Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-09-11
A 1 mA1RoN.

Inhuenee Of a womaniy Woman over =
Despised and Hardened Outeast.
The work that a good woman an do
for the fallen Of her sex is well Illus
trated by a story related by Mrs. Bar
ney In an address upon the subject of
police matrons. She was once urging
the necessity of such matrons upon the
authorities of a certain city, when the
shief Of police said, well, if you could
zee one woman that ONE In here three
or four times a year-'Old SalP II
took four policemen, he said. to bring
her into the cell, and usually they got
their faces scratched. One morning
Mrs. Barney was told that this woman
had been put into a cell the previous
night. I'VE would like { see you
bring her into court, the police said.
'If you can do that we shall believe in
police matrons."
The chief offered { send two men TO
protect me, but l declined their serv-
ices. As | reached the cell door l
raped with the key, and then unlocked
the door and entered There in the
dark. narrow cell crouched the woman,
looking more like a wild beast. She
was Just ready to spring, rs she was ex-
pecting the police. She cried out;
"Who are your
Il am your friend, T" ! replied.
cts a liei" she said. Haven't got
any friends"
but l am your friend" l reiterated
gently.
The woman laughed mockingly.
''Who are you, anyway
Il am a police woman"
''Oh, / didn't know theg had any
such things" she said. al never saw
one before. What do You think you're
goin' 10 dor
Help you, a replied simply; and
as / stood there beside her / dropped
my hands upon her shoulders, and call
ing her by her married name, l said,
'eYou know you have 10 go into the
court in a minute. and you are not d
to 60"
/ began to arrange her hair. / took
a pin from my own hair. She hadn't
a button or a pin or a fastening of any
kind in her clothes. She sat there
tugging TO hold them together, and as
1 tried to dress her she said;
'Tel me what you are up to. Tell
me what you mean"
Looking in her eyes l asked kindly,
'Do you remember the first time you
were ever in a police stationf'
Don't / remember itf'
"How old were your
81 wasn't sixteen then. and ] am
more than sixty now"
How many times have you been in
these placesf'
ooh. / don't know. l guess God
don't know-it's 50 often"
do you remember how you self the
first timer
Il was almost scared to death ]
cried al night"
sally. II a good woman had been
there and had wiped the ear of your
face, and had put up your hair and
had rested a motherly hand on your
shoulder, as have done today, what
would il have meant to your
"Oh, 1 would never have gone back
again, but nobody eve cared"
Now, Sally, l want you to do some
thing for me. / want TO get a woman
to go into these places 10 care for the
women in the way l have suggested.
Wouldn't you like 20 help mef'
Il would do anything Icould TO helT
you."
The police think you viii not e
quietly into court with me this morn
ing; but I'm sure you viii"
We talked together a little whil'
longer, and then came the call for US tC
go into court. AS we rose from the bee
where we had been sitting l said, Wi
you take my arm, OF shall / take yoursf
She looked me over and said, Wal
1 am about three times as large a you
/ guess you'd better take mine"
So we went into court. The police
men said they would have ebeered u
II it had been proper, and one of then
said that | had ''bewitched Sally.
And so the poor creature was ewitched
but only with gentle treatment an'
kind rds-Youth's Companion.