The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-02-20


ty did And vet there was always something
l liked about Doherty. You see she used to
sing. Sometimes they do. And once or
twice I've had chap here who could draw
portraits of the rest. Scrawl the walls
all over, If he wasn't watched. One
OF the worst cases we ever bad on these
books his name was Gaffrey-Peter Gaffrey.
Killed an officer, finally, with horseshoe.
He used to talk Latin when he was drunk,
and some other Language. | thought 1t was
Dutch; but the chief heard hun, and said he
guessed il was Greek. The fellow used to
get the rest all ranged around like an audi
ence, and then 90 at it. But generally they
talk religion. It's more popular. This Do.
herty that / speak of, she had beautiful
voice. Time and again I've set up here
looking over the books at dead of night,
alone along with an officer or so, and heard
the call go up from nan somewhere down
below:
'Dohertyl Sing us to sleep! Doherty!
Sing US TO sleep"
And then Doherty. from the womeu's cell,
would hear them, through the wall, and
she'd begin. And the fighting and the
swearing and all the horrid noise would
quiet down; and, true enough, think they
slept. / had Newfoundland dog that went
to sleep when my wife played the cabinet
organ. Sometimes that woman would sing
enough to make your flesh creep. She'd
lost all her books by that time; but/she
never sang so when she was sober. And
sometimes she'd strike up pretty thing as
clean and sweet as the hush-a by my own
baby hears, ma'am, from my own wife's lips.
Sometimes she sang "Auld Lang Syne," or
Home, Sweet Home;" and once that
woman picked up song call ed the "Three
Fishers" Maybe you know it. You could
hear her all over this great building:
For men must work, ana women must weep,
And women must weep.
Don't you ev, rsingany hymns, Doherty?"
l says TO her one night-more to see what she
would say, you know. But she looked at me
and made no answer, and passed on. Doherty
never quite lost her ways, like other women,
when she was herself Sometimes she was
quite manageable ana gentle in her ways.
That night she didn't sing at all. The men
kept it up, off and on, all night. as Doherty
in to-nightg' Hasn't DOherty comel" Sing
us to sleep, Doherty, sing Us to Sleep!
But she wouldn't open her lip; and when
morning came-it was a snowy morning
and let her out; she tugged little this
way on my sleeve as she went out and said:
Good by, lieutenant" like a lady. She
didn't show herself again for long while
after that.
This winter she's come pretty often. In
December she come nigh her fortnight'S ;
term; but she cleared out just in time. Then
again this month. It's been a pretty cold
winter, and the woman seemed sickly. l
felt sorry for her. She'd grown unpleasant
looking and she coughed. L don't think she
had any place of her own this season any
where. We couldn't find out. The cap'n
and felt kind of interest, you see, she'd
been on our books so long 1t was only
natural. But do assure you, ma'am, there
is nothing to be done for such case. Moth
ing whatever, / wouldn't look like that if
was you. You can't help it, Him that
permits 'em. He strikes 'em off our books,
now and then, into His, madam; and best
for Him and them and US, take it. when it
hoppens.
Now, last night, the 23d of February, that
woman, she'd Just made out her fourteenth
night consecutive; aud had it planned to
send her to Tewksbury to day. She'd be
warm in the poor house at least, and sure of
her rations. Cap'n and both felt glad OF it
when we saw her stagger in. He said, We've
got her this time" and 1 SAID, Here again,
Doherty."
1 went up to speak to her. for felt little
sorry, too, knowing it was the last time.
For you couldn't understand how familiar
their faces grow, nor the kind of feeling that
officer gets about them. now and then.
There is the entry just as L put it down,
after so many times
mo. 81 (she came in rather early)- 81.
D:-Doherty Ellen. Vagrancy. Sick" For
we saw at once that she was pretty sick
She'd been beating about in the storm. The
snow was all over her. 1 noticed that she
had on a clean calico dress. She stood Just
where you're standing, ms'am, while |
made the entry. 1t took the snow some
time to melt, for it had sleeted some. She
looked almost as IL she was in a white dress
she was so covered. She had her hair done
up neat, too.
thought I'd go and see her in the cell
myself So | went down. She walked very
Il nj.
said /.
Lieutenant" said she, folks used to call
me Nell. Nobody called me Doherty till 1
begun to come to the police station. don't
think anybody called me that till I'd been
into the house" says she.
Then l said, for 1 thought I'd pacify her il
l could, Are you sick 70 night, Nell?'
"Oh, my God!' says she-jdst like that.
Then she threw up her arms over her head
and began TO sob and take on But she didn't
swear. Sne felt too sick, l take it. So we
put her in with the rest, aud she got into
the corner and sat crying.
1t was not till toward midnight that she
begun. They didn't get well in aud ouieted
before that But every now and then tn.
men would call, Sing us to sleep. Doherty
Where is DOherty? Doherty, sing us to
sleepr'
Tue storm set in hard toward midnight.
1t beats heavily here upon the office win
dow. as you see, ma am, and we get a pretty
clean sweep of the wind on account of the
street running TO the wharves. | sent down
once to ask how DOherty seemed; but the
officer reported that she quIer, and ne
wished the rest were. Tn yd all set ia,
men and Somen. he said. in concert, crying
out, Sing US to sleep, DJbertyI'
Pnt y soon she began. l could hear her
plain aoOye the roaring OF the storm. She
began-DOherty- Observation-Disclosures
miserabie-creetur-she that was once a
woman like other woman fOlks-.xcuse me.
ma'am, but she'd been Oh our books a good
many years. I've heard her sing such thing.
l never looked to be taken by surprise as
DOherty took me. You're not surprised
very easy ir sucn place as this at any thing
your fellow sinners do
But about midnight, when the storm was
/ at its thick and the cells we're growing sill,
llnRElU aha III l...... ~. a.