The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

Dona Constance Immediately became the
guardian angel of the political prisoners
Since then, day and night, she has de-
voted her whole time to the amelioration
or their misery. Alone she has matched
her woman's wit and influence against
the blind hatred of the more radical re-
publicans to whose mind no treatment is
too bad for royalist 1t is not too much
to say that In two years Dona Constance
has revelutionized prison life in Portugal
Not Enough Money
But much as she has done Dona Con-
stanca might have done more had she had
Unlimited money. At the time she began
her prison work she had a small fortune
of her own. Every penny of it has gone
to meet expenses of her work. Well over
$4,000 has gone in clothing and food for
the political prisoners and toward feed
ms and keeping the families of the poor
while they were in prison. Time and time
again she has sighed for the immense for
tune dissipated by her extravagant grand
father who rolled about the capitals of
Europe spending huge sums ON private
theatres.
Her own fortune gone, Dona Constance
has not hesitated TO beg others for as
sistance in her work. Too proud to tell
he- story to John Walter, one of the own
ers of the London Times. who wanted to
give the tale of her sacrifice to the world
help her with money and clothing. Not
that she has any great difficulty In get
tins the money she absolutely needs. Some
weeks ago three royalist prisoners COM
rleted their terms of Imprisonment but re-
mained behind bars because, being poor
men, they could not pay the 5000 fines
that hung over them Dona Constance
opened subscription and almost immedi-
ately the necessary money was poured
into her lap.
When Dona Constance began her visits
to the prisons. the political prisoners in
the penitentiary were compelled to wear
the prison linen and eat the prison fare.
One handkerchief a month for each pris-
oner was a sample of the linen supplied.
Now, as consequence of her efforts ev-
cry political prisoner has his own linen,
which is washed and sent in. Now, also,
as consequence of her efforts, the po-
litcal prisoners are permitted to have
their food cooked outside. the richer pay
ing for the poorer
Distributing Center
The big hearted woman soon became a
collecting and distributing center for all
those who We're interested in the political
prisoners. The Villa Franco de Xira, just
outside Lisbon, where she lived, soon be-
came a storehouse OF clothing, tobacco
ana delicacies of all kinds, and from there
she dispatched the various articles to the
prisons. Three or four days a week she
devoted to personal visits to the prisons
where she encouraged the prisoners and
brought them word of their families. On
Sundays and on other free days she Wis
ited the families of the poorer prisoners,
kept them out of want and misery and
brought them hopeful messages from their
husbands, sons and fathers in prison.
In this way she now has more than 800
prisoners families on her hands. Last
Christmas she took upon her already over
burdened shoulders the task of clothing no
less than 1909 of the children of political
prisoners
Ii is not strange, perhaps, that ardent
republicans should worry a bit about
Dona Constancas activities. In her go-
ings and comings she certainly had many
opportunities to do inestimable service to
the royalists If she had been SO disposed.