Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-09-01
BARsARasx IN AMERICA.
Kew Womea are Persecuted aud Or.
press%d Uud~r Coiar Of Law.

ne W OWeUo Alliance OF Cnl0o90
has undertaken to investigate aud *.
pose the police system aud courts
Of that city, and lately held . confer.
ence with the judges Of the Superior
and Cir,uit Courts. The women
were much in earnest in th-ir account
of what they had .e-n Of tho admins.
sra.ion of justice in the police courts,
and in their denuncistion of the treat
ment of unfortunate women. They
presented long list Of cases where
women had been arrested a. disorderlv.
either by mistake or o" some tru,nped.
up charge; also Ut cases Of improper
treatment Of women and children lie.
tanned on arrest or 10 witnesses. In
one instance two young girls, aged
fifteen and sixteen years, detained IS
witnesses, were confined for seven
days in police station with common
criminals. where the cells were damp
and foul, aud there WAS nothing but 4
board bench to sleep upon. 1t was
proven that the police courts were
fostering u system OF fn'ng unfor,u.
nate wUm-n "tor revenue only" tina,
for this purpose women aid girls are
''arrest-d ~ d1ov. S, fined only it, their
capacity to earn" and al! for the pur.
pose If giving the professional "ba,l.
en-" the ''shyster," aud the judge each
= tee, leaving one dollar beside for
the city treasurer. The Alliance
charges that tho whole machinery of
the police force Of Chicago is run on
this plan.
innocent girls and married women
in COMPANY WITH their husbands have
been arrested, and in spite OF ali
pleading aud remembrance. placed ~
the wagon and driven TO police hea
quarters. v hen ,ak.n before TIN
judge it las been proven that they
we're "doing notni"g," but the hue
was levied just the same, ami their
names entered on the long roll Of con
victs.
The most fragrant of these cases of
illegal arrest was that OF woman who
left her .ick child one night to visit q
drug store to obtain medicinr. While
on the road she was arrested in
most abusive manner, carried to isil
in the patrol wagon, and kept there
over night, in spite Of her prot-s s-,
the sick ciild being left alone until
the next day.
The judges ackno wl.dged and de-
precat d the exi-t-nce of these abuses.
Judge Al,geld said: 1.-The facts in
this report are not new to me. In
these police courts there is no shadow
Of trial ~ W. know it, but thcs.
police Justices are much migh'i-r men
than we Of th~ Superior and C,rcui,
Courts. They can in one hour send
fifty women 10 the B,idewell without
hearing . word OF defense. Daylight
10 the thing to right all these wrongs.
Let daylight into these police .cour,s
and into the police department., amt
half your work will he done. Let the
public hear Of these things. You
should not hesitate to mention the
names OF those who are to blame, be
they high or low, in or out Of office.
Then sign your name 20 the statement
of what you know Of the actions of
men who should he in the penitentiary
in place of wearing n uniform"
Since the Investigations made by
tho Woman's Alliance hav- become
public, there has been a strong de-
ma"d III the Chicago newspapers for
a reform of the abuses committed by
the police aud the police courts, aud
the number Of illegal arrests has de
creased.
The barbarities to which women in
Chicago have been subjected in the
name of the law are equsled by one
lat~ly committed in New York in
strict accordance with law. The fol.
lowing Statement of facts is taken
from tho New York World OF June
IL:
Mrs. Bassman, Of this city, WAS the
administrator Of Bartholomew O'con-
nell, who died on January 10 last.
Elk Assemblyman Charles P. Blake,
y" undertaken, presented her = oil If
$1,000 for funeral expenses. H. TIN.
WAS Al item OF $40 for ice. As Mr..
O'Connell had died in January and
the weather was cool, Mrs. Bassman
thought that the charge for ICE WAS
unnecessary. She refused to pay the
original bill, but said she would se,tle
for $ll5. Mr.. Blake would take no
compromise, but rushed his bill
through the Surrogate Court, and
upon her refusal to pay Obtained an
order Of arrest to punish her for con.
mpt, aud .he was locked up IN Lud.
low Stree, Jail. Her Into baby, lie.
psived of 4 mothers care, sickened
and died, aud her other children aud
her homo were neglected. Mrs.
Bsssman had good cause for not cum
plying with the orders. and had not
intended any disrespect to the court.