Editing Stephen Crane (section)

===Scandal===
At the age of 24, Crane, who was reveling in his success, became involved in a highly publicized case involving a suspected prostitute named Dora Clark.  At 2 a.m.<ref>Bloom (2002), p. 13</ref> on September 16, 1896, he escorted two chorus girls and Clark from New York City's Broadway Garden, a popular "resort" where he had interviewed the women for a series he was writing.<ref>Benfey, p. 175</ref> As Crane saw one woman safely to a [[tram|streetcar]], a plainclothes policeman named [[Charles Becker]] arrested the other two for [[solicitation]]; Crane was threatened with arrest when he tried to interfere. One of the women was released after Crane confirmed her erroneous claim that she was his wife, but Clark was charged and taken to the precinct. Against the advice of the arresting sergeant, Crane made a statement confirming Dora Clark's innocence, stating that "I only know that while with me she acted respectably, and that the policeman's charge was false."<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 206</ref> On the basis of Crane's testimony, Clark was discharged. The media seized upon the story; news spread to Philadelphia, [[Boston]] and beyond, with papers focusing on Crane's courage.<ref>Davis, p. 158</ref> The "Stephen Crane story", as it became known, soon became a source for ridicule; the ''Chicago Dispatch'' quipped that "Stephen Crane is respectfully informed that association with women in scarlet is not necessarily a 'Red Badge of Courage.'&nbsp;"<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 208</ref>

A couple of weeks after her trial, Clark pressed charges of false arrest against the officer who had arrested her. The next day, the officer physically attacked Clark in the presence of witnesses. Crane, who initially went briefly to Philadelphia to escape the pressure of publicity, returned to New York to give testimony at Becker's trial despite advice given to him from [[Theodore Roosevelt]], who was [[Police Commissioner]] and a new acquaintance of Crane.<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 210</ref> The defense targeted Crane: police raided his apartment and interviewed people who knew him, trying to find incriminating evidence to lessen the effect of his testimony.<ref>Davis, p. 163</ref> A vigorous cross-examination sought to portray Crane as a man of dubious morals; while the prosecution proved that he frequented brothels, Crane claimed this was merely for research purposes.<ref>Benfey, p. 179</ref> After the trial ended on October 16, the arresting officer was exonerated, and Crane's reputation was ruined.<ref>Davis, p. 167</ref>