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Being a prostitute was not illegal in colonial society. However, under the Vagrant Act 1866 prostitutes could be charged with acting in a riotous or shocking manner in a public place. This happened to Wellingtonian Ellen Butcher in 1867. In this report it is unclear on what basis she was charged – whether it was for wearing a sailor’s suit or running away.
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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: Daily Southern Cross, 5 January 1867, p. 5
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