Sunday Washington globe., 1901-12-29


management Of the institution. In the
Ohio peniteutiary drank more liquor than
/ drank in ali my life before or sincel Why
/ drank ii is a sociological problem-it
would take up too much space at present
to solve. Further along / may probably
offer some analytical reasons for an indul-
gence so unusual and so extraordinary
AT present am only concerned in point
ing out the danger and the fact that liquor
finds its way into ALL penitentiaries and
that il is drank to such excess it is no un-
usual thing for guards to report prisoners
for being intoxicated In the FIRST place
the medical adjunct of the prison finds it
necessary to keep barrel of liquor on tap
for medicinal purposes. considerable
quantity OF this filters out somehow or
other among select prisoners. OF course it
is necessary to supply the medical depart
ment with alcohol and whiskey, but it
would be more prudent and safer to pur-
chase the same by the gallon rather than
the barrel, even if il would be few cents,
more or less, dearer. However. the least
portion, ! might state the inhnitesimal por-
ton OF the liquor consumed in prisons in
this country come from the medical depart
ment Of the prison.
The LIQUOR Consumed in the penitentiary
finds its way into prison in the pockets OF
visitors, relatives, drivers Of teams, citizen
employees and-guardsl My relatives, know
ing my temperate habits when at liberty,
never dreamed that / needed liquor or
drank any in prison, and while did not
drink very much it is true, l again repeat
that I found no difficulty in securing all
wanted and that / drank more while a
prisoner than ] ever did at liberty
This, / am fully aware, is revelation
neither the prison authorities nor the pris
oners will thank me for But will soften
the dose by stating that if there is any place
on earth where whiskey ought to be drank
in moderate quantities it is in a - peni-
tentiary Aud if there is any man on earth
who needs the stimulation of a glass of
whiskey it is the unfortunate wretch under
going penal servitude. This may seem in
consistent with my remarks on liquor and
laziness but the intelligent Will understand
that do not advocate the drinking of in
toxicants when / name the place and the
individual where it is most excusable to in
dulge in the vice.
Under the regime of Warden Dyer, who,
ii will be remembered, was warden of the
penitentiary when / was first immured be-
hind the walls of the Ohio prison, whiskey
could be purchased more easily within the
inclosure of the prison than it can be pro-
cured by a stranger in Washington on Sun
days.
There was a colored attache of the hos
pital who went by the sobuquet of "Dia-
mond' from whom ] purchased liquor as
openly, to all intents and purposes, as the
chap with a prescription in a dry town at
the family drug store. This Diamond was
a privileged character and the impunitY
with which he peddled the liquor left no
room to doubt the assertions of the veteran
prisoners that the profits were distributed
among certain Of the officials.
Now / did not want the liquor, but / was
known to have a little money and it was
forced on me, so to speak. Besides il did
contribute a little to lull my indignation
and soothe perhaps too turbulent spirit,
in addition to stimulating a heart which,
despite of spirit and fair amount of nerve,
stood badly sometimes in need of repairs.
Hence became a customer Of Mr.. Diamond
for the FIRST few months of my incarcera-
tion and paid him the prison price of 81 per
pint bottle Becoming quite confidential
with Diamond, he informed me that his
supplies came from the hospital barrel, to
which ne had access. When the barrel got
too low, however, he kept his customers in
liquor by a supply from the outside,
brought in, as he stated, by both the
prisoner and citizen drivers of teams. This
was all very interesting information to a
new prisoner and a newspaper man who
thought he knew all about the penitentiary
when running a live newspaper on the out
side.
Liquor, during the Dyer administration,
was drank by both officials and prisoners
as regularly providing the latter had the
money! as it was by bibulous topers out
side the walls.
The little room, called the surgery, off
the main ward of the hospital, was a veri-
table bar room and frequently, on the in
vitation Of one or the other of the officials
or physicians, climed the stairs to the hos
pital and took somethin,"
Indeed, it was no infrequent occurrence
for myself and other prisoners to encounter
an official on the stairs either going or re-
turning from the surgery for his liquor and
pass the compliments of the season with
such he knowing precisely the object of
the prisoners visit OF course, these were
special prisoners like myself, but Diamond
played no favorites and anybody with
money could purchase his pint bottles"
/ remember more than one pink tea"
party after the prisoners were locked up
which had the honor to attend in the sur
gerry. Ben Dyer himself attended these
jamborees not infrequently, but if was of
the party he would decline to come in"
and walk off with a quart bottle to his
apartments!
This went on until in one month there
were consumed by the medical department
three barrels Of whiskeyl Then a halt was
called temporarily and Diamond raised the
price as the article became scarcer. Now it
will be very readily believed, hope, that
the relaxation and the change from the
solitude of the cell to the light, the society
and the enjoyment or the sociability Of
the gentlemen in the surgery inspired
my acceptance of invitations to be
present These invitations, it can also be
easily surmised we're limited to prisoners
and only embraced few others and myself.
But the obtaining Of liquor by prisoners
was neither limited nor confined to any
class OF prisoners Diamond even adroitly
visited the cell blocks on some pretended