The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-10
Woman Prisoner Has Not, How
ever, Begun Work on Street.
CAN'T FIND BLOOMERS
Besides Street Commissioner
Says He Won't Permit 1t.
Right and Wrong OF Unusual
Judgment Worry All lola.

To1a Kan. Aug. 10.-"It was for the
ssko nf the welfare of the boys of lola
thar decreed that Mrs. Fila Reese
should go TO the rock pile and posi-
+ivelv viii not back down from that
decree" declared Judge D. B. D. Smelt-
zer If the lola municipal court today
mrs Reese today remained in jail
,ybere Judee Sm eltzer declared she
-bo,,Id remain until she works out her
.1na an the street with prisoners.
while the flood gates of sympathy
30 1ooeenea in behalf of this woman
T,dqe smeltzer said. lit should be re-
,,erbered there is another side to the
case With tears streaming down her
checks the mother of boy entered
my office the other night. Wheie I, ~
nv nov. judge2' she said, they ten
me you've got him.
1T noirte6 to the Jail and told the
mother her boy was in cell with sew
ersl others. believe Mrs Reese
1ured these boys into trouble WISH
her offense were a felony so she coulU
bo sent to the penitentiary
Judge Smeltzer has so far been ae-
feated in lis efforts to enforce ms
judgement that Mrs. Reese should don
1dooners and join the men members
- the chain gang in working on lfe
streets.
No BlOOmcrs in lola
-r7ere were three reasons for TINS.
7-i.st the Judge was unable 10 llllu a
pair of boomers IN the Iowm' li,,,i1e5 Nv
- order was defied and annulel oS
.-1,,,Tlissioner G. c. Glynn, and lulIu
- -,sonIe here apparently had 20
'.,,,,,,l,thv with the drastic sentence IN
Tisted upor tie woman. ..,.,
NJ Reese. however, was pertectly
,,-ii1ine to suffer the penalty prescribed
CO.. ber alleged wrongdoing, and 1or a
80 tiroe today it seemed that she
would actually WELD a shoNei' III ~ -
,or other implement of street toll l Cli
able to find the sort OF 49,. 49, 7eiiSrered
nv Judge Smeltzer, the Jaller uell -
Nfrs Reese to the foreman OF ~ l5
street department, dressed in her us1ai
clothing l,..,. lord of
+he iailer's action he ordered the 1ots-
man to return her to Jail at once
which he did - che
court" said the commissioner, pu' 5l
the court is not running the street oe-
nartnent. I will not permit woman
prisoner to do such work. 1t IS a dls-
Grace even to suggest such thing
Prisoner Was Willing.
81 am willing to obey the order Of
the court" said Mrs. Reese after she
was returned to jail IF he says so.
III put on bloomers and go to work on
the streets. But I believe L would ne
the last woman that would ever do SO,
as we'll as the first. l believe that the
people would not stand such thing
When Judge Smeltzer learned that
his orders had not been obeyed, he
said emphatically that Mrs Reese
must go to work.
Il am a little doubtful whether I
can compel her to work if she does
not want to- he said. but I have this
alternative to enforce my decree:
While she is in Jail she is not paying
anything on her fine. but she is get
elng into debt and increasing the costs
all the time. If she doesn't work she
will stay in Jail until she concludes to
obey the court.
"The city commissioners are not
Puuning this court. They can not re-
lease Mrs. Reese, though they may
give me trouble in putting her to
work If she tries to do what is ex-
acted of her. I will be inclined to be
lenient with her. If she doesn't want
an indeterminate sentence, she must
get out and work.