The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-03-09
TIPS FOR JA|LORS,
Pioneer Cameron Tells
How Privileges Can
be Purchased by
Prisoners.
SUGAR FORTY CENTS.
Extravagant Profits Generally
Said to be Demanded on
all Supplies.
SUGAR FORTY CENTS.

While wandering about the Cour9
House yesterday ! met a man who had
been confined in the County Jail for
several weeks awaiting the action of the
Grand Jury and trial His offence was
that he had pushed his wife from one
sleeping room to another. When tried, it
was clearly shown that the wife was Of
an irritable and excitable tempera-
ment, and the Court believing
that the accused was as much
slnned against as SHINING, sus-
pended sentence and directed the Free
holders to pay the COSTS The mans name
Is Cameron, and he resides at Bergen
Point. He is an educated man, has good
Judgment and has, so far as have been
able to ascertain, borne an excellent char
acter. have personally been acquainted
Win nlm Ior several months. When
greeted him he said
You know where have been for sew
eral weeks, and now want to call the at
tentlon OF the citizens of jersey City and
hudson county, through the columns Of
your excellent journal, to the manner in
winch prisoners are treated and cared for
ndt;[e, Ia Gne TUCSON County Jail, waiting the
Why" said l, what do you mean
Are they not properly cared for ?"
lie smiled at the question; it was not a
pleasant smile, but one of derision, as he
replied
THE FIRST TIP.
Listen and judge for yourself. When
you enter the building, you are searched
and then turned over to the hall man in
the jail proper, who has an assistant,
where the prisoner is assigned cell, and
When he once enters it, then the bleeding
process commences in more ways than
one.''
Come, Cameron . said I to him, sWhat
do you mean by bleeding process?n
''Oh, III tell you, for / know it all to
my cost" he answered, adding, When
the prisoner is in the cell he will be told
that by paying a certain sum he win Be
allowed the run of the hall from seven
O'Clock a. m. to five O'Clock p. m. for re-
creation, and if he is not lucky enough to
be blessed with fat pocketbook, he is
compelled to stay locked up twenty out o
twenty-four hours every day in his cell. H
for | thought knew Jailer Biedsal.
pretty well, and / said SO. He simpl an
swered, 'sWait,n and continued his story.
BIG PRICES FOR EVERYTHING.
Tobacco is for sale there at cents
paper; tallow candles, and cents each;
sugar at the rate of 40 cents pound;
matches, 2 cents a box; canned milk, 20
cents o can; the evening papers, cents
each; postal cards, 2 cents each; post
age stamps, 8 cents each, and q
stamped envelope and sheet of note paper,
cents.n
.sDo you know these things to exist and
these extortionate charges to be madeg" /
asked in astonishment.
II am prepared to make affidavit to
what | have said at any time you or any
body else wants me to, . he answered.
'.Well, Cameron, you are making Ser1-
GUS charges admonished, land be care
full of what you say"
II am telling you the truth, and that is
all, he simply replied. Continuing his
story, he said, II don't know whether they
have a license to sell tobacco, but l have
never seen one, and if they have, it is not
posted in conspicuous place. Now, this
IS downright robbery, and should be
stopped by those in authority. When q
man is so unfortunate as to be placed
there to await the action OF the
Grand Jury, it is enough to charge
him current prices for the neces-
saries of life he is compelled to have.
want to say, also, the 1000 Iufnlsned IS
the most miserable mixture you ever saw.
The coffee is made of rye, and burned
bread is added to give it color; it has not
the flavor of pure coffee or anything
approximating coffee. The soup is-weu
hardly fit to feed to hogs much less
human beings; the bread is sometimes
rood and at other times hard enough to
be used as baseball in a League game. :
ABOUT THE FOOD.
81 should think from what you say that
the Hudson County Jail is not desirable
home" / said, when he stopped for
breath.
"Desirable! If man has no outside in
fiuence when he is locked up there his
name is simply Dennis. What have said
is not done from q feeling of malice
toward any one, and have told you but
facts that can be substantiated by every
prisoner confined in jail at the present
time or who has been there"
as this all you want to say?" in
quired.
what right these men had to open letter
sent me by my wife, When the letter was
handed me it had been opened. was not
a convicted criminal and / don't know OF
any right these men had to do this. Here
he showed me the letter he declared was
opened before it reached him. told Cam
eron that THE JERSEY CITY NEWS would
inform the people what he complained OF,
and then | sought Jailer Birdsall to OBJ
tain his version of the charges.
could not find Mr.. Birdsall, but saw
one of his friends, who assured me that
there is nothing in the charges made by
Henry O. Cameron that can not be readily
explained.