Scarlet Youth

"Landing in the little town of Galesburg, where he feels safe from the police, he [a crook] meets the unsophisticated daughter of a country boarding house woman. ... Here he makes love to the girl, and with the promise of a life of ease, he persuades her to marry him. He takes her to the city and tries to make her believe that he is looking for work, while he really has gone back to his old habits of traveling around with other women. Thinking that he has really looked for work and is unable to find it, she offers to help, as they must have money to live. He, knowing that she can dance, sends her to a friend who is Manager of a theatre. ... He seems to be impressed and gives her dancing costume. While she is changing into costume, he comes into dressing room and attacks her. She finally succeeds in getting away. Before she reaches home, she finds her husband in conversation with a woman in a car, whom he kisses as he leaves. Realizing the kind of man she has married, she denounces him and starts out to make her way alone. Finding employment as a model, she meets 'Madame Celeste and her Backer' who are very good customers of the dress shop. Madame Celeste, being impressed with the girl's beauty, and learning that she is a dancer, invites her to entertain her guests. She decides to go to Madame Celeste's. ... In the meantime, the husband finds her and borrows money--at another time he returns and pleads with her to take him back. She decides to do this and is to meet him after work to talk things over--but leaving the dress shop she comes upon him unexpectedly with the same woman. This convinces her that she not only must make her own way, but also seek her pleasures, realizing that she was 'young but once.' She then decides to accept the second invitation from Madame Celeste. Persuading her to drink a glass of wine which they tell her is perfectly harmless, she finally becomes intoxicated and is taken to a bedroom by Madame Celeste, where she falls on the bed, apparently unconscious. Almost immediately the door opens and Madame Celeste's 'Backer' enters the room, and locking the door, throws himself on the bed over the prostrate form of the intoxicated girl, kissing her violently on the face and breast. She regains consciousness sufficiently to try to resist him. There ensues a struggle, when he tears off her clothes, throws her backwards on the bed and throws his body over hers. The following morning, finding some money on the pillow, and realizing what has happened, she makes a protest to Madame Celeste who tells her to 'cut out the innocent bluff' and 'here's where you stay until you come to my way of thinking.' Meanwhile the husband, having made a 'big haul,' finds a pal who knows a good place to 'drink and dance'--which turns out to be Madame Celeste's, a house of Prostitution, and here he finds his wife, who by this time is an inmate, and with her he finds a male companion on the way upstairs. Attacking the man because of this, a terrible fight ensues--a call is made for the police and the house is raided. Both husband and wife find themselves in the Police Court. The husband, upon examination by the Jail Physician, is told [that he] has Syphilis and must remain for treatment. The history of the wife is brought before the Judge who paroles her in the custody of a Social Worker." (New York State license records.)