The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-11
IN THE WITNESS ROOM.
WhiskeY a Common Bever-
age, Apparently, Where
Those Young Girls are
Imprisoned.

ships Of the two young girls who are
forced to miugle among criminals
while they are simply witnesses. These
girls told JERSEY CITY NEWS reporter
yesterday of the horrors OF their condl
tion and It was published. One Of the
girls, Susan Schneider, only thirteen
years old TOLD in graphic language how
coarse woman, Bridget Coogan. COM
mitted for being drunk and disorderly,
was made nall woman, and how sne COM
PEELED the girl to scrub the floor. notwith-
standing the fact that no person ever
committed to the County Jail
for crime can be required to work.
The girl also declared that Bridget
Coogan got drunk in Jail and that on
Monday last she was in that disgraceful
| condition. Susan declared also tnat this
woman beat her because she would not
work after having scrubbed several apart
ments. The Rirl also complained Of the
| food.
| In some of these particulars she was
corroborated hY Mary Riley, sixten years
old, also a witness who had been detained
| in jail TOO long for the morality and civil
| ization OF this age. Mary said the food
was bad. the coffee not fit to be drank.
and that she had TO scrub the floor when
Bridget Coogan, the drunk and disorder
ly prisoner, ordered her to. Mr.. Birdsall
admitted he had read the published state
ments, but declined to talk about the
matter at all.
| Had he consented to an interview he
would have been asked by what right he
directs prisoners to clean the Freehoders'
/ office, the Court House and the Jail and
take care OF the grounds about the Court
House. There is no law that permits
prisoner TO be sentenced to hard labor in
| q County jail.
How an ordinary witness to case to
be tried can be compelled to do this labor
was another question that the reporter
would have asked the jaileri II that official
had consented TO an interview.
WHISKEY IN THE WITNESS ROOM.
There seems TO be much reason to be-
lieye the story of Susan Schneider that
/ the inmates OF the jail have but little diff
| ficulty ia being supplied with whiskey.
Yesterday while Lawyer Ryerson was
defending William Harney. accused of
| trying to break Jail, some liquid elements
were developed. John Bluemstock,
| prisoner who had been committed for
thirty days. was witness for the prose-
| cution. He testified that Harney asked
him to change the locks of the cells.
Harvey, when the opportunity arrived,
Indignantly denied this and said:
81 could have done this myself IL
| wanted to, for Bluemstock was too drunk
to know what he was doing"
Bluemstock recalled, replied 81 was
not drunk, for / ouly had one drink and
4 ,
| Ryerson furnished you"
To say the Court looked astonished
| would be perhaps an exaggeration. Tor
rumors of the easy access of whiskey to
| the Jail have long been prevalent.
| Lawyer Ryerson did not eutoy the ale
| & atlons however, and he Very closely
ross examined the witness, and finally
! S ucceeded in making him say that he had
only been told that Mr.. Ryerson took the
| whiskey into the jail
frtrr, nfrfrs sDf
| Winfield from window in his office
| s pied man tying bottle or whisKey to
a string. The whiskey was drawn up to a
W window in the prisoners corridor, and
hand clutched it. IL was forever lost to
| view. Detective FeeneY arrested the
man who furnished the rum, and the
| prisoner no doubt drank his health.
Commenting on this easy way of sup
plying rum to prisoners, Lawyer Theo-
dore Ryerson. Jr., said he had frequently
seen bottles of it pulled mp to the windows
by the inmates who lowered strings This
was particularly the case with the witness
room, which contains not only witnesses,
but drunks and disorderlies.
1t is believed that the Hudson county
branch of the State Aid Society will for
mally present the facts of the condition
of the Two girls who are forced to un-
dergo such a life among criminals when
they have committed no wrong and are
not accused Of any to the Court and ask
IOr Inelr dlscharge.
woMAN's INDIGNATION.
Mrs Alexander OF Hoboken is very pro-
nounced in her condemnation of the sys-
tenn of OBTAINING witnesses at the County
Jail. She is interested in all works Of
charity, ard everything she undertakes
of this nature receives her individual at
tention. The condition of affairs at the
County Jail she considers OF u very de-
moralizing nature, and she says imme-
dtate steps should be taken to remedy the
evils. She says the management OF the
county institutions at Snake Hill Is very
good. The accommodations are better,
aud II any suggestions are made by the
State Charities Aid Association they are
carried out.
Referring directly to the girls detained
as witnesses at the County Jail, Mrs.
Alexander says it is a suame. The girls
who are detained as witnesses are subject
to the influences of immoral women who
are sent to jail, and under the present
system it is impossible for them TO over
come this influence, but if there were a
proper place of detention for witnesses, a
prolecIory for girls who are not really
immoral, but who have a tendency that
way. then much good could be accom-
plished.
A LEGAL OUTRAGE.
Mr.. James FIemming. the lawyer, is an
active member of the Hu son county
branch # the State Charities Aid Society.
aud in this matter of the detention of wit
nesses he is very indignant. "It is
shame" he said, "that these girls are
held here in this manner. There is 30
reason why they should be deprived of
their liberty. Because they were un-
lucky enough to see crime committed
they are showed into prison aud held there
while the real eulprit is enjoying liberty.
or course they eau be admitted to bail,
but poor people find 1t very hard to get
bal
1.-The system is wrong, decidedly
wrong" continued Mr.. Fleming. "If
they wish TO mold persons as witnesses, or
rather wish to insure their presence at
the trial, let them employ detectives TO
have a supervision of these people. The
detective can be responsible for their ap-
pearance. and when they are wanted he
can produce them. In this way a man
who has family 10 support can continue
at his occupation without prejudice, and
a man OF business can attend to it, but
under the present system a man who has
family, or business man. may be COM
PEELED 10 neglect his business to such an
extent as 10 ruin it. No man should be
deprived Of his liberty unless proved
guilty of crime"
well, then you think proper place
should be set aside for detained wit
nessesi' asked.
mot at ALL replied Mr. f'lemmlug