The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-06

One OF Them Gives Some Leaves from
Her Experience.
Philadolrbio NH,

When attended at one of the most i'm
portant metropolitan police stations. and
searcher anticipated the pleasure of a lit
tie chat with perfect ogress To my sur
prise, for found the searcher to be a mild
hammered, pleasant-faced little woman.
with quite a CHEEKY smile and an absolutely
motherly air about her. She dropped an old
fashioned courtesy when the inspector in
aback when informed that the dignity of
being interviewed was to be conferred upon
her.
i've been here some years now, and the
task Of searching the prisoners Is so famil
lar that I hardly notice what happens,
in is at once searched, you know. take
them down to the cells, and they have then
to remove every article of clothing. Every
~ to be worn is taken from them and. of
course returned If really their property
Carefully feel eel oVer as take It from them.
and 1t is now very seldom that miss any
thing that may be there. A woman was
ing a watch. Find it / couldn't. though
searched every inch Of each article of cloth
ing. Just as I was giving up in despair I
had carelessly taken of. In the left shoe
there was the missing watch. The woman
had been walking about with her foot
screwed up and the watch in the toe OF
her shoe.
Needless to say. always feel in their
hair. Several times stolen articles have been
secreted in the hair. and when Ii Is worn
in bum the feat is an easy one Another
prisoner had rolled her hair around five
pound note There are two Of US here, and
If the prisoner Is at all violent both assist in
the search. But 1t Is very seldom that
women are refractory. They know that vio-
lence is of no use. and. needless to say, we
make the task of searching as pleasant for
them as 1t can be made. Bad language, as
you may imagine, We are used to, and some
apon get hidden u
bustles were in fashion many articles were
secreted in them, one woman having q doz-
en- pieces Of jewelry SO packed away The
weight of the hustle betrayed it.
making them lift up the tongue, for some
habitual criminals are very clever at hiding
rings and other small articles in this way.
There was a woman here charged with
stealing wedding ring. l searched her
thoroughly. examined her mouth, but could
find nothing. The prisoner had had a deal
too much to drink, and. as often happens. L
was directed to sit with her all night. did.
At first she talked. then went to sleep. SUD
denly she started up. seemed as II about to
from her mouth to the floor of the CELL
How she had hidden 1t, to this day can
not imagine.
There is no special qualification for the
post Of searching at police station. II you
know an inspector, and he speaks for you
when there is a vacancy, you may get taken
on If you have good character. Plenty OF
applicants there are always. Most prison.
ers take things very quietly, and five out of
six go calmly to sleep. The drunken ones
here often grow to regard me quite as a
personal friend, and begin to tell me OF
their doings directly i take them In hand.
Sometimes they glare at me and say. Don't
ing usually manage to pacify them, and
the search proceeds peacefully"