The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-08-28
SIXTY FEET.
NOT BADLY HURT
Colored Woman Leaps From
Police Court Window to
Cement Pavement.

Frustrated in an attempt to fight her
way 10 liberty as she was being taken
into the female prisoners cell at the
Police Court. after just having received
a sentence Of fifteen days on a charge Of
disorderly conduct. Gertrude Brown.
colored. tore her way through a heavy
wire screen at the TOP of the Mushroom
door into an adjoining room on the
third floor of the building today and,
hanging from the window sill, sixty
feet from the ground, dropped 10 the
cement pavement in the court yard be-
low
Although the woman's arm struck an
abutting easement on the second 1lcor,
and she bounded outward several feet.
an examination al the Emergency Hos
pital where she was hurried IN the
ambulance showed that she received
only slight contusiOns on her left arm
and side. and bruises about the abb
domen. The physicians say that while
she might be suffering from internal
injuries, this does not seem probable.
Massey Sees Her Fall.
Agent Massey, of the Prisoners Aid
Society, and Pauline Perry, a colored
girl. employed IN the law Offices OF PERI
w. Frisby, whose windows look into
the courtyard where the woman fell,
were witnesses of the attempted es-
cape Mr. Massey was standing near a
window overlooking the yard when he
saw a body fall
Hearing a woman groaning and
screaming, he rushed to the yard and.
picking her up, carried her TO the room
On the first floor where the prisoners
are transferred TO the vars 70 be taken
10 the jail and WOrkhOuse- Calling 10
Richard Hughes, a Daiiin TO take charge
OF the Brown woman, Massey telephon-
ed to the hospital for an ambulance.
The prisoner was arrested about
o'clock this morning, with Cora Berry,
of Pomeroy court northwest. by Officer
Williams, Of the Eighth precinct Both
were said 10 be drunk and showed evil
dences of having been under the in
fiuence of drugs.
When they were brought to court this
morning. 10 be tried, the Brown wOm-
an made a scene. She pleaded with
Agent Massey to tell her friends about
her arrest and ask them to bring money
for her nne.
Friend Goes Free.
Shortly before court opened, a friend
paid Cora Rerry's collateral, which was
forfeited When her companion vas set
free, Gertrude Brown ragged about the
cell ia a cfazed manner, and tried to
rush through the door. Then she vent
TO the barred Windows shriekng loudly
as she tried IN vain 10 break through.
Wueu taken INTO inc court room, she
created another scene. but went quietly
back 10 the dock when sentenced.
Other prisoners say that she went i'm
mediately TO the wash room. From the
appearance of the wire netting and the
manner in which q heavy board was
torn away, IL is presumed that she stood
ON the TOP OF a stand 70 tear out the
screening.
Crawling and pulling herself through
the narrow aperture, which is no larger
than a sewer g5De, she tore away the
board and netting on the other side.
and dropped to the room, which has no
bars at the vino 1ws.
Pauline Perry, the girl who works IN
p ". Frisby's office saw her Chamber
ing through the window, and called TO
her She climbed back into the room,
and then, suddenly regainjng her cour-
age. dashed 10 the unprOte Cted window.
pushed herself through. and hung for
several seconds to the sill. Weakened
by effects of the drink and her strug-
giles, she was unable to hold longer, and
fell 10 the ground
Had the woman not been stunned by
her fall. 1T would have been Weil-uigh
impossible for her 70 have escaped, as
the courtyard In which she dTOpped in
surrounded on all sides by a ffteens
foot cement wall, which is in turn,
surmounted by a board fence ten feet
high.