The Washington herald., 1917-08-30
SAYS WARDEN
BEATS women.
Discharged Matron Makes
Accusation Against
Whitaker.

Charges that Mrs. Virginia Bovee,
a matron at Occoquan, had been too
friendly with the suffragist pickets
confined in the workhouse resulted in
her immediate dismissal by Superin-
tendent Whitaker and lengthy
statement attacking the conduct of
the institution by the discharged en-
ploye last night.
Cameron House was occupied yes
terday with securing the affidavit
from Mrs. Bovee regarding conditions
at Occoquan and looking after the ten
women arrested on Tuesday for pick
citing.
Pickets Fined SIS.
The prisoners were given the al
tentative of paying a So fine or spend
ing thirty days at the workhouse, and
they appealed. through their counsel,
Matthew E. O'Brien. A jury trial
was denied and surety for the women
was furnished by Miss Eliza Tonks, Of
Washington. Picketing will be con-
tinued
Superintendent Whitaker at Deco
guam enters a denial to each and
every charge made by Mrs. Bovee, in
cluding one that women prisoners
were beaten. Mrs. Boyee filled out
and signed the following affidavit at
testing her charges:
Il was discharged yesterday as an
sficer of Occoquan workhouse. For
eight months had acted as night Of
fieer. with no complaint as to the per-
tormance of my duties. Yesterday Su-
Perintendent Whitaker told me 1 was
discharged. and gave me two hours
In which to get out. 1 demanded the
charges from the matron, Mrs. Hern-
don, and / was told that it was owing
to something that Senator Lewis had
said.
Mail Withheld.
Il am well acquainted with the
conditions at OccoqUan. 1 have had
charge of all the suffragist prisoners
who have been there. l know that
their mail has been withheld from
them. Mrs. Herndon, the matron.
reads the mail. and often discussed
it with US at the officers table. She
said of a letter sent to one CT the
suffrage pickets now in the work
house, They told her to keep her
eyes open and notice everything. She
will never get that letter. said Mrs.
Herndon. Then she corrected herself
and added, not until she goes away.
Ordinarily the mail not given the pris-
oners is destroyed. The mail for the
suffragists is saved for them until
they are ready to 90 away. l have
seen three of the women have one let
ter each. but that is all. The three
were Mrs. Watson, Miss Ewing, and,
I think. Miss Flanagan.
The blankets now being used in the
prison have been in use since Decem-
ber without being washed or cleaned.
Blankets are washed once year. Or
fcers are warned not to touch any
of the bedding The one officer who
has to handle it is compelled by the
reeulations to wear rubber gloves
while she does so.
The beans, hominy. rice, cornmeal
(which is exceedingly coarse like
chicken feed and cereal have all had
worms in them. Some time the worms
float on the top of the soup. Often
they are found in the cornbread. The
INST suffragists sent the worms to
Whitaker on a spoon. On the farm
there is a tne herd of Holsteins. The
cream l. made into butter, and sold
to the tuberculosis Hospital in WASH
inston.
Prisoners are punished by being put
on bread and water or by being peat
en-. know of one girl who has been
kept seventeen days on only water
this month in the 'booby house The
same girl was kept nineteen days on
water last year because she beat SUI
pcrintendent Whitaker when he tried
to beat her