The Washington herald., 1920-12-29
BY CoNINGsBY DAWSON.

VIENNA, Dec. IS (By Mail).-
Today being Sunday, day of rest and
gladness, when ever prisoners do
not work, / visited the central Jail
of Vienna Permission is not often
granted and in order to obtain a
permit, II was necessary to gain the
consent of the President of the Aus
trian Republic. My object In going
was to see for myself to what extent
starvation Is making criminals out
OF children and so adding one more
grim touch, by destroying charac-
ters as well as bodies, to the mon
strous sum of Europe's child trag-
edy.
Before the war the Viennese were
among the most happy and law
abiding of citizens. What famine
can accomplish in the manufacture
Of criminals was illustrated by what
l saw on this visit.
1t was a SUNDAY with a sky of
intensest blue. Snow and slush of
Saturday had frozen over so that
the streets cleaned brilliantly in
white and steel gray patches. About
the ring. which encircles the old
royal palace, crowds were promen-
aiding in worn finery of prewar days.
There was almost a breath of hope,
dash and unwonted alertness.
We drew up before the frowning
pile of buildings. the windows Of
which were heavily grated and be-
fore whose entrances men with ri
fies stood on guard. We were i'm
mediately conducted to the office of
the prison director; he had some
thing to say to US. He was a very
humane man and most eager to i'm
press US with his humanity. He
had sent for US to warn US that
we were about to encounter a sight
which would probably shock US. ,
Crime Wave GeDeraI.
Since the war the wave Of crime
has been on the increase in all coun-
tries-especially in those whose peo-
pie are most hungry. People
seemed to be losing their faculty for
distinguishing btween mine ana
thine. This was the case in Austria,
with the consequence that the sup
ply Of jails could not cope with the
demand Of criminals All jails were
overcrowded. This one was. Cells
which had been built to hold nine
contained as many as thirty.
OF course sanitary accommoda-
tions were insufficient. He did not
want US to believe that what we
were about to sec was typical or
Austrian efficiency. We should dis
cover that only one prisoner out of
four had bed; that their personal
linen was changed only once a
month and cells were verminous.
We should discover that the greater
part of the prisoners had not been
brought to trial and that many Of
them had been awaiting their trial
three months These lamentable con-
ditions had produced frequent riots,
which had only been quieted by
flooding cells to the depth of a yard.
Stin worse children were dis
playing an increasing tendency
toward theft OF course that might
be due to starvation In prevail
days they had been dealt with in
juvenile court. but now all children
of IA aud up had to be herded with
adults There were so many of
them That was the trouble. I'm
der the circumstances what else
could be done? He bade us. good
bye with courtly politeness. His
last words were a petition that we
would INTO be shocked. but we were.
And who would not be shockedf
Two-thxrds Of the crimes which
have brought these 5000 unfortu-
mates to this pass-fathers, mothers
and children-havc been stealing,
melted by hunger.
= There was one ward of mothers
who had stolen to preserve their
little ones and were again expecting
to become mothers. They were
among the very few prisoners seq
regated- They sat on the edge Of
their cots in their grated cells won
dering, no doubt. what was happen
Ing to their children they had left.
Must Violate Maternity.
Mary. refused admittanceN to the
INN at Bethlehem. has stood in mems
minds as the acme of maternal
tragedy, but her neglect does not
with the callous usages of
the viennese captive mothers. And
yet. as the director had said, eco
nomic conditions being what they
we're what else could you do with
them? You could not let them go
on hlching merely because they were
mothers. Among prisoners one
found\a great many former soldiers.