St. Tammany farmer., 1906-09-01

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Brooklyn-It was quiet day In
the police station. Brownsville was
behaving itself and the matron OF the
station had whole hour to talk, with
only one interruption to wipe the
tears from the eyes Of small, dirty
boy. induce him to tell the address
of his home and send him on his way
under the guidance of big, strong
bluecoat. And the nsAtron, when she
talks, has few things to tell. In
fact, Mrs. Cox says, with her good
Irish chuckle, that she thinks she will
write book of her experiences to
make her rich after she retires from
the job of matron. The 'boys" have
suggested it to her. The "boys" are
the bluecoats, every one of whom in
Brooklyn, knows Mrs. Cox and has a
joke for her or word of guying
when he meets her.
e. Duties Of Police Matron.
Intoxication is the usual charge
upon which the woman prisoner is
committed, with occasional charges
Of theft, of assault, an attempted sui
eide and now and then woman whose
hands have committed some bigger
crime, homicide or infanitcide.
Whatever the charge, they all pass
through the station house on their
way to the jail or the penitentiary,
and the mAtron has them in her care.
She g4tN them fresh from their mis-
demeafors and with the stain of their
crimes new upon them. She is the
1rst and often the only -ministering
angel they know, for it is to the task
OF ministering that most of the ma
irons, womenlike, give themselves,
with more heartiness than to the
technical tasks OF their Office.
s. Young Girls Saved.
One night two young girls. were
brought into the station house for In
toxication. fresh, dainty girls,
dressed in the finest of evening gowns.
covered with long coats. It was New
Years eve and a bitter cold night.
The matron was used to the unusual,
hut the presence of girls such as
these in her lodging house made her
stop and wonder. 1t was only a lit
tie while before the sleep of intoxica-
tion wore on and the girls woke to
the realization of their surroundings
and the horror of 1t. Finally, they
were calm enough to tell the matron
how it all happened. They had been
over to Manhattan to dance with
Two boy friends. It was SO icy cold
that the escorts suggested before they;
crossed the bridge to take something
ID warm them, and they stopped in a
cafe and drank what the men or
dered for them. Unused Ito taking
stimulants, as soon as they struck
tie cold air out of doors the drinks
went to their heads and they knew
very little else of what happened ut1-'
IN they walked to find themselves in
the police station. What had hap.
uened was that the two escorts, find
ing themselves burdened with girls
too much intoxicated to know what
was happening to them, had opened
the door of a tenement house, showed
them in and left them there. The
xirls had fallen Immediately to- sleep
and one of the occupants of the house
stumbling over them, had reported to
the police and had them taken to the
station. It was hideous night for
those girls, used only to the niceties
and refinements Of life.
# When the next morning came, with
Its inevitable appearance at court,
they pleaded not to be taken In the
patrol wagon with the other prisoners
and the niatron secured the permis-
sion Of the sergeant to take them to
court herseif In the car, and arranged
for d private hearing before the
Judge. The circumstances related,
the fudge let them of with some
stroAg words of admonition. @ss
Maggie Regular Lodeer. r.;.-S,~ I
with some of the prisoners the ma
trons become old friends, for they
almost make the station house their
regnlar dwelling place. One of Mrs.
Coxs old-timers is an Irish woman,
named Maggie. whom everybody n
the station house knows. She has
been. a habitue Of station houses for IS
years. and the matrons and sergeants
xet 20 they look for her and almost
miss her when she doesn't come. She.
y q e -