On March 9-10, 1919, the “Prison Special,” a chartered train tour organized by National Woman’s Party (NWP) suffragists, arrived in Boston. Nicknamed the “Democracy Limited,” the tour had started in February from Washington D.C. and traveled throughout much of the United States. The twenty-six suffragists aboard the train had all been imprisoned for picketing. At each stop, they spoke to large crowds about their prison experiences, often wearing their prison uniforms. In Boston, the suffragists appeared at the six-year-old Wilbur Theater, where they were joined by suffragists who had recently been released from the Charles Street Jail for picketing President Wilson’s parade in front of the Massachusetts State House. These events highlighted the determination and courage of the women fighting for suffrage, bringing national attention to their cause.
