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

Give him Q nice warm place. Mr.. -"
said the officer, and then he added, That's
right, as the station-keeper handed him the
key to cell No. 8.
Across the little yard we went. the heavy
iron door at the entrance to the cells was I'M
locked and swung back, and then / preceded
the policeman into the little building, WHICH
was to be my abode for several hours. The
grated door of No, was already open and I
was about to step in when the officer stopped
me. Some one had occupied that cell not long
previously, and there was evidence of it on the
floor in the half-digested contents of drunken
man stomach. Mr.. Horton procured a broom
and In little while removed the Objectionable
matter, after which he motioned me in. locked
my cell-door. said good night" and then went
back to duty, first banging and locking the iron
door through which was the only eommunica-
ton with the outer world
IN THE CELL.
couple of gas Jets at either end of the row of
cells furnished me with all the necessary illu-
mination. and was therefore, able to survey
my limited surroundings. On one side of the
narrow cell was long iron bench. That was
all the furniture in the apartment. At the
inner end of the cell, the corner opposite that
which was taken up by the bench was a trian
GUAR stone slab, supported by line OF brick
work, and through an uncovered circular ORR
nee In the slab arose the sewerage Odors
which were accumulated and added to in each
occupied cell. The atmosphere was warm,
and IN that particular was comfortable, but it
was foul almost beyond description. There
were but five people in that buildin and what
the air would have been hike w every cell
occupied was speculation l did not care to
indulge in. Sufficient was it to know that its
condition then would have been unbearable to
any free man.
NEIGHBoRs.
In the cell next adjoining mine was q drunken
man. who had been arrested for beating his
wife. He was about as thoroughly intoxicated
as anyone ever was, and he filed the place with
the foolish oaths of drunkard. Occasionally
he would attempt to lie down on the bench
but the effort invariably ended in his tumbling
on to the stone floor, where he would roll over
and groan most lugubriously. So strong was
his breath that invoiuntariiy figured on what
could be accomplished with it if it were only
scientifically applied, and the result showed
that power was going to waste which could have
opened every lock in the building and blown
out every jet of gas.
In the next cell beyond him was little boy,
whose mother had had him arrested for steal
ing 80 from her. He was pretty thoroughly
frightened boy, but his principal regret seemed
to be that the police had deprived him of
the companionship of his '.mouth-organ."
Ii they had only allowed him to take
that with him to the cell he would have
been able to drown, by superior lung-force, the
still small voice of conscience. The young
ster s regrets were not shared by me- There
were only two other men in the place. Both
of them were in there simply for the night
their applications for lodging having been
successful.
DURING THE NIGHT.
The oppressiyeness of the atmosphere had
increased by the time 1 had completed my sur
vey. and / decided that only in sleep could 1
forget the non-oxygenous condition of affairs.
Taking off my coat and rolling it up for pill
low laid down on the bench and composed
myself for slumber. How long l struggled
with my wakefulness do not know. I have
only an indistinct recollection of a congiomer-
alton OF oaths and remarks about ''mouth
organs, the former in deep bass tones. the
latter piped in childish treble. Then 1 fell
asleep. may have been asleep five minutes
when the sound of fall and loud cry awoke
me. 1t was only the drunken man rolling off
his bench and dropping to the floor. Then a
policeman came in and his entrance brought
with IT a little oxygen, but it was speedily used
stove and left US. Then / went asleep once
more and would probably have slept until
morning had not the iron door
been banged against the wall by
some one coming in. 1t was Lieut.
Boteler. The lieutenant showed an utter lack
OF consideration for other peoples feelings.
He did not seem to care whether he disturbed
me or not He was looking for prisoner who
bad been released some time before, but he
did not know that the man was gone, SO he
continued to yell vigorously and numerously at
the prisoners and the dodgers until he was sat-
isfied that the gentleman whom be sought was
gone.
Il did not go to sleep as easily that time. I
had been thoroughly aroused and was begin
ming to realize that my bed was rather hard,
but after changing my position a little I sue
ceeded in once more becoming oblivious to the
filthy atmosphere"
AwoKE LONG BEFORE DAYBREAK
with sense of chilliness. The fire in the stove
had gone out and the atmosphere ofethe cell
building had fallen fully thirty degrees with
out, however, any apparent diminution of its
odors The same old stencil WAS tbera lint -