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Scan of newspaper article with headline: BLUES SINGER, DOPE VICTIM, IS SENTENCED Federal Government Will Give Billie Holiday "Benevolent Treatment" Philadelphia, May 28 (AP) - A sober-faced Billie Holiday, 28-year-old Negro blues singer, was on her way to a Federal institution today as the aftermath of a sordid tale of narcotics addiction unfolded in U. S. District Court. The attractive singer, who sobbingly testified she "guessed her earnings last year were between $40,000 and $50,000, was sentenced to the Federal reformatory for women at Alderson, W. Va., on a criminal information filed by Assist-ant U. S. Attorney Joseph Hildenberjger.

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Scan of newspaper article with headline: BLUES SINGER, DOPE VICTIM, IS SENTENCED Federal Government Will Give Billie Holiday "Benevolent Treatment" Philadelphia, May 28 (AP) - A sober-faced Billie Holiday, 28-year-old Negro blues singer, was on her way to a Federal institution today as the aftermath of a sordid tale of narcotics addiction unfolded in U. S. District Court. The attractive singer, who sobbingly testified she "guessed her earnings last year were between $40,000 and $50,000, was sentenced to the Federal reformatory for women at Alderson, W. Va., on a criminal information filed by Assist-ant U. S. Attorney Joseph Hildenberjger.
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SK (sk76@mastodon.ie)'s status on Friday, 13-Jun-2025 04:26:35 JST SK

Led astray (well, from drink to dope) by a dude, and convicted by the feds, it is interesting how Billie Holiday was depicted in news coverage entirely as a victim (of drugs, and dealers) -- and not a criminal. Didn't even mention the specific charge.
That was surprising to see, considering the otherwise paternalistic and dramatizing tone of the article. (1947)

In conversation about 11 days ago from mastodon.ie permalink