Evening star., 1939-12-18
Doctors Moved Miss Hiron;mus
To Important Prison Post
Search for Health
Led Her Into
Work With Women
Bv ]. A. FOX.

VOTk WIN women
BY J. A. FOX.
Two doctors moved Helen Hiro-
minus from behind a typewriter to
one of the most important prison
administrative posts In the coun-
try.
In a few months, the Govern
ment will be opening the new cor
rectional institution for women at
Dallas, Tex. second Of its kind in
the United States. with Miss Hiron-
linus as superintendent. In the
middle of one of the busy days in
which she prepares for the work
ahead. she stopped to tell a group of
reporters and photographers some
thing about it, based on her expert
ence Of the past decade as assist
ant superintendent of the Anderson
Reformatory, first of the Federal in
stitutions for women, where she
took a job for her health when in
surance examiners rejected her.
Her visitors at the Office of James
v. Bennett. superintendent of pris-
ons for the Department of Justice.
were greeted by a brisk, trim in
dividual, who admits, but doesn't
look, her 40 years. and who might.
as one observed, fit nicely into the
role OF dean Of women at some COL
1ege.
Can't Be Hard Boiled.
You're not hafd-boiled enough"
she was told.
That got Miss Hironimus down
TO cases.
You can't be hard-boiled In this
work; If you are, the women are.
Isn't that true, Mr.. Bennett?"
The superintendent nodded agree
nnent
What are the women like?" she
was asked.
Just like any other women"
came the quick response. They
nave the same traits; are amenable
to the same treatment"
That sounded odd, when it was
recalled that in the past few years
Anderson had received several Of the
associates, married and otherwise.
OF bandits, kidnapers and killers.
whose breadwinners were doing
their bit for Uncle Sam-generally
80 years
oh. occasionally one won't CO.
operate Miss Hironimus agreed,
but that she insisted was the excep-
tion rather than the rule.
Have to Use Wits,
you have to use your wits to deal
with them," she laughed.
In most instances, the woman
prisoner offers a problem in both |
moral and physical rehabilitation.
Miss Hironimus said. About 40 per
cent OF those received at Alderson-I
and the figure will hold good at
Dallas-are serving sentences for
sale and possession of narcotics, and
that Invariably means that they are
narcotic addicts.
The first thing to do then. is to
get them "of" of the drug, and this
can be accomplished in. the 30-day
quarantine period to which each
prisoner is subjected.
Then comes the training, with an
effort to fit them into occupations
that will be source of livelihood
later on. Perhaps it is needlevork.
or commercial bookkeeping, or stem
ography; maybe something SIM
pier. For example: A girl has been
. waitress.
I'VE try to teach her to be a bet
ter waitress" Miss Hironimus ex.
plains. For instance, she is taught
to type menus, for that would be
helpful In some small-town restau-
rant"
Learn About Batik.
'"Teu her about that woman" sue-
gested Mr.. Bennett, pointing to a
corner of the Office containing a
silken wall decoration.
That said Miss Hironimus, "is
batik. Do all of you know what
batik is?"
There were practically no batik
experts around. so once more Miss
Hironimus amplified.
1t Is the process, she continued, of
executing color designs on fabric
and one that requires extreme care,
as each of the dyes that is worked
into the material must be covered
Immediately with parafin to pro-
tect them from discoloration by
other dyes. At the end, when the
article is finished, the thin coating
of wax by that time covering all Of
1t, is removed.
The wall decoration represents q
success story.
About five years ago the wife Of a
notorious gangster was sent to Al
derson as an accessory in his crimes.
Product of the underworld, she
was 46 years old and had been an
alcoholic and drug addict since the
age of 16.
One day an attendant laid on
Miss Hironimus' desk the beautiful
head Of dog. scratched with pen