The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-26
A POLICE NATIONS WORK.
sHE MUsr mr. NURSE, ERIEND, AND
sTRONG Avn TACTFUi.

oncrs tn Tits CIt, q ,ntien-a- nnd Fem,
inino Discretion Have Improved the So,
d-ct OF StaNou House luabitue--sou
Tendrrioin Ezperiences.
A few years ago there wasn't a police matror
IN q station house In New York. To-day there
arc t"enty. and It IA likely that eight more
VIII he appointed very soon. Whom &c wns
made known that more would be appointed.
ever n hundred women, 40 II Is said. sent for
application blanks, hut ont Of that number
Very few were AZ all able to answer the uues-
t'Ohs, and when applicants were called 10 ap-
pear before Commissioners Roosevelt and
Grant for the purpose OF being examined. only
q dozon were on hand.
Many persons have an idea that Il takes
Drawn alone to mako n police matron. Brain
l. required, mixed UP with II deal OF tact, dis
cretion, and tenderness. 10 say nothing " ply
steal strength. what are the duties OF a
rolice matron?" asks the reader. They are
many and varied. She must be mother,
physician. and nurse all In one: she must min.
lister TO sick minds as we'll as bodies, and this
gives her something of the province of tho
teacher. the preacher. and the phllanthropist.
These are some of the duties that grow out OF
the rules laid down for police lnatrons to obey.
The first matron appointed, nearly Ave years
ago, is q gentle IN Annered sweet faced WOO
man with a CHEEKY smile and a motherly air
about her. Her very presence breathes Of
love. hotnc, and peace. When IL reporter
dropped into her room in tho Tcnderloln sta.
tion the other night and asked her how she
happened to become q police matron and what
her duties are, she sat In Il big chair coddling
q pretty boy Of five years.
Little darling" she cooed, do you want to
30 home to mammal Never mind, you shall.
We will give you some milk and crackers first,
though. you sweet child.'
The little fellow looked up at her and smiled
contentedly. Just then one of the officers
poked his head in the door and said: "What,
another grandchild, matron?"
YES she answered. '1Ie was found ,ry-
ing In the street about 3 o'clock this afternoon.
All I can get out of him is that his name Is
Robby, and one minute he says he lives In
Nineteenth street and the next In Tenth. I
guess his mother Is wild. for he Is q we'll bred,
well-kept boy, and 80 sweet" she said, giving
him another hug. Then she gave her alton
ton to answering the questions that had been
put to her by the reporter.
Legislature and Police Commissioners decided
that police matrons were necessary. especially
many. women were arrested. Up to that time
j had been O trained nurse, but changed be-
family. Three other Applicants stood the civil
service examination with me, and were APP
pointed. We had to answer twenty Ques-
What would YOU DO with a woman who had never
What II a woman attempted to hang h~erselfr"
What would you do II a woman should become
. mother while under your carei'
II q person had hemorrhases, what would you do
::'now would you treat hysteria,"
Suppose a person was brought In unconscious.
what would you do with her p
keep s1, Ssy wG qrom i was Taolesn .r.ye iF;a !" how would you
IF a girl lost from home was brought In what
would you do with herr
There were a great many other similar
smples in addition, subtraction, miltiplica-
not understand, for In all of my experience
as police matron I've never needed my knowl,
examine US on writing and reading, because
t We have ~ b to Keep q memorandum For Of every ron case
for that reason il is necessary for a matroo to
must oe able to read to do this.
The phi, steal examination that a candidate
no Jung. heart. or organic trouble of aay kind,
her hearing and sight must be perfect; and,
for sine has much walking to do. That WAS the
extent OF the examination when the first ma
much more severe now, and that some school
teachers would lind 1t a hard matter to pass
street. and / and the fourth to Eiizabeth street
station. After being there six months l was
transferred here to the Tenderloin station. and
have never leon ct any other post. W ~ here
when the Tenderloin was In all its glory. and
have seen tie old district chang and go down,
it Is no longer the old place.
u to get back to the duties of q police
matron Every female prisoner brought In Is
searched at once. l take them down to the
cells. and II y woman Is charged with LARGELY
her garments carefully. and take down her hair
and look in her mouth. Shoplifters are ex-
must lnnk carnfnlly for ahIpliftarst nppEpta
and bags. Drunken women are searched in
the same way to see that they have no bottle.
they might iniure Themselves. II anything OF
any value Is found o" a woman II is given by
seals up the money, jewels. or other valuables.
and when the prisoner ia discharged she signs
for IL or them, and the property is returned TO
AT stations where there are matrons two
srS y;.h work mort toss S t oh They Al, alternate day
covers ten hours, from 4 A. NJ. to Is p. NJ, and
the night fourteen hours, The rules require
that they are kept perfectly clean. We al
way sevisit them three times every, hall hour
thirty minutes ii we deem it necessary. The
cells are thoroughly cleaned and dI5in fected
proved wonderfully since the police matron
became e 9 fixture. when tirSt went on duty
every night at the treatment i received from
the women arrested. end such LANGUAGE had
m nsxgr neI have oe CHANGED ,T n 10y Ills w' tta weG Of aff hGw the
AAA%N. W. 1
--''Tact and Kindness have done 1t. An officer
brings a woman in. say for drunkenness. The
matron attempts to search her, and the woman
curses her and splits OH her, and tries to pull her
hair. and screams, Don't you dare lay your
hands on me- The officer usually tries to inter
fei e. but the matron says gently, Never mind.
Officer. i don't need your help. She'll feel bet.
ter in a minute, and will let me help her off
with her things That always fc'ches them.
I've never seen il fail yet. The woman quiet
ly submits Ia being searched, and the next
morning che apologies for having abused the
matron. Every woman who has ever spent
a night In the station house tells some other
woman about the treatment she. received from
the matron, and Ia this way they've nearly all
come 10 iook upon US with friendly eyes.
The Gerry society takes charge OF all ar
rested boys aud girls under the age Of 10, but
In case a woman Is arrested with a nursing
baby, II II brought to the station house with
her. When the mother is drunk, or for any
other reason Incapable of taking care OF The
child. the matrOn has to take 1t to her room
and keep II until the mother Is in condition TO
care for II. The other night I had one In
here that screamed the whole night, nearly Get
ting the officers crazy. | had either to neglect