Woman in Prison. Caroline H. Woods

put them in the boiler to be cooked by steam.

      To make the confusion more confounded, the work was changed round, and new hands put to it, the day I went there. The bringing up of the coal, for the steam boiler, which had heretofore devolved upon the steam woman, was now required of all the rest, to be divided among them, because the steam woman had had a broken wrist, and it was not quite strong again. That gave dissatisfaction, and created grumbling, and the constant contention of shifting the labor from one to the other. The rest were constantly fretting Allen, the steam woman, because she asked it of them.

      To settle the difficulty I asked the Deputy, when he came round—"who should bring up the coal for Allen?"

      "Any of them that you see fit to order."

      That was an excellent hint to me. Allen had been in the habit of giving her own orders, which made it necessary for me to interfere continually so as to get them executed, and also to keep peace. They invariably answered her back with refusal when she asked for coal, and made altercation over every bucket that was needed.

      All orders, like information, were given promiscuously. I at once gave direction that all orders were to be given through me.

      "Allen, when you wish for coal, come to me for it!"

      Orders had no authority when given by one to another; and by watching I discovered that Allen was disposed to retaliate the little peckings she received, by making the one that aggravated her most bring up the most coal.

      It was more than one day's work to bring them to this arrangement. So I made it another rule that when they differed they were never to answer back; but come to me to settle the trouble. That was rather more difficult to establish than the first, they were so hot-headed, and anxious to defend themselves.

      O'Sullivan, one of the slide women, undertook to try my authority on the first order which I gave for coal. She sat idly upon her table, and I asked her to bring it up.

      A scowl came over her face, she hesitated, and then answered—

      "She's just as well able to bring up the coal as I."

      "That's so! that's so!" came from three or four other voices.

      "Stop! every one! It is the order that Allen is not to bring up coal; you have nothing to say about it."

      The others were silenced.

      "O'Sullivan, will you bring up a bucket of coal?"

      "I'm not going to bring up her coal; she's as well able to fetch it up as I."

      "You will do just what I tell you! Go now and bring a bucket of coal!"

      She started, after looking me in the eye a few seconds to see whether she could succeed if she attempted to disobey.

      "When you come back I will talk with you about it."

      I must have prompt obedience. I saw that her condition, that of motherhood, required consideration.

      While she was gone Allen came to me and whispered—

      "They never lock up women like her, so she takes the advantage."

      After she had brought up the coal, and sat down upon the table again, I went along to her, laid my hand upon her shoulder, stooped down, and said softly—

      "I see the condition that you are in—I know that it requires care—I am a mother—I will see that you do no more than your part. You will do as I wish in future, pleasantly, will you?"

      "Yes, ma'am!"

      I then called them all around me, and said to them,—

      "The bringing up of the coal for the steam boiler is to be divided among you. I will give each her share of it to do as equally as I can. If any one of you thinks she is doing more than belongs to her, rightfully, make no talk about it, but come directly to me, and I will see that it is made right."

      My first object was to lead the women to make me the central, regulating power, in the kitchen, so that I could reduce the chaotic state of affairs to something like order.

      "In a week," I said to the Deputy that day, "I hope to get something like order established."

      "I will give you a month to get the run of things."

      "You want the meals well cooked, and promptly passed out at the time; the place kept quiet and clean."

      "That is what we want."

      "Be patient, and in a week or two we shall arrive at that."

      "I shall find no fault till I see occasion."

      That night, after the work was done, I called them all around me, and told them they would find me kind and pleasant, if they were obedient. If they were not, they would surely find themselves in trouble, because it was a part of my duty to make them obey, and it must be done by the rules of the institution; I could not change them. I saw that their work was hard; but I would make it as easy as possible. The work was there, and they were put there to do it. The more willingly they undertook it, the easier it would go off. If they tried to help themselves, I would help them.

      They all assented, and thus we made a compact to be kind to each other.

IV.

       A QUARREL, AND DISCIPLINE.

       Table of Contents

      It was my third morning in prison. I stood beside the mush boiler with Annie O'Brien, who had been scraping it, and was wiping it out with a dry cloth.

      McMullins came along, and demanded the cloth from her. An altercation ensued. I hushed the noise, and asked—

      "To whom does the cloth belong?"

      "It is my dish-cloth," said McMullins.

      "You might let me have it a moment just to wipe this out!"

      "I want it meself, I'm in hurry for it."

      "Where is yours?" I asked O'Brien.

      "I don't know, ma'am. I left it on the boiler, and some one has taken it."

      She still kept on using McMullins'.

      "I want my dish-cloth; I'm in hurry," said McMullins, impatiently.

      "Give her the dish-cloth, and go find your own!" I said.

      Annie O'Brien's temper was like a lucifer match. At the command she threw the cloth in McMullins's face.

      Quick as a cat would spring upon a mouse, McMullins was upon her; and the report of the slaps that fell quick, and followed each other fast on the side of O'Brien's face, sounded through the room.

      It was in vain that I called upon them to stop. O'Brien was enraged. She caught up an iron rod that lay upon the window seat, and struck McMullins a blow upon her forehead that brought blood.

      I called the other women to the spot, and they were soon parted.

      I sent McMullins out of the room, took O'Brien, who was white with anger, by the arm, and led her to a seat.

      "Sit down!"

      She looked defiance for a moment; then, did as I commanded her.

      "What kind of behavior is this, Annie O'Brien?" I asked, sternly.

      "She slapped me in the face—slapped in the face by that low hussy!"

      The thought added fuel to her rage, and she started up again as though to pursue her.

      "Be quiet!"

      She sat down again. I stood silent by her.

      "She slapped me in the face; by——, I will not bear it!"

      She darted past me, and caught up a carving-knife that