Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-30
ROW AMONG CoNvICTs.
Two Women From the District Wound
ed, One Seriously.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
WHEELING. W. Va. August 3O.-TWo
colored women from Washington. D. C.'
serving In the West Virginia state prison
at Moundsville. were frightfuily cut Win
knives last evening In a promiscuous hght
among themselves The most seriously
stabbed was Ada Cross. notorious =" assn
ington woman now serving twenty-year
term-her third sentence. and announcer
Washington prisoner. Martha jackson. sew
eral other women were more or less pail
fully injured. but none fatally. How the
knives came to be In possession of the
women is not entirely clear. They were of
the ordinary pairing knife pattern used IN
the kitchen. and were probably concealed
beneath the folds OF the prison dresses
worn by the convicts. The women met IN
the dining hall, and the Cross woman drew
her knife first. slashing right and lett
among her companions. The jackson Wo-
man took a hand, and before officers could
separate the combatants blood was moving
all over the place. The battle was caused
it is believed, by an old love case In which
tho Washington women were concerned Pc
fore they were arrested in the capital city.
While tte name Of Martha Jackson does
not appear upon the records, the name OF
Ada Cross Is so familiar to the police and
prison officials that 1t was not necessary
to consult the records In order to ascertain
about her case.
Ada was born wrong" was the remark
of q local detective today when he heard
Of the affair at Moundsville And" he
added. ''its not the first time she has In
dulged in a game Of rough house at the
West Virginia prison. When she returned
from there after the expiration OF former
sentence she showed scars she had received
In fight with somebody there
Ada Cross has been known to the police
since she was a very young girl. Her
mother and other members of the FAMILY
have also had experience in police circles
and some of them have served time In tie
penitentiary, while others were 80 young
that they were only sent to the reform
school, This is Ada's second visit to
Moundsville, and she also served time In
Trenton. She bears the reputation of being
a disturbing element both in and out Of
prison. The sentence of twenty years was
imposed after she had been convicted a
second time of charge of robbing houses
on Capitol HILL
While Ada was In Jail here some liquor
was smuggled into the prison and she was
made drunk. She tried to run the prison
to suit herself. and because she did not
succeed she was prompted to report the
jail officials to the court. Justice Pritchard
was the presiding judge at that time. and
an investigation of the jail officials treat
ment of her. The officials were exonerated.
and the woman was given second trial,
which resulted In her conviction and SEN
tence to serve twenty years
Detectives Baur and Cornweu arrested
her the last time she was caught. They
found her in Alexandria and brought her
here for trial. At the trial of her case she
set up an alibi and came near defeating the
ends of Justice. It is stated that when Ada
reached the prison the last time one Of the
officials said he would rather give up 500
than to have her there.