Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-10
JAIL DEADLY TO
WOMAN PRISONER
MRS. MARGARET BACON HAS
SERIOUS COLLAPSE
PRISONERS ALL COMPLAIN OF
FILTHY CONDITIONS
Are Full of Fight for What They
Regard as Principle, and Say
Financial Aid Is Pouring
In on Them

AS result Of the filthy and nauseat-
ing conditions at the city Jail Mrs.
Margaret Bacon, a Socialist of Pasa-
dena, who was arrested in Los Angeles
with a number of others for speaking
on the streets without a license, was
overcome yesterday and collapsed so
utterly that her illness probably would
have been fatal had she not been quick
ly bailed out in the sum of 5000 by her
friends.
Mrs. Bacon was in poor health when
arrested, but this fact did not deter
her from going on the rostrum and
proclaiming the principals of free
speech, on which she has fixed her
faith.
When seen by a reporter after her
liberation from the vitiated city jail
Mrs. Bacon appeared much wrought
up over the conditions there and stated
1t was far worse than she had dreamed
of. despite the descriptions she had
read of it in The Herald. She declared
she "had never realized prisoners were
treated as they are"
H. T. Engle, another of the Socialists
who was thrown into Jail for testing
his rights as an American citizen"
as he expressed it, "to enjoy the pre-
rogative of free speech as guaranteed
States, for which our forefathers
fought and died." ETC., was placed on
trial before Police Justice Rose yes
terday but as he had demanded
jury trial the case will be delayed on
that account, the lawyers finding 1t
difficult to impanel the men because of
the ~Socialistic tendencies of so many
A s,,s.,
or more the case was continued until
today, when it is hoped enough men
will be found who are not so biased by
the socialistic doctrines that they can
not act as jurors.
Inviting Arrest
Joe Dion, another Socialist who spoke
without a permit from the mayor, was
also arraigned yesterday before Police
Justice Chambers. His trial was set
for October 2S. Dion has made a great
fuss over his arrest, and declares he Is
going to flight it to the highest court"
He seems to think If Mormon elders,
Salvation Army folks and others can
speak ON the streets the Socialists
ought to; hence his denunciation of the
local arrangements whereby only such
as the mayor approves of can talk on
our thoroughfares.
1t is understood the Socialists are
intending to invite wholesale arrests.
Walter V. Holloway, a national COM
mitteeman of the Socialist party and
husband of one of the women now in
Jail for talking to street crowd, said
yesterday that the Socialists are pre-
pairing big demonstration for Satur-
day night, when it is planned twenty
five men and women shall be arrested
'if the city desires it."
whether arrested or not, OF course,
1t will make no difference. We expect
all of them will be rounded up, for
Mayor Harper has declared the police
officers must arrest all street speakers
who don't carry an o K from him.
regardless of the free speech guaran-
teed by the constitution.
Saturday night we are going to
have out twenty-five speakers. We
are right; we know we are right; the
public knows we are right, and, being
right, we intend to stand up for our
rights, regardless of what Mayor Har-
per or any other public official may say
or do.
"The constitution of the United
States guarantees us the right of free
speech. Unless it has come to the
point when the classes intend to abro-
gate the constitution, set aside the
sacred fundamental principles of our
government and disregard every true
and lofty principle of democracy we
believe the constitutional laws still
hold good, despite the advancement of
certain office holders and politicians.
Believing that the semi obsolete but
time-honored principles of the consti-
tuition still constitute the sacred prin-
ciples of Americanism, we are making
a firm and final fight for those prin-
ciples, demanding that they be recog-
nized and readopted, and that our city
ordinances be made to conform to law
and liberty, as our forefathers designed
and sealed them with their blood at
Saratoga, Trenton and Monmouth.
Stand on the Constitution
1--WE believe the constitution is the
highest and most equitable source of
all laws and that any law or ordinance
which violates it or comes in glaring
and direct conflict with one of its most
holy principles is invalid and should
be denounced by all good and loyal
Americans and set aside completely
and forever as unjust, unconstitutional
and un-American.
Financial aid and sympathy are
coming to us from every part of the
country, and there is every indication
that the fight waged in Los Angeles
may become a matter of national IN
terest, for principle is involved which
surely ought to be of vital interest to
every American who was raised to be-
lieve he is free born and endowed
with certain inalienable rights etc"
Although passing sleepless night in
their stuffy cells in the matron's de-
partment of the city jail, Mrs. Cloudes-
ley Johns, formerly the Countess Ponia-
towski; Mrs. Alice Vail Holloway, who
is a. graduate of Bryn Mawr, and Mrs.
Bertha NJ Bailey appeared cheerful
yesterday and expressed a hope that
their incarceration may be the means
of calling the attention of the public
to the manner in which the Los An
geles ordinance restricts the rights of
free speech" as one of them said to
reporter.
Mrs. Johns said that the matron, Mrs
Phealey, had been extremely kind to
them, but that the beds were filthy
and the toilets in a bad condition.
1--WE have no sheets or pillows" she
said, "and lie on dark blue blankets.
The mattresses are in a questionable
condition. There Is no segregation,
negro women and whites commingling.
TUESDAY night 1 slept in drunk
tank with a drunken woman, ana
with another afflicted with an incur
able and contagious disease as a cell
mate.
"Vermin are terrible, and bother us
continually; but we purpose to SHOW
the men we are made of good material
and will fight to the last ditch, for we
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