The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-18
HUNGER STRIKERS
ARE REPORTED ILL
One Pays Fine and Goes tc
Private Hospital Conduct
ed BY Woman Physician.
MILITANTs ARE EXCITED
Suffrage Headquarters Blames
Sanitary Conditions At
Jail, But Superintend-
ent Makes Denial.

( Wssh}rEtaH aug. 1.-THE twent v-
I TWO suTragettes on hunger strike in
the district jail are reported III one
( ef them was removed today 10 ptt-
waite hospital Reports of the condi-
tion Of two other mem hers Of the
group. who are kent from the hunger
strike by their associates because of
( their advanced age conflict At SUI
srnee headquarters IL Is as25 they are
I also IN. but Superintendent Zinkham.
! Of The Jail. denies this.
The women are cut off absolutely
: from any outside communication Mat
thew O'Brien. their attorney. aroused
BY reports Of their condition. sought 70
see them today but was refused ad-
mission
we have certain rules here" said
ziukham. These women are subject
to them just as other prisoners. one
visitor week is the general order.
When they have been here a week
each can see one visitor
Mrs w b Ascough became so i'll
during the night that her fellow pris-
ouers insisted she leave the jail for
medical attention She paid her fine
this morning ard was taken to the
national woman's party headquarters
hy superintendent Zinkham and a
trained nurse she was taken In an
ambulance from there to Or. Cora
Smith Knss residence
- found Mrs, AsceuGh. who had
been in Jail less than forty-eight hours
weak and with subnormal tempera-
ture" said ftr King. She reports
tthnt "A few hours after entrance INFO
/ Jan she began TO suffer with nausea
and vomiting ana abdominal cramps
+ The symptoms increased in severity.
She is not subject 70 such attacks.
THE symptoms are not in any way
those Of starvation which would re-
suit from their hunger strike but
might result from the sewer gas
which they report permeatPs the build
irg. or lead poisoning in the water
or possibly from the damp and chilly
) cells in which they are held"
/ Mrs. Ascough reported that every
woman IN the party including the I" o
not on hunger strike were III in SIM
1 liar way though the two not striking
were less III than the others,
The women have asked for the at
tention OF their family physicians but
have been refused.
1--WE have offered them medical at
l tention each day" said Superintendent
Zinkham." and they have refused. I'm
derstand what we offer them is not an
ordinary Jail physician. We have a hos
pttai here with regular stan and
1 consultants and these are Mt the wo-
mems service. II il should be neces-
sarv later aud they insist on outside
medical advice. with the consent OF
our medical stan, this may be made
/ available but we cannot have any
and every physician coming in here.
| "Repoets that the water is poisoned
or that the jail is filled with sewer gas
| from open drains are untrue. Tie
water Is the same water that all WASH
Iington drinks and the plumbing is
properly installed"
| The women were furnished blankets
Hast night but were stili refused the
! flannel pajamas for which they had
sent out and the fur coats. Five of
them have with them only the clothes
in which they were arrested.
| Mrs Helena Hill Weed. daughter of
1.-The late Congressman Hin, of Con-
lnecticut, is reported confined to her
! bed by rheumatism brought on by the
idampness of the building. The win
dows are so high that no sun shines
lin to relieve the chill. the suffragists
say.
| The women have completed the first
! forty-eight hours of their hunger
strike and those still in Jail are show
ling no signs of Weakening.