True Bill for W. L. Wood - House of Prostitution

1892 Navarro County True Bill states that W. L. Wood, "on or about the 15th of May 1892, did then and there unlawfully, and on each day from that date to the 20th day of May 1892 in said state and county did unlawfully keep a house for the purpose of public prostitution, and as a common resort for prostitutes and vagabonds."

The True Bill is accompanied by two more interesting documents, one being a transfer to a lower court. The other is a request by the "atty for Def't" for the dismissal of the case.

Dated 22 July 1893, from Navarro County Texas. In this document, Lawrence and Mary Wood are charged with keeping a “disorderly house”; the term then used for whorehouses, brothels and so on. The actual language of the document, in cursive script, reads that the named parties did “Keep a disorderly house, to wit, a house situated in Corsicana Texas…being then and there…. for prostitution…. where prostitutes were then and there permitted to resort and reside for the purpose of plying their vocation…etc.”