Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1917-09-27
Occ0oUAN wORKHOUSE
DEMANDS INVESTIGATION
District Commissioners Asked To Look
Into Conditions and Remedy


i revelation to many as to the exist
ing conditions at occoquan work
house and its management;
committee ef the Nationai
woman's Party few days ago filed
a formal complaint with the District
Commissioners concerning conditions
al Occoauan Workhouse. Miss Lucy
Burns. Miss Anne Martin and Mrs. Alb
by Scott Baker called at Commissioner
Brownlow' Office, and, tinding tue
Commissioner was not 90 be al ms
Office during the day. left their COM
munieations with his secretary. NO
formal reply has been received from
Mr.. Brownlow. but il has been stated
through the press that the matter has
been referred to the Board Of Chari-
ties. and that an investigation VIII
probably take place. The formal
charges were in the form Of a per-
sonal letter TO Mr.. Brownlow, which
reads.
"Hon Louis r. Brownlow,
Washington, d. c.
MY dear Mr. Brownlow;--As coun-
sci for six women imprisoned for
month in the Occoquan workhouse on
the charge Of obstructing traffic l
visited those prisoners on August q,
90 and %. / found them suffering
from many causes that, on public
grounds. ought to be instantly rem
edied
"The prisoners for whom am
counsel gave the following report on
the food served them: In amount It
is ample. but in quality often uneat-
able. The hominy, the chief article
Of the morning meal. is sour and
dirty. The meat served at the mid
day meal is very tough, old, and often
tainted. The corn bread served at
dinner and supper cannot be eaten.
one of the prisoners found worms IN
il. The soup served at dinner and
supper is often very bad AS soup
and corn bread are all that is served
to the prisoners for supper, they
have had, ON two occasions TO my
knowledge, to go without supper al
together.
"On Saturday, August 25, | found
the six women, after a week OF de-
tention at Occoquan, looking very
pale and thin. Two of them particu-
larly. Mrs. William Watson and Miss
Lucy Ewing, both Of Chicago, seemed
seriously weakened by the treatment
they have undergone.
con wednesday, August %, doc
tor saw them ard prescribed Tor
them cup OF milk at each meal,
This order was a great relief to their
friends, although they were surprised
that prisoners were given milk only
on doctors prescription. But the
prisoners tell me that the milk given
them is weak. watery, not sustaining
and not fresh
when our friends were sent to
prison they expected that the food
would be extremely plain; but they
also expected that when they were
in the charge of the District Govern
ment enough eatable food would be
given them to maintain them in their
ordinary state of health. This has
not been the case
The testimony of one Of the
prisoners, Miss Layinia Dock, train
ed nurse, is extremely valuable on
the question of food supplies at Oc-
coquan Miss Dock is secretary of the
American Federation of Nurses and a
member OF the international Council
of Nurses. She has had distinguish
er career in her profession She as
sisted in the work after the Johns
town food and during the yellow
fever epidemic in Florida During the
| Spanish War she organized the REQ
Cross work with Clara Barton
really thought said Miss Dock to me
when | last saw her. that could eat
everything, but here / have hard work
choking down enough food to keen
life in
4 am sure you will agree with me
that these conditions should be in
stantly remedied. When these and
other prisoners were sentenced to
prison they were sentenced to deten-
tion, and not to starvation or semi
starvation
'The hygienic conditions have been
improved at Occoquan since a group
Of suffragists were imprisoned there
But they are still bad The water
they drink is kept in an open pail
from which it is 1adled into a drink
ing cup. The prisoners frequently
dip the drinking cup directly into the
pail.
The same piece of soap is used for
every prisoner. As the prisoners il
Occoquan are sometimes seriously
afflicted with disease. this practice is
appallingly negligent.
Concerning the general conditions
on the prison, | am enclosing Will
this letter affidayits of Mrs. Vir.
ginia Bcvee, an ex-officer of the work.
practices go on to Occoquan. On one
ert Baker, who visited Occoquan Oh
August q. The prisoners for whom
/ am counsel are aware that crueI
practices go on OF Occoquan. On one
occasion they heard Superintendent
/ Whitaker kicking a woman in the
next room They heard Whittaker's
voice, the sound Of the blows and the
woman's cries.
Il lay these facts before you with
the knowledge that you will be glad
to have the fullest possible informa.
tion given you concernign the insti-
tuition for whose administration you
as Commissioners Of the District Of