Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1897-04-07
THEY EAT SOAP.
Regular Army Soldiers Do It SomotlAst
 to Keep Out of Prison.

Regular Army EoiukeEa GN At cNnhcNt@St
 to Keep out of Prison.
 Hungry indeed must be tho man who will eat soap, yet it is a fact that soap eating is common among the regular army soldiers stationed at Governors island and Forts Wadsworth and Hamilton. The same peculiar habit is said to be prevalent among tho boys in blue in Uncle Rams service at other army posts in the United States. Tho soap these warriors eat is not the delicately scented, pcrfUned kind, but the rankcst, strongest cheapest and perhaps tho worst soap made. Il costs the government about 6 cent 6 bar
 Soap eating b&s been a feature ot army life for so hong that the oldest veteran cannot recall tho time when it was net the prsrtioe on certain oo- casions to eat sI.p. It is sad tc have been common habit with the soldiers in tha British army during the Amerioan6>erolution. The sol diers eat the soap not from choice but for a reason DO one would guess. IL is not a pleasant thing to say, but ir is true, nevertheless that the regular army of she United States contains an elenaent that the officers in command findoat times most difli- cult to controls In Castle William on Governors island are built some of tho darkest and most dismal dun Ceons 1t is possible to conceive of. They are deop down. and a prisoner confined in one of them Is so far re- moved from the outside world that he cannot hear a sound or sec his kand before his face at midday with the sun shining brightly. These
 cells or dungeons arc used as places 1 of confinement for soldiers who have defied the rules or broken away from the restraints of discipline, The offenders are mo- " of the lowest class. All of them dread the punish neEt of confinement in one of Castle William $ dungeons. and the utmost ingenuity is exercised in devising excuses that will stay the hand of discipline.
 New" soldiers who haven ( beea initiated often pretend 10 beill This hover works. Keen post physicians soon discover the deception 1'hs old veterans in the business. mon who have records of 15 and 70 day drunks and have time and a9an | told their superiOrs to go to Jericho or some other place, follow tue
 never failing system of soap eating.
 The scheme is 10 take piece Of soap-ordinary washing soap is
 used at all the posts-cut off a piece about as large as a quarter and
 twice as thick, chew it u2 and wash it down with water It takes but a 1 few moments for the vile stuff tO ! work. There is most violent 1 wTenchlpg at the stomach, 4 deadly
 sickness ssizes the prisoner, and he froths at the mouth. Of course hs
 is hustled off 10 the hospital, where an ometic k administered, and there ! he remains in a clean, comfortable cot. with tho best Of eat and drink,
 until the extreme weakness whjcE his unusual meal has caused leaves him.
 Tho soap eater invariably wins Although tho physician may strong 1 ly suspect tho cause of the prisoner $ ! illness. ho is under orders not ia
 make any experiments. and a soldier
 in confinement suffering from any
 ailment of whateve mature must bg
 removed to the post hospital ai
 once. New York Journal