Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-09-23
A Troublesome Female Prisoner.

Moncure ID. Conway in recent letter
gives an interesting account of the famous
Millbank Prison, London, and tells the
following concerning an old-time female
prisoner:
The chief difficulties of the prison
authorities have always been with female
prisoners, since tiogging and various
other penal punishments are notpermitted
In the case OF women. But there was one
young woman, the mention of whose name
still blanches the check of the Millbank
official. This was Julia St Clair New
man. Her prison career was SO revolu-
tionary that she was discussed in Parlia-
ment and referred TO special committee
Of the House of Lords. She was-may
yet be, for all known at Millbank-a
Creole, born in the West Indies, a lady by
birth and education, and accomplished as
artist and musician. Nay, she wrote
clever poetry or anything else she pleased.
Her guardian at Trinidad, having given
her mother and herself too small an allow
ancc, they attempted to increase II by the
addition of their landlady's silver plate.
The mother died in Millbank soon after
her arrival, and this young girl, whose
sentence of transportation had been
COMMITTED because she was 81 lady," be-
gan to try and bride the wardswomen.
She afterward, 10y the skillful use Of
chalk, went into Il swift decline, dcceiv-
ing the physicians. She invented ink, ex-
temporiZed paper and struggled letters in
and out despite all vigilance. When
caught in any misdemeanor she clasped
peoples knees, wept, and set all the
wardens and keepers 10 sobbing around
her. Her acting showed power enough
to have made a fortune. She feigned In
sanity, and ancient as the trick was she
deceived everybody until she took whim
to try something else. She sent the police
hunting up fictitious treasures buried in u
ilower.pot, and fictitious criminals. She
wrote very clever lampoons of the chaplain
and an able paper on the character of the
Queen. She wrote this impromptu on an
ill.humored matron:
What pity hell's gates are not kept by Dame
King;
SO surly q eur would let nobody In.
Her hands were so small that no hand.
cuffs could hold them. They sent her to
dark cell, and she refused 10 eat. She
was 50 near death that the keepers had TO
yield. They sent her to Bedam, but the
physicians there discovered she was feign.
ing, and she had TO be sent back TO Mill
bank. She pcrpetually tore up her clothes,
and to keep her in wearing apparel whole
wardrobes of clothes had TO be sacrificed.
Surgical instrument makers took her exact
measure 10 devise some c0ntriyances that
would hold her. She beat them all, The
greatest manufactures Of restraints for the
insane made pair Of leather sleeves
of extra length and fitted them him
self They came up TO her shoulders,
were strapped across, then also strapped
around her waist, and again be-
low, fastening her hands close
to her side. Next morning the task mis-
trcss took the sleeves to the Governor In
the night Julia had extricated herself from
them and cut them into ribbons, using
piece of glass she had secreted." A yet
more powerful strait.waistcoat was de-
vised, and a collar put around her neck To
keep her from biting il with her teeth.
Next morning she was free, as usual.
Finally the authorities Of the prison mott
fled the Government that they had not the
power 10 restrain or rule this Creole girl,
and that she kept the whole establishment
In panic. So she was sent, on the Nauti.
lus, 10 Van Dicman's Land. Whether she
has carried thither her reign Of terror |
know not, but her career makes the great
chapter in the history OF Millbank.