Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-04
WORSTED
IN WORKHOUSE BATTLE
Sixteen Picketers Doing Time"
at Occuquan Engage in Ex-
citing but Short-Lived Riot
NEGRESSES AID MATRON
Misunderstanding Over Removal of One
Woman to Jail Hospital
Causes Trouble
WASHINGTON. oct.

'fhoNllANb 1OaNt OCls =.
Led by Miss Lucy Burns, Of Brooklyn,
sixteen suffragIsts doing time" for picket
ing the White House, engaged in riot az
the District of Columbia worlshouse at
Occoquan, Va yesterday. according TO in
formation given out here today at the head
quarters of the National womans party.
The suffragists were badly worsted by
threescore negro women prisoners, who
went to the aid Of Matron Herndon and the
guards. Their clothes were pulled partly
from their bodies, their hair yanked, ana
their faces scratched.
According to Miss Gertrude Crocker who
called at the workhouse yesterday and got
the news from her sister Miss Ruth Crocker,
one of the suffragist prisoners, the trouble
started when the matron ordered Mrs. Mar
garet b. John, another of the suffragsts
who had been Ill for four or five days re-
moved to the jail hospital in Washington.
According to the account given Miss
Crocker, the matron did not go into details
to Mrs. John as TO where she was to be
sent. and the latter, thinking she was about
to be dismissed, refused to leave. When
the matron insisted, 1t is declared, Mrs
John called to Miss Burns, Miss Maude
Malone, of New York and Mrs. Frederick
w Kendall, Of Buffalo to protect her.
SEIZED BY GUARDS
From that time Oh things moved rapidly
The door opened and in walked Mr. Twee-
dale, the acting superintendent. and three
guards who, 1t is stated, seized Mrs John
and began escorting her to waiting auto
mobile outside. While Mrs. John screamed
and fought against her removal, Miss Burns
dashed to the telephone in the matron's
office to report the matter to the headquar-
ters of the womans party in Washington.
Matron Herndon commanded her to desist.
n hn hnF gIff frs oil CT g
had crowded into the room regardless of
the protests of the woman guards and
formed hollow square around Miss Burns,
who was frantically struggling with the
telephone and trying to get her number.
Just as it looked as though the suffra-
gists would get the message through to
Garcia re-enforcements for the enemy in
the shape of threescore hefty negro women,
wearing prison garb, swarmed into the
room.
OVERCOME BY NUMBERS
Overcome by numbers, trembling and
shaking from excitement the suffragists
emerged from the melee in bad shape. Miss
Margaret Fotherngham, of Buffalo, who is
serving a sixtyday sentence, said that dur
ing the entire fight four very stout negro
women were sitting on her.
An hour after II was all over and things
had quieted down Miss Burns was per-
mitted TO call the number she had tried to-
get and to inform the headquarters of the
suffragists that Mrs. John had been re-
moved to the jail hospital.
The complete roster of suffragists now
serving time is as follows:
Serving sixty days-Miss Lucy Burns
of Brooklyn; Mrs Annie Arniel. of will
mngton; Miss Margaret Fotheringham, of
Buffalo Miss Lucy Branham, of Baltimore !;
Mrs. Pauline Adams of Norfolk: Miss
Edith Ainge, of Buffalo; Miss Maude Ma
lone of New York, and Mrs. Dorothy Bart
lett. of Putnam, Conn.
Serving thirty days-Mrs Frederick w
Kendall. of Buffalo Miss Nina Samaradn
and Miss Anna Gvinter of Baltimore Miss
Ernestine Hara and Miss Hida Blomburg
of New York; Miss Katherine Fisher, of
Washington; Miss Ruth CrocSer, OF Hens
dale ILL., and Mrs Margaret Woods Kess-
Ter, of Denver.