Norwich bulletin., 1917-01-19
MABEL KING HAS
 LONG POLICE RECORD
Has Been Arrested Time and Time Again on Charges Of Intoxieation..

| Released from the county jail in New l London only "Wednesday morning, Ma bel King. a well known character ii | this city, appeared in police court ir | New London Thursday charged witr | drunkenness. She was sent back | to jail by Judge Colt for a term of 3f | days. It was her tenth appearance within the last two years, and the been convicted and sentenced to jail since last September. Tn the number | of times she has been arrested and l the number of sentences marked ords among the women prisoners of New London.
 The New London police blotter gives Mabel's initial appearance in the police court as Dec. 10. 1914, on which oc- casion she was discharged. Four days later she appeared charged with street walking and judgment was sus- pended for A hours.
 Then an entire year elapsed before she again fell into the tolls of the
 New London police. It was Dec. 10th,
 1915 just a year to a day after her
 first debut in New London police cir
 cles. On this occasion she was eharg-
 ed with drunkenness and discharged
 June 12, 1916. when she came be-
 fore the court on a charge of drunk
 enness judgement was suspended for
 A hours. but on her next appearance
 Sept. II, 1916, on a similar charge, a ten odyS SenLSDCe WetS IhcLSd out-
 A street walking charge was marked
 against her name Sept. 20. and she
 was assessed fine of $5 and costs,
 which she worked out in jail.
 When she again came into court
 Oct 7 on a drunkenness charge the sentence meted out was ten days
 Oct 30 another charge of intoxica- tion was chalSed up against her name and she went to jail for 30 days. The same sentence was repeated Dec. 6. and VeSterday.
 Mabel was arrested in the railroad station by Patrolman Gaffney We'd nesday afternoon. He found her in a drunken condition in the waiting room.
 Mabers case is most interesting and pathetic For years she has been out of her mind and irresponsible for her actions. Yet the only method of to jail time after time in different cities, letting her come out for short periods to be the tool of whomever she might meet.
 She is not violently insane but rather in the condition of one who is afflicted with softening of the brain. An official of the Associated Charities conducted her to Dr. Thomas, Erdmann, the superintendent of the Norwich State Hospital for the Insane, who pronounced her undoubtedly men tally deranged, probably an imbecile from birth. She has by her own con- 1eSS1On reen an 10IHdJe OI NdIlOAS houses of prostitution, and has been in New York and Hartford, as well as New London and Norwich.
 It is stated that there are many cases in the New London jail where the pris- oners at least border on feeble mind edness. Examinations in other jails las shown that many of the prisoners have the minds of children from eight to ten years of age. Accordingly in many places the practice has been formed of securing a. mental exarnina- ton of prisoners who may be mentally this examination taking place either at the court at the time of trial or at the jail. These needing other care than the jail are then trans ferred. This is especially important in the case of female prisoners who fre- quently give birth to feeble minded who in turn may have to pass through the same wretched ex- istence.
 Under the Connecticut law the sher- If may apply to the governor for the i to the asylum of such a prisoner as Mabel King. and Sheriff Sydney Brown has done so in this case.