100 Years Ago: April 3-9

From The Indianapolis Times, Saturday, April 3, 1920: Reports of graft, cruelty and incompetency in the management of the Marion County jail have stirred-up women’s clubs, and prominent women have expressed the opinion that the jail’s woman’s department needs a “housecleaning” along with other jail departments. Hester M. Hart (Mrs. W. H. Hart), Housewives’ League president, has called for action to protect women prisoners from mistreatment. Mrs. Hart said, “When women get the right to vote, such conditions will not be tolerated. At present we are treated very courteously when endeavoring to improve matters of this kind, but they show us only what they want us to see and tell us only what they want us to know and follow our recommendations to suit themselves.” A Woman’s Department Club committee investigated the jail’s woman’s section last fall and made recommendations.