The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-03
INDIANA FEMALE PRISON
Some of the Noted Criminals Con.
fined Within Its Walls.
The Efforts Made TO Educate the Children
Instances of Reformation Among
Prisoners-A Legal Point.

al INSTITUTION OF winch Indiana may well be
proud. and the report of which has gone abroad
TO do her honor. 1t is the Indiana Reformatory
Institution for Women and Girls. 1t has now
been established ten years. Conversing with
Mrs. Smith, the matron, she said: when the
institution was opened, seventeen women were
sent here from the Southern Prison. Five OF
them had a life sentence, and eight of the pris-
oners were cOlored- They all used tobacco
chewed it-having, most of them, acquired the
filthy habit in prison. They brought plugs of
1t with them in their trun ks, and we did not
take it away from them at first, telling them to
use it more and more sparingly until, when
their stock was gone, they could bear to be with
Quilt. We are less indulgent now, and no tobac-
co is tolerated"
On making the request the reporter was
shown through both the reformatory and the
penal departments of the institution. There
are forty-three women in the penal department,
ten of whom are for life, and one, Dorcas Birch
field, who was committed about three years ago
from Princeton, Gibson County, for twelve
years. She shot and killed her brother-inlaw
while trying to kill somebody else. She is forty
two years old, the widow of a soldier and re-
ceives a pension of So a month. Her three
children, the oldest sixteen years old, were here
TO see Governor Porter last week with a petit
S 1AH NV wa ~ Va 'haA
der, four of them being brought at the opening
of the institution from the Southern Prison.
These are Sally Hubbard, of Wabash; Mary
Adams, of Salem; Mary Longenecker, of Indi-
annapolis, and Jane Williams, of Crothersville.
The last named killed her sister-in-law about
fifteen years ago, cutting her throat from ear to
ear. She is now deranged, and has to be kept
locked up alone.
at was the case of this poor woman as I saw
her in the Southern prison." SAID Mrs. Smith,
''that made me think an institution of this kind
and better treatment would improve the condl-
ton of such creatures. She was crazy then,
but for the first four years she was here her
mind was nearly restored. AS she gets older,
however, she grows worse. In the Southern
prison the other prisoners were allowed to treat
her cruelty. But that was no place for women,
and things were done there that never can be
published, as they are too shameful for print"
THE LIFETIME PRISONERS.
The oldest prisoner is a LITER, and is seventy
five years old. Aunt Sally Hubbard, as she is
called, is a mild, harmless Old woman who is
given no task to do, but puts in her time at knit
ting and making pin-cushions. The walls OF her
neatly-kept room, two sides of it, are
covered with pictures, and she shows with
pride the photographs of Governor Hendricks,
Williams and Porter, which have prominent po-
sltlons. "She Is a good woman now" said the
matr0n, land If guilty OF the crime for which
she was sent none of us have ever spoken to
her about III, she has, let us hope, been for
given"
Mrs. Longenecker and Mrs. Ellen Walton were
bothin the sewing-room. Mrs. Longeneckers
children are trying to get the Governor to par
don her. She has been in prison eighteen years,
and was sentenced for killing her husband with
poison, tartar emetic being employed. She has
always declared her innocence. The petition
for the pardon of Mrs. Walton as accessory to
the murder of her husband Ia undAF nnnGiHapa.
ton by the Governor. Frazier, the negro who
killed Walton. and who is in the penitentiary
now, says that Mrs. Walton had nothing TO do
with instigating the murder.
Mrs. Frances Kuntzler, of Dearborn county,
also in for life, is the gardener of the institutions,
and has been out in the grounds all summer and
had thousands of opportunities of escape. She
melted her son, a boy of fourteen years, to kill
her drunken, cruel husband. The NATION says
she is a faithful, hard working woman. Mrs.
susan Smith, who was committed from Wayne
county, April 26, 1882, is In for a similar crime.
Her son. at his mothers instigation, killed a
cruel husband and unnatural father. Mrs. Mary
Brown, who, with Joseph Wade, killed her hus-
band near Irvington, is also a lifer. She is a
stout, healthy woman and a tractable prisoner.
Nicey Southwood,o of Dubois county, was brought
TO the institution in October, 1877, on n life SEN
tence' .Whep brought sue was under Twenty
, cars old, and had murdered her twIn babes.
She is not very bright mentally. Eliza Sage, OF
Blackford county, is in for life, and was COM
mttted on June l, 1888. She had an lllegltimate
child sixteen months Old and Killed IL by droWn-
ing, a man telling her he would marry ncr II she
got rid of it. The couple were married a few
hours after the drowning of the child. and a few
hours later were arrested for the murder. The
father got clear. A petition for a new trial has
been made on the ground that IN view of the
escape OF the man her punishment is excessive.
PRISON RULES.
The rules which govern both departments of
the institution require the inmates to rise at 5
A. NJ. in the summer, and 6 A. M. winter, when,
after proper attention to cleanliness, they will
-& Ah-:, 49, --A $1,000
at 6:45, with Scripture reading and devotional
exercises, and at 1880 A. NJ. the duties of the day
begin. Dinner at IL; one hour for this meal
and recitation of Bible texts. Supper is at 6
P. NJ, after which, as officers think best, the
time is taken up until 7:45 P. M.-when the pris-
oners retire-in school, religious or social i'm
provement. AT 8 O'Clock, all lights Except by
PERMISSION are extinguished. Tobacco is pro-
hibited IN every form; no lewd singing or whis-
Ting allowed, and no inmate is allowed to con-
verse on her past bad life, or reproach another
for the same. Swearing, ly ing or dishonesty are
10 be punished severely. There is no exemption
from religious services, except on account of
sickness or by permission of officers. No letters
are to be conveyed to or from an inmate, except
examined by an officer. The Inmates are re-
quired to keep their rooms and persons clean
and in order and to be respectful to visitors and
officers, cheerfuly performing all duties re-
CURED of them.
II DEPARTMENT.
This department." Miss NJ. NJ. Pray, a teach
er. who showed the reporter through, explained,
"is where girls are taken to reform. None who
are over sixteen years old or under six are re-
ceived. They can stay until eighteen years old.
When let out before that time they go out on
ticket-0f-leave are under supervision, and can
be brought back at any time until they are
eighteen"
In one room the reporter saw some little girls
caue-seating chairs, and in other rooms larger
girls ana young women lacking comforts and
sewing. In another room a number of girls
were doing Laundry WORK. They do work for
city customers until Thursday of each week,
and then do the institution work. In each case
the large girls, and go to school the remainder
of the day. There was q smell of wholesome
new bread III the baking-rOOn, where two girls
were at work. Nearly every girl large enough
takes n turn at baking during her stay. There