Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-26

PET YafsoSKR-
The long line Of working prisoners, two
abreast. was soon lost TO view, and then ]
amused myself for a time by cleaning up my
cell and by sketching few Of the .'peculisx
ones in nv neighborhood Incidentally
found out that my friend. the '.habitual drunk
ard" was having a tolerably pleasant time OF
1t on the floor below me. he had been fur
nished with bran-new workhouse uniform,
one that was bound TO be free from vermin:
he did not have 10 associate with the other
prisoners (many OF them more worthy OF COM
passion than he); most of his food came from
stoutenburghs table; and when he slept he
did 50 not in a bunk. in a cell. but in the bed
OF one OF the officers. He was Mr.. stouten-
burghs pet" and the prisoners who were
not favored a. he was grumbled quite freely a
the unjust discrimination 20 openly and lie
gally made.
TESTING THE MEAT.
Before noon the street gang was back at the
workhouse waiting for dinner. Many of them
were iubilant, for their being on the streets had
given them opportunities 30 beg tobacco. Gig
arettes, and money from passers-by. and the
opportunities were not neglected. They had
brought their appetites with them. too. and
they waited impatientiy for the ,,chuck" 10
come. The dinner consisted Of n niece OF
corned beef, quart of soup. two boiled pota-
toes ice cold, and a ration of corn-bread IL
was the best meal had yet seen in the estal.
iishment The soup was, for that kind Of arti-
meat L saw was of the coarsest possible
description, and tough. One man had a piece
which consisted OF two strips Of lean on the
outside; Joined together by strip Of fat. He
grlpped one OF the lean strips in his left fist.
and then, taking hold of the other lean scrap
with his right hand, he proceeded to tear the
two apart. Slowly the Fat portion stretched
itself out until the mans hands were fully IA
inches apart; then the fat parted and re-
bounded against his left hand with snap
| like that which would be made by a heavy
rubber band when stretched and suddenly
| released.
Il can eat that" said ne. "when il breaks
anywhere short of eighteen inches can go IL;
but when it's over that give il up; it's too
| much for my teeth then" His test of the ten
sile strength of the beef would have been
| amusing had not reflected on the fact that he
had to hive and work hard on such food as that.
My quota of beef was too tough for me, but
| experienced no difficulty in finding a man who
would eat it; simply because he had TO- The
soup was all that saved that meal from utter
condemnation. The afternoon devoid Of
incident until the van arrived bringing its load
/ from the Police Court. To the crowd this was
| the event OF the day. and great was the jubila-
ton when one of the old regulars" made his
appearance.
OFFICIAL NEGLIGENCE.
II was perhaps about quarter OF an hour
after the departure of the wan" for the Jail
when that vehicle returned to the workhouse.
Then heard my alias called out by some
one on the lower floor and went down TO the
ONCE to be informed that my release" had ar
| rived Il was told. however. that the bonds
which had been offered in my case couldnot be
completed until had appeared in the Police
Court. To do that was necessary that should
| return TO court IN the van, and that would have
| been done had il not been for the carelesspess
OF some workhouse official. Nv release had
been handed in when the van first stopped but
| no attempt had been made TO notify me. aud
instead of my being ready TO step into Dick
Andersons covered vehicle, when il returned,
| was IN ignorance of my release. Twice or
| three times did Dick yell TO know if / was
ready without, however. having the slightest
| idea as TO my real identity. Then he got tired,
and, after promising 10 send for me in the
morning, he drove away.
L Immediately appealed from Dicks arbi-
trary decision, and asked Mr.. Stoutenburgh
when was TO be released He told me that I
could not depart until morning. objected TO
being detained illegally simply because of
somebody's negligence and stated that wanted
| to go out at night, because my clothing was
not MT for daylight wear, in patrol wagon.
through the streets Of q city where I had
several acquaintance and at least one or two
| friends. he CURLY responded TO the effect
that had no remedy, and then retired 10 my
| cell.
The supper-bread and tea. or as some Of
the boys not unjustly called it, ''slop"-came
at the appointed time, and I ate at it as usual.
Two hours later, just as l was crawling into
my bunk, keeper informed me that an order
had come from Judge Miller directing my inn
| mediate liberation and that was, therefore
| 10 depart at once. did not need second IN
| yltation. Without much ceremony cast of
| the barred uniform and became once more A
| tenant Of my ''vag' suit. was in such a hurry
| to leave that forgot to ask for the return Of
my Is cents. The fresh air never seemed
| so pure, so healthful, as il did when the heavy
| front door was unbarred and stepped out
| into the starlit night-free, but as hungry as
DIR. Tanner after a forty days fast / babe
| adieu to the overcrowded. unventilated moi
some prison with only a single regret, and that
| was that human lives should thoughtlessly
be endangered by wholesale when the simplest
| sanitary measures, the least complicated and
least expensive system of ventilation, and a
slight regard for the law of hygiene would
make life within those walls endurable That
| men, when discharged from the workhouse
should immediately seek a saloon, and there
drink to excess, can hardly be wondered at by
| any one who knows how their systems must be
demoralized and permanently weakened by
| the condition of affairs which now exists in