The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-11
REFUGE GIRLS UPRISING.
WILD SUNDAY IN THE HUDSON HOUSE
or REFUGE FOR WOMEN.
Ismstes of "the Prison" Smash Doors,

HUDSON. n. Y, Oct. 1O. Peace broods again
over the House OF Refuge. She broods with
ruffed feathers and dropping wing, and
closes not her eye for . single minute. lest she
be knocked once more from her precarious
perch.
The storm that wae indirectly or directly
brought on by the change In the management
OF the institution, vita Its sweet methods OF
moral suasion In controlling the inmates
thereof. has left many traces OF its force.
Nobody 10 sure It 10 all over. Shsrif1's depu-
ties specially sworn in for this emergency BIT
and stand in the shadow OF every building.
The very air 10 charged with the spirlt OF un-
rest. and som etimss. truth to say. with things
more substantial.
Folks interested in this reformatory for
young women have recovered sufficiently from
the excitement OF the rioting by the inmates
to do some deep and broad thinking.
They are beginning to wonder whether hys-
tercal. morbid newspapers. with hystsrical
morbid editors. are indeed the best friends OF
hysterical. morbid land oftsntimes vciousD
young women.
1t was the clamor and waiing OF such as
those that brought about the change Of method
in the institution. from government by might
to government by eonscisnce-wh tho gov
erned were in the establishment simply and
The change OF method brought with 1t a
change OF managers that. in the estimation OF
some friends OF the House OF Refuge may
have been y beneficial change. and In the
opinion OF others It may not have been for the
best.
Friends OF the old Board and friends Of that
installed by Gov. Roosevelt. however. are Of
the apparently unanimous pinion that 80 long
as the institutions present inmates are typical
OF the women to be confined there. something
more than moral suasion must be used to con-
troll them.
The State law. as 1t stands. forbids corporal
punishment. The State Board OF Charities and
the present Board OF Managers are determined
that the letter OF the law BIZ followed though
the buildings be pulled down about their de-
voted heads by tho unapprscatiye objects OF
their consern.
Just what the removal OF the fear OF corporal
punishme mt has done 10 best to be shown by a
ciroumstantial account OF what has occurred
at the House OF Refuge in the last few days
But first the conditions with which the man
aEement have to cope must be understood.
The institution was originally designed. in
the opinion OF the present managers. for a
corrective institution for young girls who had
just begun to 90 wrong and who had not yet
devoted themselves to evil ways. They were
to be taught cleanliness. housekeeping. sew
ing and cooking.
Committing Magistrates have fallen into the
way Of sending the most hardened. unRodly.
wickedest harpies OF the wickedsst parts OF the
big cities to the institution: also the criminal
insane also the feeble mi ndsd. 80 that the
women now in tho place are divided among all
these classes. beside the class which Prof Mills.
DR. Wilson and the rest believe are the proper
subjects Of its discipline.
They would like to distribute tho thoroughly
elini,ns.. VIC "uu .ie .eeD ~,
mihoeu among 'he tns''a''ons haiht"ineu ZOE
the benefit OF such people. Then they believe
., n,. s =. aaado,a =. ,h.ioa r.orira. ~
uates In wroheaoine' az ,he law requires IN
The The H House Of Refuge wa. not built on tho
r,an =, . n.ni,.,ti,rv p.nitenti,rv dIscin,ins
bI - isolation and seciu.ion is impossible. Th.
i i tn. hardened criminal. during good DO.
. "a tho sr.so.. when they were ob.trsper.
ON.
The present managers took away the brides
OF comparative liberty offered to such famous
erimlnais as mary marlborough ana marina
Brnkman. and told them that they must be
good because they ought to be. And II they
T.avhr. h.o,n ~ hrsw riobt ,v.x T. hs.
trouble began 10 ORE" rieht away IL mas
stswed and stewed. until 1t boiled over in
this last week
TIN. nr,.orni. III. pl,.. in Witch GIRLS AZ.
hepison 'ne p'"eo !" why" k"!S ate
supposed to be disciplined for misbchavior in
the cottages Ia which most OF the girls live.
As a matter OF fact the worst girls ike to be
put In the prison
II is in the middle OF the grounds it's win
dows command view OF everything that is
going on aud It 10 so arranged Inside that con
fnemsnt is impossible
Girls on ali the three floors can talk and do
talk TO one another with the utmost freedom
1t 10 a sooable place Since the new regime Of
Don T. beeaus e- H. ian Z nice there has been
NO way to stop this telling Of stories and swap
ping Of more or less ere BILE tales OF personal
eIperienos.
Last week the women in the prison heard
that a matroA who has not been there since
the inaguration OF the moral suasion regime
was to return Fifteen OF them quietly set
about plans for a greeting to her that would
make her sorry she ever cam back
They knew her for a stern dioplinarian in
the old days and they saw in the new regua-
tions an easy way to make it hard for her to
| establish herself among them again. Tho
word went out for rebellion.
hi! Maud Mc(iinnis," ono OF the con spira :
tors would shout from the prison windows.
come TO the prison"
What for?" answered Maud from her post in
80. ' -