Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-26
PRISONERS ARE
FED BY HERALD
UNFORTUNATES IN CITY JAILS
GIVEN BIG DINNER
500 MEN AND WOMEN SHARE IN
NEWSPAPERS LI5ERALITY
WaqonIoads of Turkey, Pies and Other
Good Things Served to Those
Who Are Confined in
Cells

The beneficence and munificence OF
The Heralds Christmas dinner was
boundless enough yesterday to extend
beyond the confines of the home of the
Young Mems Christian association,
where it was served to all who went
there, for after the hundreds had been
filled to repletion there was yet enough
roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mince,
apple and pumpkin pies, celery, rolls,
cake and other goodies left to reed 32V
men and women confined in the city
Jail and the workhouse.
When 1t was learned The Herald
big dinner was more than enough TO
satisfy the hunger OF those gathered at
the Y M c. A., the managers tele-
phoned to Chief of Police Edward Kern
and asked him to send wagon for the
edibles which would provide big
Christmas feast for the hundreds of
prisoners confined in the tanks and
cells of the central station and at the
river bed stockade.
Chief Kern promptly sent a wagon
after the food, and great platters of
roast turkey, buckets of cranberry
sauce, dozens of pies, armloads of cell
cry and quantities of cakes and rolls
were taken to central station, and then
a great load of the good things was
carried to the workhouse.
AT the central station the 149 prison.
ers confined there, both men and wom-
en-, already had had their Christmas
Gay dinner. 1t had been served at ?
o'clock, and consisted Of roast pork,
bread, beans and potatoes; an ample
dinner, and there was plenty of it.; but
when the turkey and cranberries and
ries began to be unloaded Jailer Ralph
Story ordered the cooks and walters in
the Jail kitchen and dining room to get
ready for another big dinner, and soon
they were busy with the details OF
serving the meal
Supply Limited to Capacity
The only limit to the amount of good
things served these unfortunates by
The Herald was their appetites and ca
pacity for eating, for there was more
than enough for all; and in relays of
100 they were admitted to the dining
room and served with all they could
eat.
1t was a complete and pleasing sur
prise to the prisoners, for they already
had been locked up for the night; so
when the word was passed by the
TRUSTEES, Turn out for another big
feed" for few seconds they thought a
joke was being played on them.
However, when they learned The
Herald had sent them turkey and cram
berry sauce and pie and cake and all
the good things that usually go with 4
well ordered Christmas dinner they
came out of their cells with alacrity
and in few minutes were lined up in
the corridors to take their places at the
tables.
When the heaping piles of roast tur-
key, the plates of pies and cakes. the
cranberries and the rolls, fianked with
great cups of tea and coffee, were
placed before them the hungry fellows
fell to in ravenous manner; and while
fIeorr I,aA hoI III = nh r1xr
that day. it was far enough removed in
time to permit them to enjoy it thor
oughly.
The prisoners were told The Herald
had given them the dinner. and with
out suggestion and apparently with
unaninity they rose to their feet, and.
lifting the cups of cold water to their
lips toasted The Herald with thanks
and cheers.
Three tables were spread at the city
jail for the inmates, and while all ate
their fill, there was still enough remain
ing, as the cooks remarked. to furnish
turkey hash for supper today.
At the eastside worlShouse the scenes
at the city Jail were repeated. There
1863 prisoners were the recipients of The
Herald's bounty. All are members of
the chain gang and work hard all day:
and while they too had been furnished
a bountiful dinner by Chief of Police
Kern, it was not to be compared with
the sumptuous spread given them by
The Herald, and they also voluntarily
returned vote of thanks to the man
agement of the newspaper for its kind
ness and generosity.
The women in the female department
of the city jail were also included in
the distribution of the dinner, and Mrs.
Elizabeth Feeley, the matron, acted as
bostses. The woman prisoners, nearly
all of whom are from the lower world
and unused to unselfishly given Christ
mas cheer, were more than grateful for
the liberal spread and begged that The
Herald be thanked for its kindness.