Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-04
THE OREGON BOOT,
An Ex-Chain Gang Member De-
scribes the Shackle.
Petty Offenders Punished More Sc.
verely Than Felons.
An Every Day Case Told OF by the Man
Who Had the Experience-An In
stitution Which Is Dis
grace to Los Angeles.

Dld you ever wear HI oregon DOOJ!
asked an ex-member Of the Los Angeles
city chain gang yesterday of q HERALD
reporter, while he uneasily rubbed one
foot against the other.
"I'll take your word for it, of COURSE"
he continued. "It is not exactly pleas
ant sensation. What is an Oregon boot?
If you have the price I'll tell you."
A small transaction ensued, and after
wiping his lips with the bar towel the
ex-member said:
"It weighs ten pounds" referring to
the boot. IT was run in for looking up
on the wine when it was red and got ten
days from that neat-looking little judge
Owens, think is his name. The morn
ing after my hat, roomy as it is, was
very small; but early in the morning 1
was routed out with several other gen.
tlemen who did not look happy. When
We were punched, one of the cops
brought out some balls and chains and
an ugly-looking combination of iron,
which he proceeded to fasten about my
right leg. There were two thick pieces
of iron or steel which fitted around my
leg below the knee. They were clamped
together and plate was screwed on my
shee heel SO that had to carry the
thing. There it was, and stuck tighter
than any crab. 1t fitted loose around the
muscles of my leg, but when lifted my
leg felt like hadn't friend in the
world. by the time walked out of the
station to the wagon 1t weighed fully
twenty pounds. Some of the others
were ornamented as / was, and some
q q oh in 70 nh
happened to be three or four boys stand
ing around as we were piled into the
wagon, and if ever felt like bum
it was when those young chaps were
sizing us up"
"Did the officer in charge of you act
roughly?" E.
mo, l can't say he did. He just
acted like he was carrying out his
orders. Well, they drove us out to the
end OF Downey avenue, over in East Los
Angeles, and set US to work cutting out
the street through that steep hill over
there, before you get to the lake. You
may think it was fun. Well, probably
it was to the people who passed by and
saw US hobbling around. heard one
woman who was driving by ask if was
a murderer. If she could have had my
head about that time she might have
sympathized with me little bit. am
not tramp, rough as 1 look, but did
get drunk; I don't deny it. 1t looked
hard to stand me up before people that
way, like low-down thief, and felt
'Did that boot hurt you?"
"By the time o'clock came felt as
if had ton on my right foot, and it
had chafed my ankle. Well, during my
ten days I worked on that street, and If
ever l get in such an internal fix again
you can shoot me-"
A further investigation of the ex-
drunk's story showed that he had made
no misstatements. The prisoners are
sent out every day, in pursuance of the
policy adopted of working them on the
streets. For some time past they have
been at work on the cut at the end of
Downey avenue, and have performed
great deal of labor there.
Several persons living in the vicinity
had seen the prisoners toiling along with
their Oregon boots and balls and chains,
and expressed themselves as outraged
at such q severe method of punishment.
None Of those questioned said. that the
officer in charge exhibited cruelty in the
discharge of his duties.
One gripman on the cable road, who
had seen the work going on, said he
thought the chain.gang must be COM
posed of awfully tough criminals to be
put through the way they were, and
scarcely anyone questioned understood
that the prisoners are men who have
been convicted of minor offences in the
justice courts of the city. Such, at any
rate, is the system now in vogue, and
for some time past in the city towards
the violaters of the city ordinances. Al
most any afternoon at A 80 O'Clock pass
ers-by in front of the police station on
Second street are regaled by sight of
the unlucky riff-raff who have not
evaded the police when committing the
crimes which come under the generic
name of misdemeanors. The chain
gang is principally recruited from the
crowd of men who indulge in plain or
ornamental drunks, and thev, if no 9TH
ers, do not like the Oregon boot.