Evening star., 1917-10-04
P|CKETS IN AR|0T
At THE WORKKOUSE
Attempt to Prevent Removal OF
One of Their Number to
Hospital.
PRISONERS SAVE MATR0M

pated in by women who had been White
| House pickets,. in which it is stated that
one of their number, Miss Bloomfield,
was in the act of striking the matron,
stick when colored inmates came to the
rescue of the officer are contained in an
! official version of the affair transmitted
to the District Commissioners today by
Auditor Alonzo Tweedale, temporarily
in charge of the institution.
[ The auditors report shows that the
picket prisoners went on the warpath
with vengeance and were restrained
only by the use of force. Commissioner
| Brownlow, after reading it. stated that
no action concerning the outbreak was
| contemplated by the Commissioners.
| who regard the matter as ended.
Reports Do Not Agree.
| In concluding his report, Mr.. Twee-
dale asserts thae he permitted Miss
Lucy Burns. one of the pickets. to tele-
| phone to suffrage headquarters after
! the riot had been quelled, and that
she was assured by headquarters that
their demonstration and attempted use
of physical force was unwarranted and
! in contravention of the health. safety
and care of one of their own sick suf-
! fragists
| Miss Burns, he says, then promised
| hin, that she would talk to the other
| women for the purpose of having them
comply with the rules of the instltu-
| ton
! When informed of this statement in
the auditors report Miss Alice Paul. at
suffrage headquarters today. said that
she had talked over the phone with Miss
Burns, but denied that she had CEN
sured the picket for the outbreak or
stated that il was unwarranted.
! Refusal of Mrs. Margaret B. Johns,
one of the pickets who had been i'll, to
| leave the institution when the manage
ment decided to remove her to the
| Washington Asylum Hospital in an au-
| tomobile. led up to the trouble. Accord
| ing to Miss Paul. Mrs. Johns nor none
of the suffragettes knew where she was
| being taken. Fearing that she was to
| be placed in a punishment cell on a
bread and water diet, the pickets en-
deavored to prevent her removal by the
use of force, according to Miss Paul.
Mr.. Tweedale's Report.
Mr. Tweedale's account of the affair.
as set forth in his report to the Com
missioners, is as follows:
II telephoned Dr. Hornbaker, who had
arranged to take Mrs. Johns to the
Washington Asylum Hospital in his au-
tomobile, and found that he was ready
to come to the institution. l thereupon
went over to the female department., DR..
Hornbaker arriving moment before !
reached there. Mrs. Herndon advised
me that Mrs. Johns was dressed and
walking around, all ready to go, but
that she absolutely refused to be re-
moved.
. In view of the instructions had re-
ceived through the board of charities,
after consultation with Dr.. Cannon.
who had inspected the physical condi-
tion of all the suffragists imprisoned in
the institution on yesterday. l felt
that it was my duty to insist on her be-
Ling removed at once to the hospital,
where she would have much better
medical attention and nursing than
could be given in this institution in its
crowded condition and with its lack of
full complement of officers. Mrs. Hern-
don advised me that she had received
word that the suffragists in the sewing
room were about to rust the officers. and
in a body prevent the removal of this
inmate I, therefore. telephoned to the
main Office and asked that several of the
male officers should be sent to the fe-
male quarters at once, and further re-
quested that Mr.. Hall, the chief clerk,
should come over to the female depart
ment with the commitment papers of
Mrs Johns, in order that they nigh,
/ be taken to the Washington Asylum
Hospital.
Women Interfered, He Says.
Before l could interview Mrs. Johns
who was in room adjacent to the re-
| ception room, namely. one of the sleep
| ing rooms of the officers. l heard great
eommotion in the hallway leading from
| the dining room. ! found all the Suf-
| fragist inmates piling into this hail.
surrounding Mrs. Johns. | endeavored
| to quiet them by stating to them that
| it was my instructions to send this in
mate to the hospital. l was immedi-
ately surrounded by an angry crowd
| of women, who stated that they would
absolutely refuse to allow her to be
| removed from the institution unless she
| first had the privilege of consulting
| her counsel / told them that this was
| impossible, and they at once started to
| the rear with Mrs. Johns and ran into
tne kitchen. and from there started into
the colored quarters. where | caught up
with them and grasped Mrs. Johns by
the left wrist and stated that it was
! nv DUTY to see that she was imme-
diately transported to the hospital.
/ Il warned the suffragist members
/ that they We're interfering Win an OIL
/ fcer of the government in the trans
action of his official duty. and that un-
I less they Immediately retired to their
| quarters I would be compelled to use
! the necessary force to carry out my
| instructions, whereupon several of
| these women attempted to drag Mrs.
Johns and tear her from my restraining
hand I. therefore. as a last resort.
called for the assistance of the male
| officers, who had come from the other
| institution, of which there were only
three, and quietly. but with force en-
deavored to urge Mrs Johns forward
through the passage to the front exit.
dAring which time the suffragists were
all screaming at the top of their lungs
and highly excited. The colored in
mates who were at work in the other
departments of the institution became
very much excited.
Used Only Necessary Force.
"The male officers assigned to this
| work performed their duty with only
sufficient force necessary to restrain
the large group Of highly excited wo-
| men. While urging Mrs. Johns for
ward by graphing her left wrist with
my right hand. several of the other suf-
fraeists had hold of her right arm anG
shoulder, and attempted to drag hel
/ from my grasp. | succeeded in getting
Mrs Johns into the front reception
room, where as many Of the suffrag ist.
as possible followed through the hall
/ way and the rest ran around the build
| nj ntrap bx