The Detroit times., 1914-12-18
OLD WOMEN BUNS
'3N BLACKWELL'S
...eSEYOND REFORM
ymmissioner Davis Tells of
U Group of Offenders Who
Think They Own it
HE HAS GIVEN THEM A
"PARK" AND A CHAPEL
Ter Next Request of City to
be for Farm Colony for
Short-Term Women

NEW YORK. Dec. lS.--In telling
members of the New York Proba.
n and Protective association Of her
'rk as commissioner of correction,
SIS Katharine b. Davis divulged
ne data about a group of from 20
100 old women In the workhouse
Blackwelfs island who are known
buns and who are imbued with
. idea that they own the place.
/B'The buns" she said. ARE old
lies from 80 years to about 100.
lere is one who has been there ~
nes. One was admitted the other
} ~ who had been committed nine
! mes in the last four months for
.ort sentences. These women labor
hder the delusion that they own the
.,stitution. One of them came down
my Office the other day and com
&C aimed that she had been insulCd by
matron referring 10 her as the scum
! 4 the earth.
These women will never reform
Mess by a miracle. Humanity speak
ne, il is not possible for them TO go
nj them have lost all their family and
heir friends. The only idea they have
when they get out is TO beg or steal
Or do anything to get square meal.
land most OF all. 10 get a drink OF
Iwhisky They ought TO be sent TO
the 'almshouse. but they do not want
to go there, as il would be the end OF
their career--the finish They beg TO
b. tn Al
there. they simply look forward to a
drink OF whisky when they get out
'I have tried TO give them an air
ing. and | snatched away from the
warden part OF his garden, built a
fence around II and the old buns sit
there. One OF them said the other
day, Isn't this nice2 This is a park
that the police cannot drive us out
ssYou see. the buns can't do much
bnt sit around. The others of the 600
women In the workhouse ! have put
10 knitting socks for the Red Cross,
with wool provided by outsiders, SO II
any one would like to send some socks
10 the men In the trenches the women
will knit them.
1.-The buns had room, but we had
to take II from them for dope ward.
However, We have fitted up another
place. so we are able 10 pick out the
old Offenders from the young girls
who'have not been committed to the
island before. and put them in cells
by themselves. After we took the
buns room away from them the
question arose as to what we were
going to do with them, and one day
"A bright idea occurred 10 me.
I'VE have a chapel there which is
not used through the week at all, and
II seemed to me that there was ter
rible waste OF space there. So said
TO the superintendent, We will put
the buns in the chapel during the
day. II won't hurt the chapel and II
NAV be good for them So now when
YOU 20 there you will see the old
women sitting in the chapel and you
will find good many e them in
there telling their beads and saying
their prayers, and they are perfectly
good and hav, never made any trou-
BILE.
"The next large thing | am going
to ask OF the city is an appropriation
TO buy a piece OF land outside the city
limits on which we can locate farm
colony for shortterm women. They
can dig trenches, weed the gardens
and feed the pigs. When | became
commissioner OF correction found
there were six women In each cell in
the workhouse and the sanitary con-
ditions were very bad. believe q
farm colony is the only possible solu-
ton Of the question of short-term
prisoners"