Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-02-21
vas great and amply jastinsd its mainte-

| mat money! Genlis men WI le
MS matter vas under dis
n.sion in the judiciary Committee it brought
naek TO my mi ID scene that occurred IN
N, own ei,y only = few years ago. young
sri left her couutry home aud came 10 the
'ity, As pure AS any girl ths, ever came from
a euuntry home. and = few months after che
! tsh. As glrls sometimes do fall, and Vas
,-atencei for thirty days IN the coulty jail
Upon leaving that jail, feeiiag herself dis-
sraced and having NO place Of rsfage left
| ier, tor TWO long weeks she wauds red in
m,sery aud shame about the streets, Aad III n
| ,he afternoon walked Of tas wharf into the
Neni askesg stream aud ended her life of
b ime. rnAt incid, Mt was forcibiy brought
% ny min l, aud with IL th Ist eXQuisiteiy sa i
and o,su.,ful word. of the poet Hood:
"one more uufort lna,s
Wear, OF hr ath,
Rasnl, impouunate
Gone TO de tn,
Take her up Il uIeIly,
tlfl her with
fasAioue 80 ,ilc ditly,
Young, ro fair.
Let il never again be said that there existed
, creature so poor, 80 debased, 80 wicked, so
lumbe that We have not some place of re-
.uge open " here she can 90 aud be made
prtter Rene mber that in voting away the
money of the State To establish this institu
ion, that you are voting 1t away IN the inter
est of humanity. Remember that you have
| % answer not only to your constituents, bat
that you have to answer to your conscience
and your God" Applause.
Mr.. Peaks of Dover SAID that 1t WAS pro
posed to establish a reformatory institution
ii an expense of $50, 900 for the trst year
| Ii WAS thought thai Sl0. 900 would be sutfi
h,.tlI hng h1ttlt
ng that would answer the purpose
some set it at $4,000, some at
$50, ,0O), some At e25 000 but he Vas struck
oy the fact thar when the hearing hA /
iosed. in came some figures OF som prop
erty in the market At S5o, 900, and had sad
10 himself, then, WAT . moment Peaks.
and see what you are doing" FOR at that
ime his impu lses were in favor of the bill,
but after investigating the matter, he thought
hat such an institution WAS not called for
rhr fir.t thing he had done was - ascertain
how many women had been IN jul in this
state and how they had been treated. Tne
committee had not been very much surprised At
the ma y remarkable thiiks that happened
IN the ais where wones were incarcerated,
4s reported by the ladies ut the hearing
Dne lady who went into all in Portland,
| aid that in one cell she found woman. and
| h re was man there aud the man eat in a
chair. In other Cell Was woman and her
husband was actually in the cell with
her He had looked over the
eports of the prison in question
| for the past ten years expecting - hnd cry
,ng evils sucking out Of every report from
1850 up to the present tins The only thin 1
he had found in relation TO the treatment Of
som, n was in the report of 1856 the inspac-
"A. l....ss m -
large iails OF the State he raw womEn un'
Ter sentence of ten or twelve mon,hs fo'
keeping hou.e of i'll fame, enj ,y'ng dou
hle cell with carpets and extra furniture
and'-not man--but 1.-TWO poodle dogs
That was the only thirg he had found in re
gard to the incarceration of women In th'
ais. As To the number of women in Jail
H.. had found that in Androscogxin county II
1850 III had IL. i, 1881 the, had 6. in 1888.
ne, ha 4, u 1883 they had IA, in 1884 the'
hal Is. in 1883 they hal Ii, in 1856 they hsI
IlI.xt iu 1857 they had ~ snl for 1851
there vac no report In 1884 they said tina
Andrn.cnpgin Ill was in first class condition
and 1887 that i, was in good condition an
.el mansg d IL ,hr county Of ArJostook j
1850 they had on.y TIVE women in laii
IN 1881 one woman, in 1882 hve, In los
pht, in 1884 one, IN lsn5 four, In 1853
tw, I've and IN 1887 only four. The commis
-ioners say of Aroo,t,ok :ounty ILL., that
i. substantial. saf. and we'll cared for An
T conf Portable o. oigh for the con 'ly.
In Cumberland county jill in 1887 ther
.ere "a women, il 1885, s3, in 1880. -, /
7 Iss4. IO9, in 1893. l06. il 1852 &c, in 1881
60, in 1880. So. H. the county of fi-cataqni'
nt 81. 900 inha ants. which has been col
porsted since 1888. there has been but on
9 woman conf iei in jail, and he didn't b.lie'
= tbst the women in that county were an
II more pure or virtuous than the women {
. any o her county.
In S ,merset In 1887 they had one woma
e irc.rcer-ted, in 1886 on, in 1885 none.
= 1894 none. in 1883 one. in 1882 ne, in ls'
= three. in 1850 two. 10 ,er years they hs
80 in iail in the county of Somerset
II Take the county of oxford. Last yei
y rhev had none, IN 1856 they had one,
1888 none in 1884 none, in 1883 none,
: 1882 two, and they were there for the erin
!, of maj slaughter and xhere couh they
II xcept in state Prison. In 1881 they hi
E none, in 1870 none, except the two wont
ID Who were con lined there for trial on q
ie eh ,rge Of man-laughter. The county
: oxford for the last ten years has hal b
er one solitary ~omau in jail For the Ia
4 three year- the county of Franklin, Win
D, has a new jail, has had q solitary woman q
"a il ia so all over the s ate in these sm'
counties. The counties of Pepobscot, A
10 droscoggin and Cumberland have twice
J. many in their jiils as all the rest OF t
c,anties in the State and Cumberland alo
1u ha. a. many as all the rest, the c1un
rs Jail in Cumberland county, the largest
Al most populous jail in the State is in h
10 rate condition. The Jail is used as lockt
~ He doubted IL the law Contemplated such
ne use and no other Jail in the State vas put
IS; such use. The women who are pus
oi ther. are released and put IN aga
81 One woman who WAS before the comm IL
!" sJd that she wanted . reformatory mss
u ton for women where g'rl who was ARE
on ed for simply stealing a bracele; would
ne be confined in all With pos iiutrs
rs women who hal committed larger erin
He lid no, believe there wssa woman in &
es j.il pu. there for stealing = bracelet as 4
'' uff-nse. lie was opposed 70 another iDsti
ms ton in thi, State because il would act q
o' sponge or blood sucker, drarins the hi
Ut earning. out Of the pockets of the farmer
'es the shape of taxes. II. vas opposed to
Vi ,hoIe institution because While II called
$50. 900 this year, it might call for SSO.'
t.e next AMI $50 90 the neIt, and might
fm few years asx for sl0D,01J. Tne Pm
iot Ia.p. etors said in 1856 - heretofore that
'en cuunties stthoui ala seem to have
IN crime than tn. counties where jsils ex
10 ia Is,, tney said in counties where III
M are no iuls III re is far less crime. He
." not b.heve that II bsse.s purity II wof
the ~ be sent 10 any jail or reformAfory ins''tu
Tor or other insti,ut on where she has festrai
Nv! lie did not think that the section Of the
lhs hat allows the offcers Of the institutio
nm grant pzrdons vas constitutional
I'm Governor and Council alone by the cons'
ces rion Of the State could have that POI
~ [AppIau-e.
a'h Mr.. SteArns Of Caribou said that the
ere pos . of a sentence imposed upoo con
e. are tuofoid punishment and refOrna'
rom In former times the severity OF the las
the de. COED 70 deter others from commifti
i'i .ik- ofense, out it ~As the eoaeasn
'ne- psople that there vas need Of . refofi
AK IA renee. Mr.. St-arns d~eIt upon
OF terrible import Of imprisonment to the
MN man xho has been seutenced fof no gr'
W" crime than larceny, and the dsa.tru Us ef
of comp iniopsh,p p Of the sreat~r Grim
10 ii h sbom she will come in contact in
prisou- tie drew from the argument 0
ana irieBd from Dover, the fact that the vl
re sBo nad tpe t~o p,odle dogs IN her cell
ha ia. uced by the desire for companion
ur Tsre /. no tortars greater tha0 tha, inf
y" ppn woman by solitary connuen
of linen when she comes from PRISON she
'hf forrh it.to the zorlt with . cloud har