The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-03
THINKS JAIL ATTACHES
 CARELESS IN LOST CASE
Says Captain Donelson Is One of the Biggest-Hearted Men In Town and Would Not Be Guilty
 of Rough Conduct.

relative to the Jost and Parsons cases l Chief Bodeker was unrestrained in dis
 cussing the facts in the two cases. He ] states that as far as the death of Mary
 Jost is concerned the police department 1 is absolutely blameless, inasmuch as he,
 as the executive head of the department, has no authority whatever in matters l concerning the city prison. He defends 1 Captain Donelson, the police officer who
 sent Parsons to the city jail. i With reference to the city jail, in ] speaking of the Jost case, Chief Bodeker
 stated that, to begin with, "the city
 prison is not fit place to put any per
 son in."
 In speaking of the two cases last night 1 Chief Bodeker said:
 Captain Donelson is one of the kindest and most efficient men in the police de-
 partment and has served in the capacity
 of a police officer of Birmingham for p years He is generally known for his good 1 judgment in making arrests and for his 1 big-heartedness.
 Mr. Parsons, the gentleman who died | in the patrol wagon, was located by
 
 Terminal station and Captain Donelson
 was called upon to have him removed from the place.
 q presume that if MT. Parsons had been put in an ambulance that he would have died before reaching the hospital.
 or that he would have died before Cap tain Donelson could have summoned physician to attend him. Apparently the
 now deceased man did not live more than
 30 minutes after he was found by the
 workman. The patrol wagon responded
 70 Captain Donelson's call immediately. There is no one of whom l know who regrets the death of MT. Parsons more than does Captain Donelson, but as he did not know of the mans con- dition there was nothing for him to do l but to send him to the city prison to
 have the city physician examine him,
 which he did,
 1 "As for the Mary Jost case I did not 1 even know that such a person was ar
 rested, but from what l have learned l since her death I understand that she was ] in the city jail for about AS hours prior ] to her death.
 "I have absolutely no authority over
 the men in charge of the city prison and
 did not know of Mary Jost's death un- 1 til I read the accounts in the newspapers
 q should think that it is the duty or 1 the warden of the city prison, when
 sick person is brought to the jail, to call ] the city physician and have hlm examine i such persons Tn order to tell whether or not they should be sent to the hospital l to be treated.
 l "rrhe men of the police force have abso- 1 lutely no authority to send man to the 1 hospital when he is picked up on the l streets. They are supposed to send them I to the jail, after which the city physician | is supposed to be summoned
 .There is no way for an officer to tell what medical treatment is needed in cases ! of this kind The city physician is sup l posed to pass on all such cases as 10 1 whether or not the person should pc l sent to the hospital. People are often l nicked up on the streets in an unconscious l condition and are sent to the city jail. l Frequently on the next morning they are all right after having recovered rom the effects of whisky which they have drunk
 
 l oi from drugs taken.
 l CT might say at this time that the war den at the city prison has positive in structions not to take an insane person | into the city jail. They will not be re- l, ceived by the county jail authorities With | out a warrant from the probate judge. | The question arises as to what an officer is to do when he finds mentally de- ranged person on the streets. "At the city prison, l contend, there should be a padded cell in which to put rersons who are mentally deranged when arrested. and for persons suffering from delirium tremens and similar attacks. All cities of any size have these cells in their jails.
 "Regarding the death of Mary Jost, cer- tainly the police department can not be blamed, as she called for medical atten- ton and my understanding is, the city physician was never notified" Police Officer Buckalew was the officer who sent Mary Jost and her companion to the city jail In Chief Bodekers esti- nation MT. Buckalew is one of the most trustworthy and most careful men in the police department heldtlNe to lHe arrest of the women, following is Officer Buck alews statement:
 BuckaleW's Statement. Tt had been reported to me that there were three white women in a vacant house in First alley between Twenty-third and Twenty fourth
 streets, and that they were living in an awful condition, and I went up to this house and found one woman lying on the floor on an old piece of a rug, and found another one standing outside
 between two houses barefooted. It was
 reported to me by the parties living
 around there, that they were afraid
 that these women would accidentally
 set the house on fire, and I arrested
 them and sent them in for their own
 protection, thinking the matter would
 be reported by the warden to the city
 physician, and that they would get
 treatment, or else be sent either to tho
 poorhouse or to the hospital after his
 examina tion. This has always been
 customary since my first connection
 with the police department.
 "Ip my judgment Mary Jost was a