Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-03-15

Trades Unions and All American Erosmen
Opposed to White and Black slavery.

10 0otment W0rkeFe, AniSnLS % A>ssDoAs
Trades Unions and All American Fresmsn
Opposed to White and Black slavery.
To the Editor of the Register.
No doubt Abraham Lincoln freed the
negroes with the cannon and the drum;
still there remains other evils that the
public are not aware of. and that is
selling convicts to contractors in peni-
tentiaries for 42c per day. One of those
institutions is situated at Moundsville,
w. Va, where l had the misfortune to
be incarcerated for thirteen months on
charges that l was not guilty of-try-
ing to cash two checks amounting to
$500. l knew not at the time that the
checks were forged, but was arrested,
tried and convicted, and sentenced
December Is, 1897, to two years in the
Moundsville penitentiary, but through
Mr.. Watkins, the City Clerk, and his
wife, who took so much interest IN my
case, and took my wife and baby and
cared for them and acted like father
and mother to them, and through the
efforts of my wife and those good peo-
pie, they procured me pardon. (F'eD.
4th. 1882 There are no words to ex-
press the feeling that is in my heart for
all who helped free me, also the Cover
nor for his clemancy in my case. HAD
l remained my full time l would have
succumbed to consumption which con-
tracted by exposure in that institution.
The cause of so many losing their
health l attribute to the. manner OF
bathing. You strip off and get under
shower bath, and after you are through
you have to dry yourself on the towel
that is given you the previous Satur-
day. You use this towel all week 10
dry your face and hands. You can
imagine the condition it will be IN LOT
the bath, besides you have not the Tune
to dry yourself, but must 1aiI IN line
and go to your work wet and dlrtler
than before the bath, and they are
great number who put on their
clothes without drying because, they
do not have the time to do so. Inc
soap used is soft or hard soap-what
mean by hard Is you might as well Try
to get lather out OF the soft SIDE OF
brick. | called the attention of the
clerk to this soap question and he spoke
to the Warden about the matter. IL
surprised him. He said he thought we
were getting Ivory soap, and he sad ne
would see that we would get good soap
to battle with. That has been year
ago, and the last time | bathed L mad
to battle with hard-soft soap.
The bill of fare consists of wheat
bread molasses, oleomargerine and COT
fee, and sometimes rice or hOminy, for
breakfast; dinner, beans, fat port, corn
bread and water. This dinner has to
be eaten in about ten minutes. Supper,
coffee, wheat bread, molasses and but
ter. Dinner is the most injurious, as
you have to eat so quick and then fall
in line and go to your work and sit
er work as you are assigned to.
Of course they give them once in a
while beef and soup, but it is so sell
dom that it is hardly worth mention
ing Twice this winter-the day the
legislators were through-they had
beef and soup. OF course they knew
how - Io,,h h. oct
of the people on the outside, through
newspaper talk, think the convicts are
fed well; but try this diet and see
what condition you will be in in a
year. | do not care how strong you
are, along with exposure, on Sundays
and holidays you have to march
around the yard with muslin drawers
and cotton undershirt, the outside
clothes Of light material the tempera-
ture below zero. While the officers had
storm overcoats, overshoes and all
kinds of warm wraps on and they were
shivering, but the poor convict he has
to face the storm without a murmur.
lie law REQUIRES OWUeIS OI monkeys
to clothe them and provide them with
shoes in New York city. The worst
evil in the whole institution is letting
convicts to work for contractors to en-
rich themselves. | call it at the price
of blood, for it is only matter of a
short time until their health is gone,
but as long as you can walk you are
kept at work | know this from ex-
perience, for previous to contracting
pneumonia | laid in my cell. The cap
tain ordered me to go to my work.
which l did, but the doctor took me
out of the shop and had me taken to
the hospital | must say that DR..
Steel treated me very kindly, and l am
very thankful to him, but he is handi-
capped to great extent
The shops consist OF pantaloon,
broom, whip. net and ladies skirts. The
pants shop is operated by Klee Sons &
Co. They work about one hundred and
seventy-fve men. Their work is piece
task work. This shop finishes ready