The Washington times., 1920-09-18
PROBE OF md.
PEI" LIKELY
U. S. Threatens Removal OF
Women Convicts-System
Declared "vicious."

Thirty-two women, convicted OF
feIonies in the District courts, who
are serving sentences In the Mary
land State Penintentisry, may be
transferred to the District jail anda
workhouse at Occoqusn, as the re-
suit of charges made recently by Fed
eral Inspector Joseph Fishman, OF the
Department of Justice, that "the sys'
tenn at the prison Is vicious, the Fed
eral prisoners receiving poor food and
medical attention"
Emphatic denial of the charges was
made today by Patrick ]. Brady, act
ing warden OF the Maryland peniten-
tIary, who told The Washington
Times that he would welcome an
impartial investi tigation of the prison"
Because, the Federal prison at At
lanta, Ga, has no accommodations
for women prisoners, Attorney Gen
eral Palmer reached an agreement
with the Maryland authorities TO
care for the District prisoners con-
victed of felonies here, the Govern
ment paying go cents day for the
maintenance of each woman convict.
The women in the Maryland prison
are employed at making overalls FOR
a contractor and receive so cents a
day, which they use as they see ft.
At the District Jail, the workhouse,
and Occoquan, IL was said this morn
ing, women are need for laundry
work, and only recently efforts were
made to have twenty of the women
convicts at the Maryland penitentiary
transferred to the District Jail.
The women convicts are serving
from one to twenty years in the Mary
land penitentiary. For a time women
convicted in the District were COM
mitted by. the courts here to Lam
sing. Kan, and to the Jefferson city
Mo-, State prison. However the
Lansing prison now refuses to accept
women convicted in the Federal
courts, while at Jefferson City, where
female Federal prison is main
ttained. only recently a woman convict
was refused admittance because she
had a small baby with her.
In view of the controversy brewing
between Attorney General Palmer and
Governor Richie, of Maryland. over
the charges made by Inspector Fish
man, it was pointed out by District
prison officials here today that it
was within the power Of the Attorney
General to have the woman commit
ted to the Maryland penitentiary
from the District recommitted to the
District jail.
1--WE would be glad to have the
women prisoners recommitted from
the Maryland penitentiary to the Dis
trict JAIL" said Capt. William L. Peake,
ceputy warden of the Jail, this morn
ing. "But the matter is up to the
Attorney General
In a telegram to Governor Richie
yesterday. Attorney General Palmer
said he is willing to defer the removal
Of Federal prisoners from the Mary
land penitentiary until the admins
tration in charge of the penitentiary
can investigate the charges made
against the sytem there, by Federal
Inspector Fishman.
Palmer said the Government will
await a reasonable time for such in
vestigation, but it will expect an i'm
mediate report as soon as those in
charge of the investigation have
reached a conclusin on Inspector
Fishman's charges.
Governor Ritchie had urged that
Attorney General Palmer make pub
lie Fishman's charges against the
Maryland penitentiary, but the At
torney General said he did not think
it advisable for the Government to
give out a copy of the Fishman
report.
With Palmers refusal to make
public the charges of the Federal in
spector, it is likely Governor Richie
will insist that Fishman be summoned ed
before the investigating committee
TO tell the result of his probe Of the
prison.