El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-05-16
ST LAzIAE IS
M05TFAM0US
PARIS PRISON
Here Is Where Women Of
High and Low Degree Are
Confined For Crimes.
NINE. CAILLAUX NOW
THERE WAITING TRIAL
BY GEORGE DUFREsNE.

HARlSr france may 1o-aAOsL lam
Gus OF all Paris prisons, undoubt-
Il edly the most dreary and ancient
Of all this city's houses Of correction.
Is the great st. Lazare. Women whose
crimes have made the tongues Of the
world vvag, have been incarcerated
here. and this is where Nine Cainaux
is now located. treated with all the
homage due to a great society leader.
Her crime. the murder of NJ Cal
mette-is not considered Dy the prison
authorities. for France assumes limo
cence in her prisoners until guilt is
as-a blished at the public tr1ss. Nine.
CafUaux is the tenant OF BlsIole NO.
II a cell Of tragic memorles-DuI
STRANGELY enough, now the envy OF
every woman prisoner in St Lazarei Tor
Nine. CaiIlaux has all the Injuries lnat
money can provide Tor her-
one of the women prisoners Just re-
leased has been telling the newspapers
some of the inner history OF y: La1sre
insofar as it concerns Nine Calllau1-
Injuries for Nine. CHiIlauT-
ct occupied the next cell TO her" she
said but L had seven fellow prisoners
while Nine. CaillauX was alone Win
Jeanne, her servant
Jeanne is a poor girl she sLaDoeo
her husband. who maltreated her
aAItbough Nine. Caillaux in her cell
next door had everything she wanted.
I was deprived Of the most elementary
necessities The other day when had
TO appear before the judge, I had not
even a looking glass to seef11 my halr
was tidy and my hat on straight
at has been said that the other pris-
oners benefited indirectly by the spec
iaI regime Of Nine CalllauX- That IS
not So Bread, soup, vegetables and
once a week meat-that was all we mad
met NJ CaillauX once in the passage
70 hnH .
wife in the directors parlOr-
They say there will be mutlny OF
the women prisoners If this goes on
Mothers complain bitterly that Nine.
CaiIiaux sees her daughter every day
in a private room When IheEe IS a
visitor for Nine CaillauL the Dell rings
three times. A Russian woman Nihiltst,
who was IN my cell, used TO snout out
Whenever she heard the bell, Another
visitor for the princessE
sPfstoIe No. 12' a Famous Cell
at was in 'Pistole' No. Il that Nine.
SreiuheiL. the heroine OF one OF the most
extraordinary murder mysteries OF re-
cent years was 1ncarceraIea penang
her trial It was within that gr1ny
apartment that Nine. Bloch awaited her
Triumphant acquiItal-Mme- Bloch, who
shot her husbands mistress after con-
siderable provocation and since her re-
lease has been living peacefully with
her spouse again
and rather pretty little woman, formerly
well known in literary and feminist
circles. and she told me much about
the famous cell that has never before
been published
7 remember it, she said. only too
well, as remember every detail Of my
stay in that mournful, humiliating
place Of memories 1t was in 'PistOle'
No. II that I lived while my fate was
being decided-far from my children
and all 7 loved alone, alone with my
cad thoughts II was melancholy
enough room this 'Pistole' No u. Suf-
ficiently big enough to accommodate
half a dozen OF more beds, its walls
were painted black there-quarters Of
the way up and the rest was daubed
a dirty white. Great beams crossed
the ceiling. from which hung enormous
spiders webs that futtered in the puffs
of air that passed through the barred
windows And the furniture so con-
siderately allowed TO prisoners not yet
cOndemned-fOr convicted prisoners
are not allowed the comfortable &C
cOmmodatiOn Of the 'pistole' There
was a rusty iron bedstead covered with
a brown coverlet, on which were in
sCribed IN big letters the word prison
Near by stood little wooden table, and
for a chest Of drawers and wardrobe
a single shelf served
Only One Diversion.
THAT. indeed. was the one great dis
traction For the great courtyard was
picturesque, and the old buildings that
overlooked it had a certain charm Of
antiquity Moving scenes during the
Terror had been enacted there. Tt
was thence that the carts rolled away
to the guillotin with the condemned
aristocrats. Most Of the prisoners walk
around. gesticulating. chattering. even
singing. If they see a 'pistoliere' at the /
window. they either jeer or beg impor-
timely their more luxurious sister 70
throw them down pieces Of chocolate
or biscuits. Some OF them in silence
wash their linen at the washing place
in the middle OF the yard, but most Of
them are engaged in talk or sing too
loudly sometimes And in that case the I
nun in charge interposes severely and
the ditties cease Perhaps, however. the
prisoners are rebellious, and then they
shout at her and scream insults with
the foulest language. When that hap
pens the terrible sister Leonide appears l
on the scene. and. as If by enchantment. |
the uprOar ceases Without a word she /
fixes her stern gaze on the prisoners /
the ranks form up in silence, and with /
the nun at their head, they march /
back into the prison in silence. For |
80 years sister Leonide has presided !
over this hell. but still beneath her /
rough severity one can see a deep pity 4
and kindness"