Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-11

crime and l were confined to our
rooms because we we're on punish
ment. When they were all gone /
took the knife and Whitfield the
wood away from the lock that held
the barred easement to my window.
I got the easement opened and then
slipped the knife out through the
window and around to Katherine's
window, which was very close to
mine She reached out and took the
knife, and Whitfield the wood away
from around the lock that held the
barred easement of her window and
opened the easement. This work took
from 40 minutes to one hour alto
gether We were on the second
story and after our windows were
opened, we each tied our sheets to-
gether, tied one end to an iron bar
on the window, and dropped the
other ends down to the ground. We
then slid down the sheets to the
ground. lust as we reached the
ground some Of the officers caught
US. 1 was taken and put in what
is known as the straight chair for
three days and 2 half. This straight
chair is like an ordinary chair except
that it is all covered up. After one
is in 1t they close it together. 1 had
to fold my arms, which were then
held In that position in the chair.
When one is fastened in this straight
chair. it is impossible to move either
ones legs or arms, and one has TO
sit in an absolutely stationary posi-
ton, with no opportunity to move.
AS said. I was kept IN this chair for
three and one-half days. / was TAX
en- out at night and allowed to go to
my room. ! would be put into this
chair at o'clock in the morning
and kept there until O'Clock at
night. They loosened the chair at
noon. when I was fed and then I
could move a little. During the
time l was kept in the chair 1 had
no opportunity to attend the calls
or duties of nature except at the
noon hour, when someone came to
me. If l had such a call during the
morning hours l simply had to stand
il the best way I could until the
noon hour. or If 1t came on in the
afternoon l simply had to wait until
o'clock in the evening when l was
allowed to go to my room.
IN THE STRONG ROOM.
After the three and one-haIf days
in the straight chair l was put in
what is known as the strong room
and kept there constantly for two
weeks. This strong room is
small cell, barely big enough for one
person to get into. The only furni-
ture in the room is a small bench in
the day time. At night a small mat
fc ip+n hn
strong room is infested with rats
mice and bedbugs. 1 have seen both
rats and mice in this cell during the
two weeks / was confined in it. /
have seen bedbugs in this cell. They
were on my clothes when I got up
in the morning, and ! have been bit
ten by them. l never took off my
clothes during the two weeks 1 was
in this cell. On Saturday, however,
I was taken out and given an oppor-
tunity to take a bath and change my
clothes. My face and hands were
bitten by the bedbugs and showed
marks or little sores which came
from those bites. Ali the rest of the
institution is very clean and neat,
but this room is kept III the cprdi-
ton l have described.
After being confined for two
weeks in this strong room l was
then taken out and kept in my own
room in the fiat for two more weeks.
The conflnements in the straight
chair. the strong room and my own
room, which covered a period of
about one month, was my punish
ment for attempting to escape from
this institution.
AT Geneva we all went to bed at
o'clock at night at which times all
lights have to be put out. After we
are undressed for the night and in
our nightgowns, we are required to
fold our clothes and our bedspread
and put them on our chair, over the
back of it, Then we put our comb
on the chair and set the chair out
side the door in the hall. Then we
put our shoes under the chair The
matron then comes along and locks
Us in our rooms. In this way it
would be impossible for any girl to
escape during the night hours as she /
would have no clothes.
LAS to the food given US at this /.
school, for breakfast we had oat- /
meal, postum cereal coffee, bread I
and sometimes butter, but more Of ,
ten VIC had the bread without but {
ter. When l spoke of butter l /
meant butterine. At one time the
authorities had been furnished with .
some wormy oatmeal and this was
served TO us also. as long as ii last F.
ed. which was only short time. 1 /
know that the oatmeal was wormy, /
because we could see the worms in .
i after It was cooked. They were I.
little worms Of a sort OF a whitish f.
color. For dinner we would some
times have what they called fricas-
see. This was made up of left-overs
from former meals, all warmed to-
gether and cooked with water and .
salt and pepper. Sometimes we had
potatoes cooked with the jackets on.
When we had fricassee we did not
have potatoes and when we had po-