Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-20
DINNERS IN TIN BOXES.
Prisoners I'm the Jail and How They
Are Fed

Prisoners In the Jail and How They
Are Fed.
The shrill sound of whistle blown in the
rotunda Of the Jail the other afternoon was q
| signal for the prisoners at work to cease their
labo.s for the day and return to their cells for
the night Capt Coleman was the man who
blew the whistle. and minute or two later
several colored men appeared in the rotunda.
Some had been at work in the coal vaults,
while others were employed in the furnace
room. Still others came from the kitchen.
where they had about completed the work Of
clearing away the scraps and cleaning out the
room. Such men were entitled to an extra
meal in addition to the two served daily to all
the prisoners by virtue of their employment.
and each man carried under his arm a tin
box and III his hand large tin cup filed
either with tea or coffee or soup. The meal in
the box consisted Of ordinary prison fare,
which, by the way. was much better than
some Of them had been used to outside Of she
prison. Boiled meat or fish. with corn or
wheas bread. as the prisoner desired. with
vegetables of some sort constituted the meal.
The men were apparently contented. Their
days work over and they were satisfied to go
to their cells and rest for the night The jail
building being situated almost ON the banks of
the Eastern branch and near the marshes
those confined in il are apt to suffer from
malaria at this season of the year, but the Off
clals take every precautlon against disease.
Thus far in the history of the prison the health
of the inmates has been better than at any
other institution of the kind in the country.
THE PRISONERS FOOD.
The food furnished, the officials claim, is as
good if not better than is furnished in other
prisons. The prisoners who visit there after
having once spent term in one Of the peni-
tenrIaries dread leaving it, and many OF them
kpH thew wOrld 70 IN tok
the food along with them. Recently several
prisoners complained of being sick from dis
ease similar to the diarrhPa, but upon investi-
cation it was found that their illness was the
result OF overlooking their stomachs.
No wonder he's sick, said colored occu-
pant of a cell about a fellow prisoner, 1.-The
bean soup was SO good that he drank two quarts
of it."
That explained why DR.. Mcwilliams, the Jail
physician, had to administer paregoric to sew
eral prisoners.
PRISONERS WHO COMPLAIN.
''1here are always complaints made by some
prisoners about the food or something else that
don't just suit Them" said one Of the officials
to a STAR reporter, but that will occur among
ali bodies OF men and it doesn't make any diff
ference whether there is any ground for the
complaint or not
The ones who do the complaining" he
added, ''are those who have never been used
to anything. They think because the govern
ment pays for the food that they ought to get
all sorts of delcacies. Those who have been
used to good living on the outside rarely COM
plain, because they don't expect any more than
ordinary substantial food"
The official explained that the prisoners were
given two meals a day and the food while not
put up in style, is clean and substantial and
we'll cooked All the meats and fish. az we'll as
the other food. is inspected by Deputy Warden
Russ and If 1t does not come up to the stand
ard il is rejected.
Some of the prisoners complain OF the man
ner in which the food is served. The sight of
the tin boxes takes away their appetite. Some
of them request to have their meals served ON
plates and some would even like piece Of but
ter to make the corn bread go down more
smoothly.