The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-09
FEW WOMEN IN PRISONS,
Does That Fact Prove That They
Are Better Than the Men
Are2
A Newspaper Woman HI Been
Investigating the Subject
OF Late.
A Psniteatiarv wardea Tell Her That
the Courts Are Isnieni-shs RE-
flutes Him Easily.

have been studying prison statistics,
I'D / find the average proportion Is 20
women To 900 men. in the case Of the
Columbus 90 pententinry there are only
2s women 20 nearly 900 men AT the
Western penitontiary In this state there
are 80 women to over 900 men. Talking
with the courteous warden Of this latter
institution few days since, | asked him
for his theory and got IL with readiness.
u was with n mind made mp that he an
swered, at Is largely owing 10 the lenicn-
cy Of the court that more women are not
convicted. ~
But" said !, "people must be ar
ruigned before they can be convicted, and
there are proportionately 30 few women
brought 20 trial Either they do not VIC
late the law, or they are more clever in COW
ering up their tracks. and this with clev-
erness that amounts 20 talent, and even II
this last be true does there not still remain
something 10 be said for them from
worldly point Of viewi The Spartans
taught their youth the sin was not in
stealing, but In being found ont, You
know And the warden agreed that the
Spartans were not all dead yet, or at least
D
but would concede nothing 20 women on
the ground of morality.
Women are something Of "A bother 20
most men, but 10 wardens in particular, |
have concluded, and having known them
both wisely and well / suppose when one
/ such custodian insists that women Of "a
/ low grade are worse than men of the same
/ grade we should accept his judgment
without question. But what want to find
out is why there are not as many women
as men of this same grade? Warden
/ Wright goes further and Is especially posi-
/ tive that women in general are not better
than men, and that once bad they are more
incorrigible. and il is his experience that
there are not 50 many reformations among
women convicts as among the men, by
which we may infer that women love
wrongdoing.
Out of the fullness Of his knowledge Mr..
Wright argues that by the time women
land in the penitentiary they are so stepped
in sin as TO be quite past redemption here,
and got the impression he had not much
hope of them hereafter.
But let us see about the iniquity Of wo-
men. In the first place, there are more
women than men in the world. Therefore
il women are more immoral than men
ought they not 20 commit at least an equal
number of crimes?
But they have not equal opportunity.
They are not in the world as men are,
therefore are not so beset by temptations,
is the reply. But we may deny this, since
there are now over 500 occupations for
women and all crowded until there Is
} scarcely any room, even at the top, where
as in 1850 there were but 40 employments
in which women earned "A living.
They are now by the hundreds working
shoulder TO shoulder with men in all the
professions and a majority Of the trades
And are they not subjected TO the same
temptationsY II is now quite the exception
to find a man on the cashiers stool II
stores and restaurants, etc, and could
there be a better card to woman IS honesty
And vet il has been said women are only
given this place and like places Of respon
sibility because they can be hired for les:
money. SO more the temptation to stea
then. If women are so prone 10 go 10 sucf
lengths 10 crafty their love for dress, al
has been asserted, would they not, unless
morally better. be more likely to steal thar
men who are paid living salary and have
less provocationY
! But who ever heard Of a woman running
7 away with funds intrusted to herr Their
is no such curiosity on exhibition in thu
l human menagerie at the Western peniten
5 tiary at least, though, to tell the truth
there is a greater one-that OF hors
thief The mention of this freak feminin
: suggests one more "manly pursuit as fire.
I 10 women as TO men. Why do not NOR
! women steal horsesi They admire them
aud surely a stolen horse is worth as mucl
! owned or sold 20 a woman who would stea
D as TO man?
And are not women as clever with tn
penn Then why not Jane the penman a
well as Jim2 Yet how seldom we hear o
women forgingl
Prison reports the country over 70
1912 show an alarming increase in IN
population of such institutions, but sue
Z statistics do not show proportionate in
: crease i'm crime among women. One of Oh
: propelling forces leading to criminalit
2 upon which the authorities are quit
; agreed is "the desire TO live beyond legit
: mate means. - and ever since women bega
: wearing "store clothes they have bee
{ accused Of this very thing. Why, theI
Z do they not steal 90 crafty this desire q
. their hrothers do2
. Through the courtesy Of the warden
. was permitted 20 visit the woman : depar
: meut Of the Western peuitentiary. So r.
q as know | then stood for the first tim
3 face to face with a criminal Of my CIV
sex. I assure all who have not had the e.
: perience that it is a painful one, eve
. though one cannot fully realize the situi
- ton just at the time. That character ca
be read in the counteuance had mp 10 Cha
time been pet theory 81 mine. IL h'
\ been exploded
n There they sat In the light sewing room
working away as demurely and industr
ously aud apparently as contontcdly as
60 boarding school. Smiling and goo
humorcd too. as n never thought
evildoing Ind crossed the mind. The
were pink and white blends, the souln
blue ewes one reads about, and clear ski
ned brunct,cs. with the equally fetchir
dark eyes of that quality commonly call'
IN mourniul. but whether blends or brunette
III think the most expert observer, withol
having known they were criminals. cou
not have guessed H.. nor could he Ia
picked out from the lot those having hf
murder in their hearts or on their hands,
Meg in Philadelphia Times.
al lis HAT tns
Are Good ZOE are treated more suecetsfu
n by Park.' 81. Itis NOT cathafho;
. --...t.... - ..tr, - u,ovsa the hoNeiH eve