Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-08
SAN PEDRO JAIL
LIKE CALCUTTA s
FEMALE PRISONERS PACKED
LIKE SARDlNES
Score Forced to Stand Up All Night
After Raid and Guard Kept
Door Open to Admit
Fresh Air

Special to The Herald
SAN PEDRO, June 7.--C lcutta had
her black hole and San Pedro's Jail
was much like it last night
Following the raids under the new
reform administration by which all
dissolute women were locked up, the
squalid adobe structure on the city's
main street was converted into a hui
man walled corral.
twenty-five females and one man
were landed i'm the police drag net and
hard punishment was theirs when
they found they had to remain all night
In the dingy, dirty quarters where San
Pedro houses it's unfortunates.
Officers Charles Walton, Davis and
Culpepper had no alternative but to
drag the miserable creatures to the
lookup, but how to holdNthem all was
indeed a problem.
There Is cell room in San Pedros Jail
for hardly six persons and four times
as many had to be accommodated.
Once indoors the twentyythree clam
ored to get out and to get fresh air
Stood Up All Night
No thought of sitting or lying down
entered their minds. 1t was a physical
impossibility. So cramped were the
quarters that the prisoners had to
stand UP.
Hour after hour the women crowded
into their allotted space, taking turns in
giving the older and weaker members
of the sex space nearest the door.
There was no window worth the name.
A special, guard was detailed to re-
main at the door all night and when
it was found that the air was becoming
fetid 1t was decided to leave the door
open.
The inmates begged for this favor
and the guard took chances and did
so. They were perforce not under lock
and key and the lone sentry had to rub
himself occasionally to see that he did
not fall asleep.
CIamor for New Jail
Last nights spectacle will doubtless
bring to a focus the oft-talked-of plan
for building a new Jail for the city on
its own property. The present Jail is
on private land.
The first move toward a cleaning
out Of the disreputable element by the
new board of trustees and the city at
torney and police was the result of
aroused public sentiment.
The women were all taken out of
certain houses, and when they appeared
in. court before Justice Downing this
charge of living in and about a disso-
lutte house and being of that character.
Twenty of the women pleaded guilty
to the charge and they were liberated
on bail of $5 each to appear for SEM
tence tomorrow morning at ten O'Clock.
All gave bail and 1t is thought that
this will be the last seen of them, be-
cause If they appear they are liable to
get a sentence of a number of days in
the county jail.
Two of the women Mrs. Jennie Cor
rothers and Mrs. Ferris, and one man,
w. A. Cooper, were charged with keep
ing brothelS wherein the women were
allowed to remain and were also bound
over until tomorrow under bail of $50
each. They have each employed an at
torney and will probably fight the case.
Man Arrested Twice
The one man in the case, Cooper,
had to submit to arrest twice in the
same day. the first time being taken
for Illegal selling of liquor and placed
under bond of $100 to appear later.
Another peculiar scene in the court
after the settlement of the moral wave
cases was that of Octavia Chacon, a
Mexican, but who speaks the Spanish
language, lives in Los Angeles, and is
charged with disturbing the peace.
The trial was held and all evidence
taken I'm the Spanish language, the
Judge being perfect in that tongue.
The defendant admitted that he was
supporting two families. one in Los
Angeles and one here. He came down
yesterday to see how the family here
was getting along and became en-
tangled in an imbrogio wit hsome of
the older members of the family. which
ended in a fight and arrest. He could
not speak a word of English nor
could the witnesses.
He will receive his sentence to-
morrow.