The Washington herald., 1918-08-19
WILL DEMAND
WOMEN MOVE
FROM OLD JAIL
National Party Leaders Say
Prison Makes Them
Very Ill.

Formal demand will be made of the
District Commissioners today tina. the
suffragettes imprisoned in the old jail
he moved to more sanitary q~arters.
That was the decision at the Ma
tional womans Party headquarters
after Matthew O'Brien, their attorney,
had been permitted by Supt. Zinkhan.
OF the Jail, to see the prisoners. Ot
the twenty-six women originally I'M
prisoned, three have paid their fines
and been released. two did not hunger
strike because of their age and sixth
went off her hunger strike yesterday
because of illness. She is Mrs. Ellie
Main. of Topeka, kans.
The other twenty have completed
seventy-two hours OF hunger strike.
and of the twenty-three st.il in jail,
nineteen are too i'll to rise from their
mattresses and blankets scattered
along the Jail corridor.
1.-THE situation is shocking" said Mr..
O'Brien. They are in an old wing OF
the jail, abandoned in 1903. We undes-
stand, because then condemned as
unsanitary. The years intervening
have not improved it
"All OF them are i'll with ,rheu-
matism and sciatica and neuralgia.
1t could not be otherwise in that
damp building with no. heat and
the windows fifteen feet high in the
corridor walls so that no sunlight
can penetrate. Only four of them
were able to leave their beds and
come to the curtains to talk to me.
The others were unable to raise their
heads above their blankets.
Are Ill.
1.-THE women who are not on hun
ger strike are i'll with those who are
striking, but the twenty on strike
declare they will stick to their
strike. They have demanded outside
medical attention, but have been re-
fused. If serious permanent Illnesses
result, Superintendent Zinkham ami
the District Commissioners must ac-
cept the responsibility. The sur
roundings Of the prisoners now are
far worse than when they were i'm
prisOned for picketing."
No attempt has been made by the
authorities at forcibIe feeding. The
| temperature was around 60 last night
1--WE gave the women a blanket
! apiece last night" said Superinten-
| dent Zinkham yesterday, "and be-
I NoAoO VI bhC SOldCE "SdlneE gave
| each a second blanket They can
keep these about them in the day.
time also. and yesterday We not only
| permitted their attorney to see them,
but permitted such heavier clothes
as were sent down to be taken to
them. Our hospital physicians arc
at their service whenever they will
accept. They can shut the windows
il they wish. but there is no heat
in the building"
| More Demonstrators.
'The condition of the Jail Is re-
ported to US as frightful," said Miss
Doris Stevens, in charge of head
| quarters while Miss Alice Paul is
held in Jail. I'VE believe that the
authorities wilfully picked the most
unsanitary place they could find In
order to force the prisoners to pay
| their fines and come out
Our demonstrations will continue
this week, and if necessary we will
| fill their Jail with American women
for them to expose to Jail illnesses" "
Scores of women are voluntarily on
trains coming to Washington, anL
Miss Vivian Pierce is in New York,
arranging. for a big delegation oi
New York women to come