The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. NationNation, Carry Amelia
History
The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation
Nation, Carry Amelia
Nation, Carry Amelia, 1846-1911; Social reformers -- United States -- Biography; Temperance -- United States
The last jail I was in was in Philadelphia. I went down to lecture
between the acts of "The Heart of a Hero." There was a very vile
saloon kept by a Mr. Donoghue. This man stationed police to arrest
me if I went in his place. In going home from the theatre at night I
would look in and call to the poor victims not to be drugged and robbed.
This man had five or six bartenders handing out this poisonous drink to
our boys, our mothers treasures. This man has amassed a fortune at
this vile business and tries to pose as respectable, because he has a lot
of this blood money. I was passing there on the 14th of January, 1904.
I just opened the door when a two legged beer keg in the form of a
policeman grabbed me and almost dragged me over the streets to the
station. I was locked in and I spent the night in jail. Next morning I
was discharged.
The next day when I went to the Pennsylvania railway depot to
take the train a little ragged boy came to me and asked for a hatchet, the
depot police shook the little fellow and hurled him away. The little boy
began to cry and I said to the police: "Let that child alone! he is doing
no harm to any one." He told me in a very angry tone to mind my business,
and would not let the little boy take the hatchet from me. After
this I was sitting on the bench waiting for my train, and a person came
to me saying: "Let me see one of your hatchets." I opened my grip
to show the little souvenirs, several came up to look at them. This same
policeman was watching his chance to arrest me. He came up and said:
"You will have to stop that." I said: "I am making no trouble, I have
a right to meet people and talk to them and show my souvenirs too. You
are the only one, making a disturbance here." Two policemen came up
and caught me one by each arm, dragging me through the depot and
down the elevator, and I was carried to the police station in a "black
maria". This was done for spite and to show his authority. I spent a
night in prison, and next morning I was fined ten dollars. I was my own
lawyer. The magistrate before whom I was tried would not compel the
officer to answer the questions I asked him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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