The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-01
STAYS IN The PEEKABOO JAIL
MISS DONNELLY WON'T QUIT THE
Porous PRISON IN QUEENS,

ana 1ntenus 20 thetnatm On INC S~p'
The question is: Who's going to bounce
Miss Mary V. Donnelly from the Queens
County Jail2 Miss Donneliy has been
there for some time and likes the climate.
the food and the company. She says 1t is
the best peekaboo Jail she ever was In and
she thinks she will tarry yet a time.
As il veil known. the little company
dwelling in the Queens County Jail IL one
Of the happiest families in that n~eighbor-
hood. Eve at that boys will be boys and
go out nights occasionally. but they always
come back. Even Prisoner George Small
returned to tho jail that time that he went
ND to The Bronx to SEQ II he couldn't get
back that pair Of plaid pants that he over
looked the day ne was running away from
his most recent wife.
There are drawbacks about residence
in the Jail. Of course. The ~ianitOr Is a
bit short with the tenants at times and
they don't allow children or dogs. but It's
liberty hall. all the same. Nobody ques-
tions about ones comings and goings,
and there's a good deal In that. SO per
haps it's only natural Miss Donnelly should
nave become attached to the place.
Miss DOnnelly, to he more explicit. has
been assistant matron OF the Queens County
Jail for quite some time. Somehow or
other, there's no telling quite now. she
managed to fall out with the landlord. one
Herbert $. Harvey. who also happens to be
Sheriff of Queens county. Mr.. Harvey. de-
cIining to take notice of tentative offers of
reconciliation mCdestly made by Miss DON
nelly, informed her that as she didn't ave
any lease on her apartments she would have
to move.
Mix" said Miss DonneIly. nothing
moving"
That. at any rate. is said by several ear
witnesses to have beer the purport of her
statement.
To go back a little, one naturally wonders
how 80 engaging a person as Miss Donnelly
yesterday appeared to be could possibly
rave excited the displeasure OF Landlord
Harvey. That point il a trile obscure.
Miss DOnnelly herself In in no dOub regard
ing it. She says the Sheriff wants her job
for Miss Sadie A. NJ. wilson, who, says
Miss Don nelly, In a friend of a friend Of a
political friend OF Mr.. Harvey. Miss Dom
nelly is further willing to depose to n
body within two blocks OF the place where
she happens to be standing at the mo
ment OF deposition that there are -dolngs'
in the Queens County Jail. These dOings,
one lElAlNL Iuhkts dlds III NIo OllAAAOh VI NiAoN
Donnelly, so~mething-well, one must Judge
thai she inte nds one to believe hat Mr..
Harvey regrets the fact that they came
under her eye.
1t is a fact, to be sure. that the latest
Queens County Grand Jury. having made
an investigation into the charges that
the prisoners in the jail wandered across
jackson avenue into George OOdfrey's
saloon a bit too often for their health, has
just reported that the conditions of life
- H. onH - paVuph aVpnrpynI ErnWR
this il is to be logically inferred that the
alarm clock attached to the main door
after the latest Jail delivery so that in future
the door could not be opened after 10 o'clock
without setting OF the alarm and awaking
the watchmen, has been doing all that was
expected OF it.
In view of these facts, therefore, il is
a little hard TO See just what Miss Donnelly
is abiding to. All the same she's been
threatening to tell what she knows, and
those who know her best unite in saying
that she is a woman Of her word:
But whatever may be those @doings' the
fact is that Sheriff Harvey made charges,
alleging that she didn't know her business
as assistant matron and hat she didn't
attend to her work properly. One Of the
specifications is understood to be that Miss
Donnelly snooped around a good deal when
she ought to have been crocheting pink
wristlets In her own apartments. Having
made the charges anyhow, the Sheriff put
Miss Donnelly on trial before himself, found
her guilty of whatever IL was he charged
her with and ordered her dismissal and
removal from the Jail.
All the boarders. to whom her bright,
sunny ways nae endeared Miss Donnelly.
expressed the deepest sympathy with her
In her affection, for was there a man OF them
all who did not know how tough IL Is to be
turned out of jail? But Miss Donnelly de-
clined to weep on a~nybody's shoulder.
She denied that the Sheriff had anything
on her or. that he had authority to remove
her and she defed him TO do it, Word was
borne to the Sheriff by minions who reported
that Miss Donnelly had said as follows and
to wit:
LET him come and put me out That's
all"
Now, though great in intellect. Sheriff
Harvey IL a small man. Miss Donnelly,
on the other hand. il constructed Upon
heroic lines. These considerations may
have had no effect upon the Sheriff. but
at al events he made no effort personally
to bounce Miss Donnelly. Instead he en-
ployed the intellect already referred 10
and described. He tOo pen In hand and
wrote "A brief but pungent note to Matthew
j. Goldner. Superintendent OF Public Build
ings Of the Borough of Queens, inviting
him TO drop in some day AZ he was going
past and put Miss Donnelly out. MIR. Gold
ner went past but he neglected to drop in.
He in his turn took pen in hand and wrote
to Miss Donnelly as follows: Dear Miss
Donnelly; Kindly vacate and oblige. Yours
truly
But Miss DonnelIy knows about every
body in Long Island City. including the
wife and children of Mr.. Goldner. She
Immediately made representations where
they would do the most good, with the
result that MIR. Goldner stayed out much
later than usual at his lodge for several
evenings after that. He doesn't expect
to do any bouncing.
There was a Donnelly who lost his life
in the civil wal and who was a brother of
Miss Donnelly. A number Of his old COM
rades are members of . q. A. r. post in
Brooklyn. To them. too. Miss Donnelly
has made her moan. and she said yesterday
hat they la offered to send reinforce
ments IL she needed them.
But 1 don't need Them she said. Just
let him try to put me out. That's ALL"
II liz doubtful IL Miss Donnelly ever
looked more formidable in her life than
when she pronounced those few kind words.
Life is fun Of contradictions. It's as hard
a. LauVr kha uNkN.. klarIara IN M - Il -.