The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-25
H
FEMALE PRISONERS.
Daily Life Of Women lncar-
cerated in the Trenton
States Prison.
FIVE OF THEN MURDEREssEs
Thirty-thres Criminals of the
Gentler Sex Are Confined Be-
hind Bars-All Work
Every Day.
FIVE OF THEM MURDEREssEs

-a-.EE+
Especial to s.The Jersey City News.'l
TRENTON, Sept. IS. 1S97,-In the New
Jersey State Prison there are at the pres
ent time t~wenty-three women who nave
been sentenced to solitary confinement
for their offences against society. Ihe
makeup of these female criminals is
varied. There are old women with haar
as white as snow, women who are still
in their prime and others who seem
I scarcely out of their teens. Women Oh
the Ethiopian race greatly predominte IN
this band OF felons, and many nationah-
ties of the white race are represented.
The terms of these female offenders are
as varied as their ages. Five are MUIR
deresses, but only. one is serving a life
sentence. This is I.ihhfe Garrabrant-the
subject of so many newspaper stores
who is paying the penalty for having muir
dered a man in Passaic county. she mas
been in the prison for a score OF years,
having been sentenced while still in her
teens. She is q well preserved woman,
and in her early days was no doubt quite
pretty.
Libbie is one of the best behaved pris-
oners in the big institution. and bears her
troubles in an exemplary manner.
Two of the other women who are held
accountable for the taking of human life
are serving tw~enty-year terms; one Is IN
prison for fifteen years and one Tor ten
years. The crimes of the other women
are of all kinds and their sentences range
from one to seven. eight and ten years,
The daily life of these women IS very
simple never changes, They rare
somewhat better than the male prisoners
In their surroundings n the like. They
are also fortunate enough to have now a
matron who is a believer in human meth
DDS. Mrs. Eleanor Leeds, the daughte
OF Head Keeper S. 8. Moore. is in charge
of the women's wing, and since her ad-
vent as matron this wing has been con-
Quoted with very little trouble. MIS-.
Leeds. when her father was made head
keeper, nearly two years ago, came with
him from Elizabeth, and has since served
as matron.
Prior to her administration affairs In
wing No. 5, the women's wing, were not
always as they should be. Haif-pulang
matches were frequent and sometimes OF
q very destructive kind. A feeling Of r.
retrievable degradation seemed to lake
hold of the women as soon as they en-
tered the prison, and they cared little or
nothing for themselves.
Now all has changed. Mrs. Leeds mas
succeeded in getting the Prison Board 70
have the entire wing renovated. Ine
sanitation was in a very bad condition,
and the quarters badly run down.. New
sanitary appliances have been put IN anu
the cells, of which there are thirty, nave
been newly WhiteWaShed. Inc eQrfluof,
too. has been kalsomined and newly pant
ed. and the general appearance IS bright
and clean
tier being given up to the elderly women.
At one end of the corridor is the aungeoh,
where prisoners are put in ior
violations Of any of the rules of The fnstl-
fution. The dungeon contains three Cells
and, as might be supposed, It is not d
very desirable place to be IN. Al the
other end Of the corridor is the q
where ali the washing and ironing is
done. Over the Laundry is a room usea
as a hospital. There is considerable Of
an air Of comfort about oad tnls later ream po u 4
large bath tub, and IT IS mere that All ehe
The female prisoners all work every
day. Four are employed in. the laundry
and the others are engaged in maklns
Mrs. Abbie Newell is the assistant ma
TT, tTop ~ and fSs f @eme ahaf Ers e Mary ias M Z. Wa naqs
is the cutter. The night matron is MIS-.
Moore.
~ tInR DIlSODSTS dIiSC gath LAAO AAAA6 ~
tween six and seven o'clock and are
served breakfast in their cells. This
meal consists of bread n tea. They re-
main in their cells until eight O'Clock,
when they file down to work. -.
Each woman Is neatly clad in a small
checked gingham. dress ana white apron
and as they march down into the corTldor
work steadily until about half7past eleven
when they return to their cells to take a
brief rest n arrange for dinner.
A noon dinner is served and this meal
placed in the middle of the big corridor
and the women sit down to a substantial
meal The food varies from day to day,
the principal dish being beef stew or
After the table has been cleared away
work is resumed until half-past four in
the afternoon, when the days toll Is over
garden. This garden is directly in front
of the womenis wing, ana IS indeed a
thing of beauty, It is more thar a hun.
contains all varieties of plants and flowers
and is a God-send to the poor creatures
who are daily permitted to roam in 1t
Supper IS served in the cells and con-
sists OF bread and coffee. The bill Of fare
is changed on Sundays, when i big sup
ply of melasses cakes or cookies are sent
Srivats Kitchen. After supper each even
ing the women spend an hour IN the cor
rider, where there is an organ. One Of
the members usually plays While the
At about seven o'clock they are locked
In their cells for the night and the next
day they GO through the. SANG routine.
Every sunday ,a morning h ! e a. legs asgis
day afternoons at two o'clock religious
services are. conducted IN the corridor by
the w. G. !. U.