Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-18
SIGNAL MYSTERY OF
CHAIN GANG SOLVED
LITTLE WOMAN IN BROWN
PUZZLES DETECTIVES
Even Newspaper Men Are All but
Baffled at Police Station by
Visitors Code of Cons
munication

Every day at 4 o'clock the chain
gang drives up in wagons to central
police station and unloads it's freight
of short-t term convicts.
Every day at o'clock, pacing up ana
down in front of the station is little
woman in brown. Sometimes there
are four wagon loads of unshaven
men dragging their letters behind
them; sometimes there are six. some
times the little woman In brown wears
pale sea green ribbon at her throat;
on other days it Is the color OF sun
kissed orange.
1t was in the early part OF the week
that notice was first taken of the WIS.,
it's of the little brown lady. Several
spoke of it at once. Police officials
1 and newspaper men began to wonder
| how long 1t was since she had started
! the practice of walking up and down
in front of the station at exactly
o'clock.
/ Some were quite sure they had seen
her weeks before, while others de-
clared her visits were intermittent,
, that she came but two or three times
week and then disappeared till the
following week.
Then it happened to be noticed that
if the wagons containing the chain
gang were a little late she prolonged
her visit and waited until they ar
rived. In this way her interest In the
chain gang was established. And then
one day a reporters curiosity was
aroused. He stationed himself just
inside the entrance and watched her
narrowly.
Back and forth in front of him she
passed till the numbering wagons
with their mounted escort turned the
corner from Broadway into First
street. She timed her steps so as to
pass the third wagon just as 1t drew
up to the pavement. Then, as she
brushed the brown veil away from her
face, 1t seemed to the reporter that
signal, but as far as could be Judged
there was no answering salute.
One Possible Solution
In the third wagon were two Mex
leans, a negro and five white men. AS
each man swung the heavy ball over
his shoulder and dropped YEARLY to
the ground his face was closely
scanned by the newsgatherer in the
doorway to determine, If possible,
which man had received the signal.
The faces of two of the Americans
bore traces OF refinement. Shaved
and cleansed and in different attire.
either one might prove a not unfit
companion for the little brown lady.
"a
thought the man in the doorway.
On the following day the same thing
occurred, only this time 1t was the
man in the wagon who made the sig
nal and the lady on the sidewalk who
answered it. The man held up three
fingers and the little brown lady did
the same and smiled as she did 1t.
He could hardly be her brother,
thought the man in the doorway. for
the woman had hair the color of melted
copper and eyes of turquoise, while
the man was swarthy and possessed a
black eye that burned like a coal.
When he had disappeared in the Jail
the woman walked on with new ex-
preston on her face. The note of sad
ness which had been so noticeable
during her earlier visits seemed to
have departed.
And the next day the little brown
woman made her final visit to the po-
lice station. The dusky man in the
wagon raised two fingers and received
the answering recognition. 1t came
over the man in the hallway all at
once. He looked up the records.
Ralph Jones, sentenced to the chain
gang for ninety days on a charge of
vagrancy, was released Friday. His
time was up. 1t was Thursday that
the little brown lady held up two
fingers.
She was only counting the days.