Reynolds v. State

Ethel Reynolds (the defendant) was tried and convicted by a jury in the Criminal Court of Baltimore of three separate offenses concerning prostitution, lewdness or assignation set forth in a “disorderly house” indictment containing eight counts. From the judgment and sentence the defendant appealed.

The defendant operated a physical therapy parlor in Baltimore City. The police, suspecting she was also operating a bawdyhouse or house of ill fame, assigned a police officer to make an investigation. Using an assumed name and wearing plain clothes, the officer made an appointment for a massage…