New Britain herald., 1925-07-01
BY WINNIFRED MASON HUCK Former Representative to Congress
 From Illinois,

The cry came from the sisters, Dot and Margc, in unison calling for the matron.
 They were frightened. l was un- strung, and the call went through me like a stlletto.
 Then I heard the matron at the cell door, saying "Oh, they're harm less"
 She was speaking of the dope fiends.
 There were 10 cells opening into the central room. There were 14 prisoners and only four of us were white. Ethel, one of the four. was dead 10 the world in a corner cell. That left only three of us to face the negro girls, if, led by lhe dope fiends, they should start anything.
 The fiends gravitated to one an- other, and were soon milling about, sWishing their skirts stepping high, jerking their bodies from side to side, snapping their fingers and talk ing all at once in a high pitched voice.
 If they should start anything, the other colored girls would stand by us," said Dot, They are as much afraid of them as we are"
 If l had known Dots and Marge's records, I should have felt more confidence in their ability to meet any violent situation. But it was not till months later that I learned that they had been given long sen- tences for beating up they had ad- ministered to taxi driver. Three Iiends
 At length, the three fiends went into a cell to sit down. Dot and Marge went into their cell and slept I sat and watched the door. From time to time, the three wildcats passed the door of our cell and peered in at us, but they of fered no attack.
 Nevertheless, sleep under these circumstances was Impossible.
 So morning and the sandwich boy found me still on watch and weary beyond imagination.
 The opium eaters lay in grotesque heaps in a cell, asleep or drugged. Later in the day. they and Ethel were taken to the county hospital. l never knew their fates.
 The morning hours were quiet. Few prisoners were brought in and some of the old ones were taken into court for trial.
 As I sat alone, the events of the night were marshaled before me. l had seen in it's extreme, the drug evil which, as a congresswoman had helped to fight.
 England alone produces under government auspices r times as much morphine as is required by the whole world for medicinal pur- poses. This night in jail had dem onstrated to me where the other 16 parts go.
 With all the other prisoners sleep ing, the place suddenly became more dismal than ever. I had nev- CT supposed that the time would come when l would crave the com- panionship of thugs, robbers, mur- deresses and street walkers
 Human Contact
 But in jail, any human contact comforts and braces,
 In prison, one never Is told any |, 1,n bae tn so, by indirect means, I learned that I was to leave for the reforma- tory at Marysville the following day.
 Another 24 hours of cockroaches, drunken ribaldry, nausea and soul crushing fatigue!
 wondered how I would get through it,
 I knew of another cell. It was called the hospital room, because there was a bed in it.
 That bed began 10 take on a stu pendous importance in my mind. I wanted to get into it. l remem- bercd it had looked clean. Four hours of sleep! That was all l wanted
 There was not a spot on my body that was not sore from my attempts to lie on the blanks.
 To go without food could not hurt me for a few days. But going with out sleep was cutting into my mor- ale, and I began to take myself seriously would endanger my entire project, I began to talk to my matron. l found out what interested her, ask ed questions, aroused her interest in me.
 was nearly dead for want of sleep, l told her and asked her what made a prisoner eligible for the white bed in the hospital room Only sickness, l was told,
 But soon a probation officer, Mrs. Anna LahiT of fine character and kind face, came in to talk with me.
 I tried 10 win her interest, and did. Then. to get her sympathy and the bed!
 The sympathy, was there, all right, but it went off at a tangent. She would try to tighten my sen tenCe.
 That. of course, spelled ruin for my plans.
 Come tell us your story" she ssid. T am sure you did not have a fair trial"
 Close to the Wind
 was sailing rather close to the wind. But l got the bed. and l was tco glad 10 worry about the danger of my disguise. got into bed as quickly as pos sible. The lights were on. and in the iron door was a small peek hole