Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 124, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 May 1915 — Blackwells Island Has Its Own Exclusive Set [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Blackwells Island Has Its Own Exclusive Set

Nv'W YORK. —Blackwells Island has Its aristocracy—its first families of the workhouse. The social register, say those who understand the life behind the bars, is Identical with the prison register, for no one in the

woman’s wing can be recognized as "in society” unless she has attained four commitments. Two commitments, or three, leave one in the limbo of the parvenus; while even a good round term in the penitentiary does not remove the stigma upon the "climber.” It takes four sojourns in the Blackwells workhouse to pass muster. As for neophytes, the way of the light transgressor is exceedingly hard. One of the officials recently came

upon a woman in tears. “None of these girls will have a thing to do with “What were yon committed for?” "Tenement house law, but then —sob—you see it was only the first time." “But don't they respect you for that?” They respected her, it appeared, to the extent of freezing her out. No one would share sandwiches with her, talk to her, allow her to ace as a picket the keepers In case some one chanced to hake some smigglec Her ostrecfr"” seemed to cut as deeply as do any other social •nubs. . a. a of fact, the workhouse to many an old-timer is borne—the only place where As may feel In harmony with her environment. _