Journal Fragments

by

Meghan Jernigan

 

By Thomas Rowlandson, 1812. © Corporation of London

 

Friday, December 1st

We arrived in England with no problem. London is an impressive city, especially for the 1700's. I wish I had time to just tour the city, but we've got an assignment to do, and I for one am not going to fail it. My part of the assignment for Professor Porter's class is to do research into sex crimes that occurred in the eighteenth century. I figured that the best way to do that is to become more acquainted with the women who were more than likely often victims of these kind of crimes. For the sake of a good grade, I have decided to go undercover as a 16-year old prostitute.

 

Saturday, December 2nd

The three of us decided to split up, and to meet again on Monday. That should be enough time for us all to get our information. Today I met a 22 year-old prostitute named Elizabeth, and we talked for a while about the kinds of crimes that prostitutes are subject to. Most prostitutes at this time also contributed a great deal to the population of alcoholics, so once again, for the sake of a good grade, we decided to have a few drinks while we talked things over. After I we were both more acquainted, I asked her to tell me what exactly she knew about sex crimes, and what kinds of experiences she had had with them. Like in our time, the most common of these crimes are indecent exposure, or exhibitionism, and rape. According to Elizabeth, although it is not as horrible as some of the other things that prostitutes are subject to, indecent exposure is considered a pretty serious offense, and the maximum penalty is three months in prison. Elizabeth paid for my dinner, and said she would introduce me to some potential clients after the weekend. Hopefully I'll be done with this project by then.

 

Sunday, December 3rd

Elizabeth bought my meals again today. I asked her to tell me more about the dangers of prostitution. Rape is also common in the eighteenth century, but just like in the year 2000 it is hard to tell exactly how common due to many cases that go unreported. Most women are afraid to come forth and tell their story because it was hard to get a conviction in these cases, and if the trial did not end in a conviction and the alleged rapist was found innocent, the woman was shamed. It was hard to prove a man guilty because judges and juries tended to be skeptical when it came to rape cases because the victims needed to provide a great deal of proof, and also, the relationship between the rapist and the victim was examined in great detail. Elizabeth has been raped several times, but has never been able to press charges because it is even harder to prosecute a man for raping a woman who is a known prostitute, so while this is a common danger for prostitutes, there is little that they can do about it. The punishment for a man who committed rape is not nearly as bad as it should be, and it was easy to see through talking to Elizabeth that this was not going to change anytime soon. If a man was found guilty of rape, he was fined, whipped, and then had to offer a public apology to the father of the girl whom he raped. (Sharpe, 63) Thankfully, I won't have to worry about any of this after tomorrow night.

 

Wednesday, December 6th

No one was at our agreed meeting site again tonight! I haven't heard anything from either Samantha or CJ in days, and I have no idea what happened. How am I supposed to get home? I have no money, and I haven't eaten in two days now. Elizabeth won't help me anymore, since she says she has taught me everything she knows. Some of the men in town have been staring at me. MaybeÖjust so I can buy some food Ö