Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-04-06
WOMAN INMATE OF COUNTY
JAIL TELLS OF WRETCHED
STATE INV LETTER TO Y. w.


made IT,
zone girl got in bed with the coll
ored girl and told the other one
sleep with our clothes on or freeze
to death, You asked me if there
was anything you could send us.
Bless your hearts, there is not Il
thing but what we could use.
"You say that you have heard Of
how things were. but my dears the
half has never been told. For
breakfast we have either bowl
of oats, rice or cakes like leather,
for noon a bowl of Spanish beans SO
hot with chile pepper We could not
get them into our mouths much
less into our stomachs. With the
beans comes a biscuit-a peculiar
sinker - and chocolate cologed
water called coffee. | uon't arluK
coffee myself and the others cant
drink it. For supper bowl of soup
and the aforesaid sinker and water.
That is the food each day in the
week, S65 days in the year.
We have no way of taking a
bath except by heating a thimble
full of water on the top OF the
stove, no way to do any washing
except in the same manner. When
the colored girl and | came this
was a filthy hole, but she has
mopped il several times and
scrubbed it hard, almost got on her
knees and begged for even warm
water to mop it with. And the
jailer said he wasn't running around
town gathering up hot water.
We asked the sheriff, Mr. Gar
cia. and he said there was plenty or
hot water down stairs and TO ask
for it. That did no good. When |
came there was a little Spanish
girl here who since has gone TO Ell
Paso to the Salvation Army rescue
home for girls. Her last week here
and our first week, was terrible.
The boys would call her to the door
when open-and~say terrible things
to her. 1t was very hard for us to
explain that they meant her no
good, as she imagined that any
word of flattery was an expression
of love from the boys.
Being a United States prisoner
LUX II upOli my SCil W NbiliPiS'lh
! TO the Y. S. officials who said that
we did not have to put up with
/ their talk. OF course when this
reached the deputy and sheriff
there was a fuss. But the sheriff
really meant good and said enough
had it been carried out, TO Nakc a
difference.
since then we've done better,
but it costs each of us near four of
| five dollars a week and then we
| do not have much to eat.
Here a lack of toilet decencieS
which would cause even hardened
woman of the underworld to blush
are described, and it has since been
learned that the blanket hung
around the wash bowl was taken
| away by the jailer so that the
| women had to take one from their
| bed by day.
"As there is no matror the men
open the door upon us at any time
whether we are undressed or not,
the letter continues. "Of course
we have no cooking facilities. We
make coffee, oat meal, or what
ever we have in a tin can, empty
| 1t from one thing into another, 10
use it again.
Eve can not even keep clean
,papers for our table. Imagine
| bringing up coal, and no ktndllns
to start a fire; and on a wet day
| the kindIing so wet 1t won't burn.
We have suffered since l came, ami
| can imagine how others suffered
before. oh, if ! could ever begin
to tell YOU the half OF the torture of
this place. OF course they figure
each person is guilty and should
suffer, but when down in your own
heart you are innocent, it's mighty
hard.
"The captain of the salvation
| Army is the only one who has done
any good for us and of course
when you came it was like a thun-
der bolt from a clear sky. Girls
have no chance to be decent here,
to be clean, and boy who left a
couple of days ago said he was
here ten days before he had drop
of water on his face or hands He
could not get it. Even a hobo on
the road can keep cleaner than
that.
Il am not we'll in many ways,
1t Is hard here on well person,
not to mention what it is an a sick
one. We are not allowed to send
out any letter except through the
office to be read, and mailed or
destroyed, so you may wonder how
this gets out. An trusting the Lord
will find a way of getting this 20
you, and while l wish you would
| let these facts be published to the
world. / also hope you will protect
us enough so that we will not be
punished for getting it out, as the
| four winds will, with a little help,
carry it to you.
II have no money leftx1 have
a son "a wonderful lad, in China
| in the L. S. army, but 1t takes
months to get letter to him and
an answer returned, and of course
| a soldier don't have much. He has
Tried to, come home so hard and be
a help to me but it seems there Is
|