The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-11-28
FOOD IN PRISON.
AN Ex-CONvIcT GIVES AN ACCOUNT
OF HIS EXPERIENCE.
Fill of Fare for the Year-How to Cook
in Ceil-The Prisoners Stove
"HaiI CoIumbia''-A Candy
Pull.
rEx-convict in Philadelphia Press.l

here may not be ont OF place. At breakfast
time each man receives sufficient brea to
last him for his three meals. he is asked
how much be wants AMI is given all he asks
for the quality of the bread is excellent;
it is, in fact. far superior to most that is
bought in Philadelphia bakeshops. IL is
good wholesome homemade bread; the
-four Is ma .e in the institution, and re-
mark of one of the keepers on being spoken
to by the writer concerning the good quail
ties of the bread may best describe it to my
readers. He said: 81 would like to have
one-half as good for my family" For
breakfast the prisoner is given q pan Of
coffee which, with the bread goes to make
up the meal.
For dinner Mondays, Tuesdays and
Saturdays, be receives pan OF mutton
soup which contains a large piece of meat
potatoes and other vegetables; on
Wednesdays he is given n pan of bean or pea
soup and piece of beef; on Thursdays,
pan of beef soup and vegetables; on Fridays
either oatmeal AMI milk, cornneal and
milk, rice and sugar, buns and cheese. or
fish and potatoes, boiled in their jackets
He receives ali of these at different periods
OF the year. at least this has been the
course during my imprisonment, although
any or all of them ara liable to be replaced
by something the doctor thinks mora suita-
BILE. as he has tho control of the food
composed of a piece of pork and some baked
beans, and when tomatoes are in season the
mutton and beef soup is filed with this ex-
cellent vegetable. On every day but Friday
and Sunday thu prisoner receives from
two to six undres ell tomatoes, which he
generally slices up in vinegar and en- joys
for supper. He also receives for at least
two months in the year on Saturia Us Irish
and sweet potatoes boilel in their jackets
Ga Thanksgiving and Christmas the pris-
oner is given six or saveu apples; he also re-
ceives on Christmas dinner OF roast beef,
potatoes and turnips mashed together, with
IA bountifu supply of gravy, and New
Years he IS given large Dutch cake. This
comprises the full dinner bill of fare during
the year. TIE supper consists of tea, bread,
and whatever the prisoner has saved from
dinner and warmed over.
COOKING IN A CELL.
Some of my readers will no doubt wonder
how in the world man can warm over OF
cook anything without the necessary uteu-
sils but as necessity is the mother of inveu-
tion this is readily accomplished in the
following manner. As the gas is not turned
on until dark, there is, of course, very
little cooking done in the summer time, but
there is little necessity for it, as the pris-
onar generally makes his supper of sliced
tomatoes and tea; Iut in the winter time it
is generally dark efore supper is served.
The gas is turned and this forms the pris-
oner's stove, together with frame made in
the following manner:
A strip of wood is nailed against the wall
above the gas fixture and four pieces of
wood are nailed together TO form hollow
square, one side Of which rests on the strip
of wool nailed to the wall. In the opposite
side are two nails, to which ATTACHED
strings, which are also fastened to two nails
in the wall about a foot above tho strip OF
w1ol This holds the frame in q horizontal
position over the gas JET and the hollow
square forms support to the prisoners
plate or pan, whichever he wishes to use II,
for instance, he has some mutton left over
from dinner the prisoner cuts it up fine with
Vegetables. and, as he always saves his fat
from the beef, he is never without some
greae with which to fry his sup
per. After greasing the pan thor
oughiy he places it over his Hollow
square, then puts in the hash, and in this
way a very palatable dish is made. Then,
when no has some beef left over on Wednes-
day, he cuts it up in slices and fries it, thus
forming another addition to his menu.
Another excellent dish is "Hail Columbia
Stew" which is made by cutting up the
mutton and beef left over with potatoes and
vegetables, AMI taking some cold soup,
straining it thoroughly through cloth SO as
TO get it as clear as possible, seasoning thu
whole to taste and placing it in pan over
the ga'. using the plate for cover Let it
remain over the gas until it has become
thick and then remove and serve On G
cold wintor's night this dish was exception
ally welcome and very much doubt If
any epicure enjoyed his elaborate @table
d'hote' any more than | have enjoyed this
homemade di h christenel "HaiI Columbia
Stew
LEMON TAFFY.
Then again. you may be surprised to learn
that. in addition to their other amusements,
the prisoners en- joy Il candy pull once in a
vail. Esca prisoner is given large pan
o. Inolas o once a month, which serves him
a hu ter for his bread aud sugar for his
coffee. and when he IS DESTROYS Of having
some candy ha rigs up his stove. pours soma
ulola ,ses in his pan, and lets it boil away
until it has arrived ut tao proper consist
envy, when he remove it and pours it into a
weI.-SreaSed pan alrea ly prepared. He
then allows it to become cold after which
he pulls il until it becomes a brigatest yell
llw, al allows it t. become hard again
when it is really for use.
Ani this treat is not only shared with tho
keeper who enjoys il as much as the pris-
oner, but h is generally given soma to take
home to his little ones. Its quality is won e
dersu'iy improved il he can induce thu
doctor 10 lot him have lemon 20 euro his
bilious stomach. The lie non instead of be-
iag el Cor this parpose, however, is
saleez u into the boiling molasSes, and the
pes IS cut up in very small particles and
tarown in al o. This Of course changes the
candy into lemon tatf;-, and carries the
maa back to the times when he was
youa.s'er aui went into store, the counter
OF Eis.ch was a tall as himself, AMI asked
for q panny's WORTH Of lsnon taffy,
pieasel'
It OF course takss some tins for first
term man - become initiated in all these
branche' of the culin }ry arr. but it comes
by degrees. 1t might be supposed taat the
frs few wssk5 would b spoas IA sadeavor-
ing to gu uSei - tae change Of fool and
so il IS By som but with ma 1t was differ
ent and for the first moath or two, the hay
iny to wash mr own dishes AMI receive my