The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-07-03

| IdE len UAx WOMEM.
The sun glares on the sidewalk and falls on
housetop and glances nercely through window
panes, and Jagged looking men lift their hats and
mop their foreheads violently; for the heat Is like
nightmare, ana II Expresses all alike scorches
ali who live under shelter or tread q causeway.
Amid this terrible heat the poor and the DESC
late the unfortunate and wretched beings whose
hopes are vain Illusions, haunt the shady sides Of
quiet streets and gather with hunted look
under trees in the city parks, whose scant foliage
| is a mockery, In view OF the burning heat, that
| darts like arrows OF fire between the leaves.
! Here we are in the prison OF the JEFFERSON Mar
ket Police Court. The yard Is naeged and bare,
and not even one mean or solitary blade Of grass
can be seen. bucket OF water standing under
the hot sun q horse trough would be an oasis
in this place. bridge hangs transversely across
the hot nagging and q NANCY dog li0ks his
sores in corner. The dog u q prisoner, for ne
came in with an intoxicated woman, and out OF
mercy to the dog ne Is allowed to yelp and snarl
within hearing OF his wretched Mistress The
turnkey, Taylor. and the keeper, DAILY the FIRST
armed with huge bunch OF keys and the last
watching the bridge above, which leads from the
uproarious hum OF the packed court room, are
both very hot. The ten day women behind the
bars Of the different cells are sweltering ike the
victims Of the Black Hole at Calcutta
"Would you like to see the cells OF the women w
asks Keeper DAILY Of the writer.
Yes, let us have look" was the answer.
Up and down the narrow corridor nearly score
OF women are walking or sitting down. groveing
and endeavoring to escape tho torrld heat. One
woman has Q coarse towel over her brawny
shoulders-on the Spanish principle, probably, that
what keeps out the cold will keep out the heat.
This woman mas large eyes. lair skin, and fans
dirty apron. In answer to a question she says,
with an indifferent snort
me name Is Ellen Sullivan. and am married.
Blazes Is nothing to this place. And We want to
know what I'm here forS Well, Pm here because
81 1sa 70 se Sa
on the Island Tor month. shure there's breath
In the corner of the second tier corridor wom-
an Is bent forward the fore part OF her body and
Of her solled robe and her hands are shielding her
face.
women to scrub the court. and If you are willing
you can have breath Of fresh air :" asked Keeper
At the mention of that magic word "fresh airn
the women crowd toward the keeper and the
volunteering IS enthusiastic. Even the tainted
huddled up woman arises rom her place In the
corner and rubs or o yard OF white wash from the
aSd os se the keeper se
CHASTITY iron stairs to the ground floor. The
aaaaisd up woman can now be seen sse has an
animal she is. She scowis at the Keeper aud says
"My name is Mary Nee, and don't know what
was arrested for. was walking through Houston
behind me. One was tight and the other was
sober. The girl that was sober slapped the girl
IL sns aa the
policeman that It was done 1t. The brute OF
policeman then took me IN and was locked up.
i was rich ana nad SILK dress would be
| listened to very quick"
Mhr do you want to you want to
MARY very suenly) DO want to scrub9 No,
not here tdeiiantly).
KEEPER vigorously We'll, II you are too high
again to your CELL"
Mary walked up stairs with an effort. and looked
back vengeully at the keeper, VINO, notwithstand.
ing che heat seemed as placid as Lake George on
summers sc, evening. 10 TWO minutes she came
humble.
please let me work or scrub l don't care what
understand you when you spoke" Qnumbly).
! Mary Is detailed to do scrubblng, and passes
through the court yard, wipng her face with the
And now girl. young and possessing great
traces OF beauty somewhat haggard and dissi-
sipated, comes forward. This is a girl who has
been arrested for stopping men IN The street at
night Having been warned by the police, she per-
sisted IN following up her trade OF misery and
shame. She Is simply attred and the folds Of her
light drapery fall around her figure IN correct and
graceful Ines The tips OF her finger nails are mink
as the down and her nos rils are expanded with
sort or snaineiaced rage as she Is inspected by half
dozen pairs OF curious eyes. The girl, 1t is easily
to be seen, IS only in the honeymoon OF her debase-
ment Tor she has not yet settled down to the actu
atty OF her terrible position.
"fOu don't know that girl as well as do" re-
marks the placid featured keeper. ''She looks
rather innocent, but she is young tigress when
she's let loose Why, she bit two policemen on
their fingers before they could take her ill., We are
expecting every hour to hear that they have got
the hydrophoba, and II they commence TO frotf at
the mouth IL viii he laid at her door. Oh Betsy
Biddle is nice TO look at, but she's wicked to bite
one, tell you," added the placid keener.
Passing cell door which enclosed small
square and lOw-r0ofed apartment, the writer got a
glimpse at about half score of etched women.
who were painting and perspiring without q
breath OF air or drink Of water to cool their
parched and innamed tongues The misery
the offensive OdOr and the other combined hOr-
rOrs OF the scene as the half-clad and clamOrous
wrctches swarmed up to the bars were too dread
iu to look All these poor women had been
sentenced 10 ten days Imprisonment each, either
for drunkenness and disOrderly conduct or for So
citaton in the streets at nj ght But any thing SO
horrible as their confinement, with the thermome
ter at loo, In such pigpen this cannot be re-
alized but by actual inspection. Where are all
those mercilul and good women who are daily in
the habit oil visiting burglars and murderers con-
lined IN large and airy prisonsf Will the modern
Elizabeth Frys venture visit TO the pigpen at
JEFFERSON Market Prison, with its dimensions of fl
teen feet BY twelve, It's low roof and its terrible
stcnches, in which eleven women Of different ages
were barred and cribbed through every hour or
Tuesday and Tuesday night OF this week. There
they will find that tho horrors OF old Newgate
Prison can be equalled in the year 1874.