Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-02-21
IN A woMAN's PRISON.
New YORK SUM-

convicts were confined, and l left that
to become warden OF prison
where over 800 females we're under
lock and key the year round. II
forced to choose / would prefer to have
charge Of 500 males rather than 100
females. Most men enter prison feel
ing that they have deserved their pun
ishment and anxious to make all
the good time possible. No woman
admits her guilt, and by the time she
reaches the prison she has convinced
herself that she is q martyr One not
familiar with the workings of female
prison can have no idea OF the trouble
and annoyance an obstinate inmate can
cause. A male convict who is obsti-
nate, malicious, and bent on causing
trouble can be punished and forced to
give in, but you can only 60 so far in
inAlcting punishment on woman, and
the limit scarcely compels obedience
to routine orders.
One of my first patients was wo-
man named Mary Noonan. She was
on a life sentence for the murder of
her husband, and had been in the
prison Eve years. A change of war
dens always renews the hopes of those
looking for a pardon, and it always
causes change in the conduct of cer-
tain prisoners. | had not been in the
new place fortnight when l discov-
cred that all the convicts except one
were perfectly innocent of crime and
had been sent up through mistake or
malice. The exception was young
ish woman named Haskins. who had
poisoned the man who betrayed her
and was making ready to desert her.
She not only acknowledged the crime,
but felt that she had only done her
duty in revenging herself. The inno-
cents we're all agog for some change
to benefit them, while at least a hun
dred expected me to recommend them
for pardon. Mrs Noonan sought an
interview with me for the purpose Of
atating that she had discovered new
evidence bearing on her case, evidence
which would conclusively prove her
own innocent. She had, in a fit oi
anger, as the records of the case
showed, stabbed her husband with q
butcher knife at noontime and before
her four children. 1t was the clesrest
case in the world, but she contended
that a great wrong had been done her
and that the real murderer had es.
capped.
The new evidence had come 70 her
in q dream. She had dreamed that a
clerk in certain grocery near her
home had stabbed Noonan before he
entered the house. and that the guilty
man was now anxious to confess the
fact and obtain her release. The idea
was so absurd and silly that l could
not promise her anything, and from
that hour she determined to make me
vi the trouble possible. She first re-
fused to work. | gave her day in
which to think 1t over, and as she re-
mained obdurate she was locked up in
q dark cell with only bread and water.
On the fourth day word was brought
me that Mrs. Noonan was dead. I
went with the prison doctor to her
cell, and we found the body growing
rigid and cold. Both of US had seen
many cases OF shamming. and, while
convinced that this was another, the
counterfeit was startling The jaw
dropped, the half-shut eyes had the
glaze of death, and the flesh assumed
that pallor which only death can bring.
And yet we both felt that the woman
was alive. Indeed, there was autter
of the pulse and the heart to prove it.
1t was a case of animation suspended
by will power. Perhaps not more than
one person in ten thousand is able to
control mind and muscle in this man
ner. 1t is, for time, next door to
actual death. 1t does not require
nerve, as I understand it, but simply
the power to collapse, as it were
Prisoners who have thus slammed on
me have explained afterward that they
heard every word spoken around
them, thongh no voice sounded natur.
al They did not realize any feeling
except that of extreme lightness, as il
all solidity had gone out of the body.
1t required no particular effort to hold
the breath or keep the limbs rigid.
Iordered the body to be prepared
and placed in q coffin, and the coffin
placed in shed next to the laundry
| supposed this was what Mary
wanted and had planned for. All the
other prisoners believed her dead, and
she had two or three particular
friends who wept over her loss. The
coffin was placed in shed about sun
down, and two men set to watch 1t
At midnight Mary rose up climbed
out, and was working to loosen a
board, when accosted by the watch
srs. She returned to her work next
morning as usual, and refused to an
swer any questions or make any ex
plantations About once week fol
the next five years she had some
new scheme to annoy me, and | was
ever wondering what she would d.
,Aavt