Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-09-10
A POLICE MATRoN.

fuGucncc nf Womanly Woman Over
Dcspised and Hardened Outcast.
The work that good woman can 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
chief of police said, well, If you could
see one woman that comes in here three
OF four times a year-'Old Sail" 1t
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 cell the previous
night. 1--WE would like to see you
bring her into court, " the police said.
IF you can do that we shall believe in
police matrons."
The chief offered to send two men to
protect me, but declined their serv-
iaes AS reached the cell door l
raped with the key, and then unlocked
th2 door and entered There in the
dark, narrow cell crouched the woman,
loo,liny more like wild beast. She
was just ready to spring as she was ex-
pecting the police. She cried out;
Who are your"
Il am your friend, replied
It's liei" she said. III haven't got
any friends"
But am your friend" reiterated
gently.
The woman laughed mockingly.
who are you, anywayT
II am police woman"
"Oh, | didn't know they had any
such things, she said. 81 never saw
one before. What do you think you're
goin' to do2"
Help you" | replied simply; and
as | stood there beside her l dropped
my hands upon her shoulders, and call
ing her by her married name, l said,
You know you have to go into the
court in minute, and you are not fit
to 60"
began to arrange her hair took
a pin from my own hair. She hadn't
a button or pin or fastening of any
kind in her clothes She sat there
tugging to hold them together and as
| tried to dress her she said:
Tell me what you are up to. Tell
me what you mean"
Looking in her eyes asked kindly,
'Do You remember the first time you
were ever in a police stationT
Don't l remember itp
''How old were you"
II wasn't sixteen then, and l am
more than sixty now"
How many times have you been in
these placesW
"Oh, don't know. l guess God
don't know-it's so often"
"Do you remember how you felt the
first time2'
81 was almost scared to death. l
cried all night"
''Sally, if good woman had been
there and had wiped the tears off your
face, and had put up your hair and
had rested motherly hand on your
shoulder, as have done today, what
would it have meant to youg"
ooh, would never have gone back
again, but nobody ever cared"
Now, Sally, want you to do some
thing for me. want to get woman
to go into these places to care for the
women in the way l have suggested.
Wouldn't you like to help mef"
II would do anything could to help
you.
THE police think you will not go
quietly into court with me this morn
ing; but Pm sure you will"
We talked together a little while
longer, and then came the call for us to
go into court. AS we rose from the bed
where we had been sitting said, "Will
you take my arm, or shall take yoursT
She looked me over and said, "Wal,
am about three times as large as you;
guess you'd better take mine"
So we went into court. The police
men said they would have cheered us
If it had been proper and one of them
said that | had "bewitched Sally"
And so the poor creature was bewitched,
but only with gentle treatment and
kind words. Youths Companion.