Suffragists -- United States; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
Using their welcome release to continue their protest, the women again
marched with their banners to the White House in an attempt to picket.
Again they were arrested. No one who saw that line will ever forget the
impression it made, not only on friends of the suffragists, but on the
general populace of Washington, to see these women force with such
magnificent defiance the hand of a wavering Administration. On the
following morning they were sentenced to from six days to six months in
prison. Miss Burns received six months.
In pronouncing the lightest sentence upon Mrs. Nolan, the judge said
that he did so on account of her age. He urged her, however, to pay her
fine, hinting that jail might be too severe on her and might bring on
death. At this suggestion, tiny Mrs. Nolan pulled herself up on her
toes and said with great dignity: “Your Honor, I have a nephew fighting
for democracy in France. He is offering his life for his country. I
should be ashamed if I did not join these brave women in their fight
for democracy in America. I should be proud of the honor to die in
prison for the liberty of American women.” Even the judge seemed moved
by her beautiful and simple spirit.
In spite of the fact that the women were sentenced to serve their
sentences in the District Jail, where they would join Miss Paul and her
companions, all save one were immediately sent to Occoquan workhouse.
It had been agreed that the demand to be treated as political
prisoners, inaugurated by previous pickets, should be continued, and
that failing to secure such rights they would unanimously refuse to eat
food or do prison labor.
Any words of mine would be inadequate to tell the story of the
prisoners’ reception at the Occoquan workhouse. The following is the
statement of Mrs. Nolan, dictated upon her release, in the presence of
Mr. Dudley Field Malone:
It was about half past seven at night when we got to Occoquan
workhouse. A woman [Mrs. Herndon] was standing behind a desk when we
were brought into this office, and there were five or six men also in
the room. Mrs. Lewis, who spoke for all of us, . . . said she must
speak to Whittaker, the superintendent of the place.
“You’ll sit here all night, then,” said Mrs. Herndon.
I saw men begin to come upon the porch, but I didn’t think anything
about it. Mrs. Herndon called my name, but I did not answer. . . ’
Suddenly the door literally burst open and Whittaker burst in like a
tornado; some men followed him. We could see a crowd of them on the
porch. They were not in uniform. They looked as much like tramps as
anything. They seemed to come in—and in—and in. One had a face that
made me think of an ourang-outang. Mrs. Lewis stood up. Some of us had
been sitting and lying on the floor, we were so tired. She had hardly
begun to speak, saying we demanded to be treated as political
prisoners, when Whittaker said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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