Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-25

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Sentenoe Of the court. There was very little
about tho party, however, to distinguish It
from any other party out for. q pleasure
drive or on business bent and the fair
prisoner seemed to be about the least con-
cerned OF them all. She chat.ed pleasantly
with the others. and apparently was not
the least bit disturbed, even rs the carriage
drew up to the frowninE gateway of the
Jail.
She jumped out unassisted and stepped up
to the door, which was quickly opened to
receive her. Warden Leonard was on hand
himself to look after the details Of her con-
ffnement, and welcomed the party much as
he would have done If they had been his
personal guests.
The details Of her commitment were gone
through with in q very few minutes. 1t
vas, OF course, not necessary to search
Mas Flagler. for there was no danger Of
Ter having knife about her person. The
commitment papers which the deputy mar
shall brought with him from the court. en-
trusted to the keeping Of the warden "the
body Of Elizabeth Flagler, to be kept in
custody for the period Of three hours. dat.
ing from 0;3o O'Clock, February %. 1898"
According to this her period Of confine-
ment az prisoner lasted until 1870
O'Clock, February %. 1896. Other prisoners
coming from court by way of the ordinary
Old jail van, looked as though they thought
three hours would be a good thing along
side OF three months.
Stay Made Pleasant.
Gen. Flagler stayed with his daughter at
the Jail. as did also her aunt, an elderly
lady, and between them the hours were
made to pass as quickly as three hours ur.-
der such circumstances and amid such sur
roundings could possibly be expected to
pass. During the same length of time a
star reporter was also confined within the
jail, and to all intents and purposes was as
much OF prisoner as was Mss Flagler
barring only the fact that If he wished to
leave he would have been allowed to Go So
while Miss Ffasler would have bean kept
as a guest. willing or other WISE until a
MALT hour after noon. But the reporter did
not care to leave, and so they were equally
prisoners, Tor the only locked door between
Miss Flagler and freedom was the main en-
trance door. Miss Flagler was not con-
nned in a cell. but was allowed the pr:yi-
reyes OF the matron's room on the second
Moor OF the west wing, where The female
prisoners are locked up. There were cDly
twenty-seVen other women in the wing but
the arrival of stylishly young
Constituent. 10
Warden Leonard explained that Miss
riasier was confined In the District Jail the
minute the front door shut behind her, and
tfat there was nothing in the sentence or
In the commitment papers which could he
construed as ordering her Incarceration in
. cell. "
Meal Refused
MIS- Bennett, the matron who was on duty
today, looked after Miss Flagler's comfort
In every possible way, and three hours con-
hnement in company with such a pleasant
laced woman and with her aunt could hard
Iy have been regarded by Miss Flagler as a
very serious ordeal At least she did moi
seem 10 consider 1t as such, and, in pom, of
TACT, her actual stay at the jail was good
deal less than three hours, for it was some
minutes after l o'clock before the party
Ieached the jail. Mrs. Bennett and Miss
flaSierS aunt remained in the room all the.
time, and the ladies evidently thought il
was hardly worth while to remove their
bonnets for such short stay. The midday
ihea, al the jail is served promptly at noon,
but Miss Flagler declined to partake of the
hospitality. for shortly after their arrival
at the jail Gen. F'lagler mad gone to the tel
epEone in the warden's office and notified
Mrs FiaSler that they would be home by
half-past / o'clock and 10 wait luncheon for
them until that hour They preferred their
own home table to the corn bread and boiled
beef that was served to Warden Leonard's
guests. They chose wisely, although the
prison fare was very good of its kind Cen
Flagier spent most of the time while his
daughter was behind the bars with Capt
Leonard in the latter's office. Here he could
ENJOY cigar or two, and as both gentlemen
saw deal of active service in the late war
they had plenty to talk about Gen. Flag
Ier led the conversation and talked for a
couple of hours most entertainingly on the
SUBJECT OF his experiences as an officer at
the front
The Release.
As the time drew near for Miss Flagler's
release the warden kept an anxious eye
on his watch for he did not care to keep
her too long. but was equally determined
that she should serve every minute of
her sentence. In point of fact it was Just
12;''2 pm when he ran lightly up the
stairs to the matron's room to tell Miss
Flasler that she might once more breathe
the air of freedom. Then there was a lit
tie mitch III the proceedings, for Gen.
Flagler had sent his carriage back to the
stable and it had not returned on time.
Miss Flagler laughingly told Warden Leon
ard that she would have to trespass on
his hospitality a little longer, as she did
rot care to venture out until the carriage
came Ten minutes passed. and still it
did not appear. so the party entered a
little wagon in front of the Jail and were
driven off to the cable cars Right by the
new library building they met their own
carriage. and leaving the cars they entered
the carriage and were driven Off rapidly
In the direction of the FIagler residence
MISS Flagler did not seem to be the worse
Tor her experience. She was in the best of
spirits and lacked that pallor which con-
hnement in a Jail usually gives to prison.
ers.
Three hours is short sentence, though it
Is not the shortest on record, for there
have been cases in the District where pris-
olers have been sentenced to an hours
confinement. In such cases it has not been
the custom to take the prisoner to the
jail at all, as his time would be Up before
ne reached there. lie is allowed to leave
the court and only the commitment papers
are sent to the warden of the jail.