The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-02-10
A NIGHT IN A CITY JAIL.
WHAT A NEW YORK REPoRTER
SAW I'M A STATION HOUSE.

day night multitude sweeping along the
sidewalks. Everybody predicted thick
snowstorm before morning. AS turned
into Fourth street the wind whistled
shrilly through the telegraph wires over
head and rattle all the windows in the
neighborhood. Something lay across the
gray Notwithstanding that needed a
wall to shut out the eyes of the big city.
It was young girl with long soft brown
hair tangled about her shoulders.
Her face was fair aud she was shapely.
At first it seemed MS if she was sleeping,
but closer examination showed thot she
was attempting to hold herself up on her
elbows It was hard to imagine more
stupid or pitiful expression than that
which rested upon her features as she
blinked in vague and aimless manner
at a small flask lying on the pavement at
her feet. Just as was about to assist the
girl to her feet quick heavy step caused
me to look around, and at my elbow was
policeman.
"You needn't disturb yourself, sir,
he said, ''she is drunk. It's a great pity
that so young a girl has come to such
shame already.N
The policeman shook the girl roughly
and then raised her to her feet. The soft
brown hair was blown across her face
and she pushed it back. Then she began
to cry. The policeman threw the flask
into the middle Of the street, where it
fell with crash and was disintegrated
into thousand fragments.
That's the curse of the world" he
said. live seen more crime and suffer-
ing from the bottle than any other
twenty causes. just look at that girl
and see what mere animal she has be.
bone under the influence of rum."
The girl laughed in an idiotic way as
she staggered in the grasp of the blue
coated philosopher.
''Lemme CO." she stammered. "S'none
# your business
Inside of five minutes we were in the
station house, where another policeman
was telling the sergeant how he had
dragged a drunken man four blocks in
order to keep him out of the way of
wagons The prisoner he referred to
mumbled ont few words of defiance
and was whisked through a back door
in a jiffy.
The drunken girl was arraigned before
the sergeant. Then she told in thick
tones that she had never been arrested
before, and that if the good gentleman
would only let her go she would never
get drunk again. 1t was no use. The
sergeant shook his head.
IF Ilet you go now," he said, 'you
might fare worse even than you have. AS
YOU are young and respectable looking
I'll give you bed to sleep in tonight.
You are like thousand others l have
seen though. fear. You've learned to
take strong drink at home, ard that's an
incurable disease.
The sergeant took me to the lodging
room when ne saw that l was interested
in his conversation. "There you see
what drink will bring women to-" he
said. "Evcry one of these poor, ragged,
homeless creatures you see lying on
these boards owes her troubles and her
poverty to tippling." On long, low
platform of pine boards lay eight or ten
women. They were dirty, slatternly
and miserable One slovenly hag sat up
with her yellow, skinny arms clasped
about her knees. She was breathing
heavily, as If asleep, and yet her eyes
were open.
Another lay on her side with her arm
drawn across her face, and still another
was huddled up in heap and was
groaning. The air of the room was
thick and offensive. l was surprised to
detect tobacco smoke in the place until
the sergeant roared out angrily:
'Here, now; no smoking. I'll lock
you up if you amt careful"
A withered old woman pulled a black
-, l. I
and knocked the glowing contents of
the bowl out against the palm Of her
hand. Then she lay down with a growl-
ing sound in her throat.
"The chances are that every second
woman you see here has husband and
cAiydren alive, said the sergeant, "but
drink has broken up their homes. If
there was no strong drink to be got in
this city for the next year the authorities
could dismiss one-half the police force
at once. Women Will sit down with a
whisky bottle to drown some slight
trouble, little dreaming of the terrible
fate they are inviting. You saw that
young girl arrested ir the street just now.
Well, look at this women
Out of dark cell came two wrinkled
arms and claw-lke hands, and mania
cal visage, with dishevelled gray hair
tumbled about it, was pressed against
the iron-grated door.
81 remember her thirty years ago, he
said. She was thenayoung woman of TWEEN
ty-fve years, good we'll shaped,
neatly dressed and modest A young
lawyer was engaged to be married to her
Then she began to drink red wine al
home. don't know who taught her the
habit, but it soon grew upon her unit
she was full-fedged whisky drinker
The young lawyer broke of his engage
menf and she married a carpenter. JUS
before her first child was born her hus
band died One day l found her lying
in the gutter dead drunk. arrested he
and a little girl was born in prison
Ever since that she has been a confirmed
drunkard. Her little grandchild gener
ally comes after her when she is locked
up"