Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-13
WHITE HOUSE P|CkETs
ASK s1,200,0O0 DAMAGES
File Twcnty-EU,W Suits Against De-
coHuan and District OF Col
umbia Officials.
,lIsTREATMENT Is ALLEG ED
In Cases Filed in Richmond Federal
Court Eight Women Name Super.
intendcnt and Assistant Superin-
tcndcnt OF WorkhOusc Defendants.

After having been released from the
Occoauan Workhouse in habeas cor
pus hearing held in Alexandria On No
vember 81. the eight White House
pickets. through their attorney. Mat
thew l.. O'Brien. Yesterday fled twen-
ty-four suits in Washington and Rich
mord for All aggregate sum OF sl.@oo.-
900 for alleged impairment and injury
TO health and reputation.
Each suit is for $4,000. Sixteen OF
these suits were Gled in the United
States District Court here and eight
were filed with the United States SUI
prcme Court at Washington. All Of
the suits here are against W. RI. whit
akrr superintendent OF the Occoquan
institution. and Emanuel Rcams. as
sis,ant superintendent. The other sni,s
filed IN Washington are against the
three commissioner OF tho national
capital-Louis Brownlow w. Gwynn
Gardner, John II. -. KniGht--and the
Washington city jailer. Louis T.. Link
ham.
In the declarations filed in this city
the White House pickcts a!lege bar
baroua and inhunian treatment They
say that they are prepared to show
specific instances where serious impair
ment CT health resulted from the treat
mcnt Of the prisoners by Superintt nd.
ent Whitaker and Assistant Superin-
tendent Realms. In the declarations
I fllcd with the United States Supreme
Court in Washington the pichets
charge the commissioners and tie
Washing ton ia Her with false inprieon-
ment and with conspiracy to trans
port them to OccoGuan, where they
would be confined for such treatment
as they received.
But EIGHT OF THIRTY
RESORT TO THE COURTS
Following is list of the plaintiffs
Mrs. Dora Lewis. Of Philadelphia; Mrs
Emily Butterworth. of New York: Mrs.
Iniee Dana srannan. daughter OF the
late Charles Dana, former editor OF
the New York Sun: Mrs. Mary a No.
Ian. of Florida: Mrs. Alice Corsu. Of
New Orleans; Miss Dorothy Day. Miss
Julia Emory. Of Baltimore, and Miss
Lucy Burns. OF New York
Although there were thirty White
House pickets confined ut Occou.an
suits have been instituted ny only eight
OF the militants
Mr. O'Brien stated that the real raa-
son for the Hing Of these suits was
TO bring about rigid and scrutinizinc
investigation OF the treatment of the
picKets while coailred in Occoouan.
rathcr than to recover damages lie
added that he intended to force a close
examination of the reasons why the
women were transported to Occoouan
ana the treatment accorded TO then,
there.
Ihe attorney declared that he want
ed the onus OF disgrace placed on the
riSht parties. Howevar. on account Of
the large numbers of cases on tbe
docket it is not expected that these
suits Will come up before the United
states District Court in this CITY or
In the United States Supreme Court
before the July terms.
WOMAN OF SEVENTY-THKEE
IS AMONG PLAINTIFFS
In practically all the declarations
the same charges of inhuman trnat-
mont and barbarous conduct is made.
In only one or two instances do the
charges vary. Miss Lucy Burns asserts
that her clothing was taken from her