The morning call., 1894-01-15

other most intelligent member of the ring.
lost one years credits and was sentenced
to sixty days ball and chain.
James Lundy. under one years sentence
for burglary, had been caught with an
opium pill in his hair. He lost sixty days
credits.
Washoe Kelly. a one-armed man under
life sentence for murder, was given sixty
davs of ball and chain.
Each of the prisoners appeared before
the board and had ample opportunity to
make defense.
The fourth man up was James O'D0n-
nell, an Oakland thief, % years old, who
has been in prison with slight iutermis-
s'ons ever since he was 10. He created
sensation.
There were in the room the five direc-
tors. Warden Hale. two captains, Secre-
tary Ellis, two guards and three reporters.
On long tabeslay several small cakes OF
opium. which had been captured from
other prisoners during the month Presi-
dent DePue asked O'DOnnell some Ques-
tion about the captured opium and was
answered: Some of it is cosmetic and
some is OPIUM"
(Which is the cosmetic ?" asked the
president.
The prisoner advanced to the table, and,
under the eyes OF at least ten men, dex-
trousy ''palmed" a piece of opium. A
IdtCls UltlcuS6 Gl NiDlD8
his nose, he slipped il into his mouth be-
hind his handkerchief. Unfortunately
for him the piece was too large 10 swallow
and he was obliged TO bite it. This at
tracted the attention of a captain, who
caught him by the throat and forced him
to spit out the pieces. His look of baffled
rage at the disappointment was frighttul.
The directors looked at each other, as
much as to say, "Well, what do you think
of that?' President DePue was the first
to recover his equanimity, and said to the
cOwing culDrit: "Whv didn't you 20 TO the
the hospital? They would have given you
opium if you needed i"
With a wild look and a husky voice til"
culpriI answered: 81 was in the hospital
no one knows in what miSery-and they
wouldn't give it TO me-" Pulling up his
shirt sleeve he exposed his left arm and
showed a wound still unheaed across the
inside Of the wrist, and spoke with great
emotion: ''See what tried to do" point
in to the wound. 81 tried to kill myself
with the piece of an old medicine bottle.
That's the way l suffered" He then re-
lapsed into sulen silence.
His punishment was wearing the ball
and chain for thirty days.
George Mitchell. a physical wreck. the
defiant head OF the opium ring, was de-
prved of one years credits.
Each culprit was questioned as to the
number of men who used opium. One
Lundy thought half the men in the yard
used it. All agreed that whoever wanted it
could get it.
O'Donnelps case set the directors to
thinking whether it would not be better
for all concerned if the States money were
employed to cure the habit. On this point
testimony was taken. The physician was
called, also three prisoners who had been
cured by new treatment One of them
had used as much as slxty-two grains of
morphine day, and though three months
had elapsed since his cure, the desire had
not returned. Another stayed cured six
months and from a skeleton had grown to
fine physical manhood.
After much discussion President De
Pue and Clerk Ellis were deputed to in
vestigate the merits and the cost of the
| new cure. With view of the State bear
Ing the expense OF a cure fer such prison
ers who could not break themselves of the
| habit.
Warden Hale explained to a CALL re-
porter how every convict upon his release
was made the agency for smuggling the
drug. 1t Is concealed in the fields. where
prisoners hnd 1t upon going to WORK. 1t is
| thrown over the walls at night. 1t is
| brought In by female relatives of prison.
| erS and slipped TO them in anv number of
dexterous ways. Last Christmas day a
box OF fine looking cigars came as pres
ent to prisoner Every one was filled
| with opium, specially manufactured by
Chinese. The thick end of fruit box was
honey combed with gimlet holes, each
| filled with the drug. a mother visiting
her son kissed him igood-by and trans
ferred So gold piece from her mouth to
MS, the money to he used TO buy opium
from the ring. Another mother had con-
cealed S. gold piece in one of dozen
peas which she had brought to her son.
In the day burdened with sights of mis-
cry and suffering there was one ray of sun
shine. The board allowed William Mac
Adoo. under ten years sentence for as
sault to murder, to come before it with
| request for restoration of cred its. which
he had forfeited by escaping seven wears
ago. The little Scotehman, in a soft bnt
| rict, musical voice, told of five years of