Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-08-02
"Au | Ask Is a Chance!"
What Is the Duty Of
Society to the Peni-
tent Who Would Lead
New Life?

longer rejoices in the appella
ton of the meanest girl in st
~ Louis"
Seven weeks in the work
house have cured her of a deal OF wha
she calls her "meanness."
She is willing, nay, she Is eager, Il
be good. All that she desires now II
to get out of the workhouse.
If he is convinced Of the honesty Of
her reformation Judge Earl Kimmel
the Golden Rule" police judge OF St
Louis. may parole Frances Bloom.
"Oh, will be good when get out,
she said at the city hospital, where
she is at present. Il have had enough
of being bad.
There Is nothing in being bad. You
Just fight the world and yourself snd
you get tired of it. When you are bad
you are always In trouble. Life is
hard. First, there are the police to
fight. Then there are the judges.
Then comes the workhouse, the
guards and prison discipline, and all
that.
Il tell you 1t is enough to kill man
of steel. let alone woman. to fight
society and the agents which society
employs to make you good"
Frances Bloom is not quite IS years
old. Yet she has four years in the
Girls Industrial school at Chillicothe
to her discredit She has been mar
ried almost a year. She has six
months In the workhouse before her.
Was Charged With vagrancy.
1t all came about when Frances was
arrested at Sixteenth and Market
streets May IA charged with vagrancy.
Patrolman Thies, wno made the ar
rest, says that Frances pulled a hat
pin on him" and stabbed him through
the arm.
Frances says that It. all came about
through Patrolman thies putting his
arm around her head and hat when he
took her to the patrol box to call the
wagon"
He stuck the hstpin through his
own arm" she said. Il admit that aft
erwards l bit and scratched him. But
that was no way to treat a lady. Now,
honest, was it? How would you like
your own wife. sweetheart, sister or
daughter to be treated that way?"
You shudder and admit that it does
not appeal to your idea of the courtesy
due lady Of your family.
"They put me in the lookup, and
next day took me before Judge Kim
mel. There was my first streak of
luck. have been in hard luck ever
since lost my father, ten years ago.
But Judge Kimmel is nice man. He
gave me nine months in the work
house. l felt like thanking him. He
did 1t so nicely.
Il liked it fine at the workhouse,
too. Mr.. White, the superintendent, is
true to his name. He is a white man.
He treats you as If you were human
being, not dog. They told me that
once he was a policeman, too. l can
hardly believe it. He treated me SIM
ply grand, talked to me and made me
see that l was very foolish girl to
act wildly.
They sent me to the hospital. am
getting well fast"
Tells Her Life Story.
In response to questions this waif of
the world told the following story:
II was born in Chicago. My father
was a shoemaker. He followed bis
trade in various large and small cities.
have lived in New York and in small
townst in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri,
where my father worked But for A.
teen years have recognized st. Louis
as my home.
"Ten years ago my father and moth
er separated. My mother married
again guess gave her lot of trou-
BILE. 1 was wild, but not bad kid.
Perhaps my stepfather did not like
me. In any event, was sent to the
Girls Industrial home at Chillicothe.
l was IA at that time.
THAT is one thing they do for you
at Chill;cothe. They give you a good
education. l had gone to work at 10
years old In a factory. never had any
education at home. But l learned to
read and to write and to sew and to
cook end do a lot of useful things in
the Industrial school,
THE trouble is not with the aEthori-
ties. 1t is with the girls themselves.
"You see, there is no separation of
girls. Innocent young girls who are
sent there simply because they have
no homes, must mix with girls who
have been sent there for immortality
from the cities"
Never had Fair Chance.
The girl never has had fair chance