New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-16
cr9ragists in Occoquan
Are Reported on a
Hunger Strike
% Women To Be
Arraigned Again
Wilson and District Com
missioners Confer on
Picket Issue
Bv lanes Arthur Seavey

vAsHINGToN, Nov. ia truce OF
n. picket patrol has been sounded 1t
,s only q camouAage truce, but
Last the march Of the piekets In
-. of the White House has been
halted.
This was the news given out at Gam
House. the headquarters Of the
T.,iona, woman's Party, this after
-, But the statement was not ac-
Unnamed by any guarantee.
There may be reasons. Tomorrow
.-.Dtv.eight Of the thirty women VINO
:. now inmates of the occoquan work
-. under sentence Of Police Judge
w.,lovnv will be brought out and
.,-,;yued before him again on charge
.;r;Isr TO that on which they were
.orvicted and sentenced last Tuesday.
IN. alleged offence was committed the
A, before they were sentenced.
ni.ouieting news regarding the SUI
,..r. prisoners filtered from the work
lor,s this afternoon. 1t was to the
,s.ct that all of the women, Mrs. John
Winters Brannan. Miss Lucy Burns
Who has been proposed as a candidate
"a, REPRESENTATIVE in Congress and has
,uurned the proposition; Miss Hattie
Kruerer. Of Buffalo; Mrs. Agnes
NOrsy, Of Brookline, Mass, and all the
rest Of them had gone on a hunger
strike They handle recalcitrant pris-
oners without gloves at Occoquan. and
that may be one reason why there will
be a let-up in the picketing OF me
White House.
President Discusses Pickets
Another reason may be found in the
fact that there was long conference
this afternoon between the President
and two Of the three commissioners OF
the District Of Columbia. The pickets
and their sentence were not the only
thing discussed, but l learned tonight
from a seni-oficial source that. when
the matter Of the militants was brougnt
I'd. the question of parconing them all
over again was thoroughly discussed;
What, II anything, was finally decldea
upon will be made public only through
an Official announcement.
Miss Katherine Morey, daughter OF
Mrs Agnes Morey, visited the lnstiIu'
tion this afternoon and talked WIN d
man named Hall. an assistant 70 tne x1t
superintendent Of the workhouse' W;
H. Whitaker. What Miss Morey nearo
was told in the following statement
given out at Cameron House to-nlgnt:
"The suffrage prisoners nave Oeen h
placed in punishment cells. Inc ceIs
are unheated, without bedding. ahu
with only mats for beds. There are
NOT snongb of these cells TO accom-
nodate an OF our women. Therefore
some Of them have been put In the
punishment cells Of the mems DIVISION
"When the suFragists arrived al
0ceoouan on Wednesday night they
demanded 70 be recognized as polit-
cal offenders. This demand was re;
fused Led By Miss Lucy Burns and
Mrs. John Winters Brannan. the pr1s-
oners refused 70 enter into the jail
routine. They declined 70 give their
names or turn over their clothes or
their valuables. All former suffrage
prisoners a. Occoouan have been
forced % give up whatever they car
RED into the workhouse, the married
women even being compelled 70 give
10 their wedding rings. Miss Morey
Information is that the prisoners are
t,ill wearing sheir own clothing"
Ordeal for Hunger Strikers
II this report be correct as 20 de-
tails, and the usual procedure be fol-
lowed, the hunger strikers will be al
lowed % 20 foodless and waterless
for forty-eight hours. Then, II prece-
dent be followed. forcible feeding VIII
begin. n some of those thirty prison
srs are as frail as they seemed 70 me
% be, when ! saw them in police court
On Wednesday, forty-elght-hour
hunger strike will 20 hard with them.
Miss Morey's experience this after
roon a. Occoduan was different from
mine 7 suspect that she is much
better reporter. To be sure. she did
lot see Superintendent Whitaker.
That NAV have made the difference.
When ! saw the superintendent short
y before dinner and told him nv
Business he said. biting off his words
a. II he liked them:
while these women are at Occo-
suan ! do not purpose giving 70 any
Newspaper man from Washington.
New YORK or anywhere else any IN
formation about the institution or It's
inmates. That is final and unalter'
able. and you can quote me as say
inz %"
"will YOU tell me why you have come
70 this decigion?"
viii not"
"Nay 90 through the womens cnd
q The prison" ,
"You may NOT" And the force OF
he explosion Of THAT mot" would nave
tlo1n half dozen BocheS TO kingdom
tome.
Doesn't Love Sufragists
Superintendent Whitaker has no love
Tor sUfrsRist. IL IL only three or
Tour weeks since he was reinetated 70
the fvperintendency after having been
s1spendtd On charges Of inhuman ana
ttfrtal conduct preferred by memoers OF
NE kstiorsi Womsn's party. The
shsrgsz were heard by committee of
We District Board Of Charities, and the
,,,sfamiitee promptly reingtated Mr.
Whitaker.
-HhitevaEhed," said the sufragists.
Inpmpbantly yindiested," said the
HieDds IL the superintendent.
Ihe superintendent said nothing.
The WashinHtOu funfagiftg. III you