas v. Mrs. Alice Gray et al 4 11 The State of Texas v. Ella Hinson et al 4 12 The State of Texas v. Mrs. M.A. Jordan et al 4 13 The State of Texas v. Mrs. W.J. Simons et al 4 14 The State of Texas v. Mr. Kate Loving et al 4 15 The State of Texas v. Miss Tandy Wainwright et al 4 16 The State of Texas v. Georgia Fox et al 4 17 The State of Texas v. Fannie Herd et al 4 18 The State of Texas v. Marcelle Smith et al 4 19 The State of Texas v. Louise Manon et al 4 20 The State of Texas v. Sam Fisher et al 4 21 The State of Texas v. Fannie Howard et al 4 22 The State of Texas v. Mabel Watson et al 4 23 The State of Texas v. Gertie Maxwell et al 4 24 The State of Texas v. Emma B. Blanks et al 4 25 The State of Texas v. Fannie Howard et al 4 26 The State of Texas v. Flora Howard et al 4 27 The State of Texas v. Gertrude Wilson et al 4 28 The State of Texas v. Viola Campbell et al 4 29 The State of Texas v. Leigh Watts et al Series 3 - Miscellaneous Cases. 4 30 The State of Texas v. Interstate Amusements Co. et al 4 31 The State of Texas v. The Orpheum et al 4 32 The State of Texas v. Warren Diamond et al 4 33 The State of Texas v. D.G. Dunlap et al 4 34 The State of Texas v. W.W. Hilbraut et al 4 35 The State of Texas v. E.L. Pike et al 4 36 The State of Texas v. A.M. Robinson et al 5 1 The State of Texas v. J.C. Duke et al 5 2 The State of Texas v. Tom Love et al 5 3 The State of Texas v. C.D. Price et al 5 4 The State of Texas v. P.J. Murphy et al 5 5 The State of Texas v. Van Taylor et al 5 6 The State of Texas v. Jean Hudson et al 5 7 The State of Texas v. W.M. Burnett et al 5 8 The State of Texas v. B.T. Pegues et al