The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-19
G O n TIL u f D
no
p A @ E O n E
MRS. SWANSON BRANDS

afraid to become familiar. received
no favors.
The day of my arrest noticed
that two dozen whiskey bottles
were swept out of the Jail. The
night l was put in Jail found all
the women drunk and some of them
doing some awfully high kicking
and INDUCING in low and vulgar
language. Where they got the
liquor | cannot say, but l do know
that ii came in from the outside.
Bedlam reigned throughout the
night. and one woman chung to the
bars and screamed until morning
Sleep was impossible as it was like
an insane hospital.
A man and woman. the latter
a music teacher. who were in for
unlawful cohabitation, and pre-
sumed to be confined in their re-
spective departments. were per
mitted to eat together at every
meal and had their meals served
to them on tray. The woman
had the freedom of the office and
could come and 90 as she pleased
At night they were permitted &c
sit and talk together until II OF
100 in the office of Jailer Nelson
or on the stairs leading to the
second floor of the women s
compartment
One of the women had delerium
t,emens and was so bad that they
placed her in the padded cell al
right. barefooted and with but lit
tie clothes and no covering over
her There are no toilet facilities
in this cell and by morning the
woman was in a pitiable condi
ton. She was placed in my cell
and rather than stand the Odor
was willing to wash her clothes
and give her a bath. For doing
this the jailer gave me an extra
allowance Of food the next day. The
woman nearly froze to death ant
contracted heavy cold from this
exposure.
The Salvation Army captain ant
lieutenant are there but short
time each morning. They are as
cross as they can be except to the
girls in the Jail toward whom the
jailers are friendly. They made
fun of me and forced me TO sweel
and clean the cells while the sport
ing women We're excused
The food was so poor that
could not eat and asked to be al
lowed to send out for money to get
myself smething decent to eat
This privilege was at first denied
but afterwards granted when the
money was thrown on the counter
at the booking window and the
officers told to give it to me OF
keep it, as they pleased. When ar
rested they handled me like an
animal | was removed from bed
only partly clad and forced to ride
in the patrol wagon in the open
air with the temperature at freez-
ing.
After my release ! sought out
Judge Mann TO tell him that if
he were a just and honest judge
he would not have melted out the
law in the manner in which he did
in nv case, and send me there to a
hell hole.
The condition of the jail is filthy.
Vermn of all kinds infest the
place and l washed my own blank
ct to prevent my body from being
covered with body lice. | also, out
of sympathy. washed the blankets
for some other women and when
/ asked the Salvation Army lieu
tenant for some washing powder
to aid in the word she refused to
give it. saying that soap was good
enough"
Jailer Nelson seemed to think a
lot of a woman arrested for run
ming some kind of a fake matri-
monial agency. The second night
after her arrest Nelson spent most
of the night with her until relieved,
on the upper floor of the women's
department, talking in a very
low tone and in a very confidential
manner. Whenever a callScame to
open the door he went down but
returned upstairs as soon as the
business was attended to.
A little girl, arrested in a Jap
house, was there at this time
Jailer Nelson furnished her with
tobacco and cigaret papers. She
seemed to stand in well and one
night she and Nelson talked for q
long time in one corner of the
lower cell corridor.
On one occasion ! protested
against some green colored spoiled
potatoes given me, and Nelson got
mad and swore at me, saying, Get
back into your cell, damn you.
He knew that / was watching him
Further affiant sayeth not.
MRS. T. SWANSON.
Subscribed and sworn to before
me this 18th day OF April, 1910.
CHRIS A, SPREITER,