Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-27
DESCRIBES LIFE
IN CITY'S JAIL
SOCIALIST MINISTER GIVES
EXPERIENCE
FEARFUL CONDITIONS SET OUT
IN GRAPHIC SPEECH
Rev. z. A. cantrelI Talks to Los An
qeles Fellowship on Punishment
Melted Out to Those Ae-
cused of Crime

Few. e. A. Cantrell, Unitarian minis
ter and one of the Socialists recently
imprisoned for speaking on the pupilc
streets without a permit, gave the
main address at the Sunday morning
meeting of the Los Angeles Fellowship
at blanchard hall. His subject was
"Hieh Life in the Los Angeles CITY
JaiI.'' and was listened to with pro-
found attention by an audience that
packed the hall, many standing.
BEFORE introducing the speaker of the
dav Rev. B. Fay Mills gave the moor
to Mrs. Cloudesley Johns, who has been
q fellow prisoner with Mr.. Cantrell.
she gave a short talk on jail condi-
tions there as she had found them in
the yvomen's quarters, emphasizing the
fact that, although she and the other
women who were sent to jail with her
had beer struck at first with the ap-
parent cleanliness of the surroundings,
they quickly found that it was only
an appearance. She produced as ex-
hibits'' samples of the metal vessels
ont of which they had to eat their food,
and gave the audience to understand
that at the mass meeting IN simpson
auditorium next Tuesday evening she
would relate experiences that came
within her knowledge during her stay
in TAIL, and exceeded anything she ever
imagined.
introducing the principal speaker,
Mr.. Mills referred to him as an old
friend who had been doing yeoman
work on the platform and with the pen
for the betterment of existing conol~
lions. Mr. Cantrell said, in part;
sIn putting myself up for arrest L
had two or three things in mind: First,
of course, was to assist in the nght
for free speech. Then for several years
I have been interested in the general
subject of criminology and have visited
many of the penal institutions OF our
country. l had always gone TO tnese
institutions as a visitor, however, anu
not as a prisoner. l had desire TO
know something about such an lnstltu-
tion from the point of view of the man
behind the bars.
"But would not have you mlsunoer-
stand me. No one can understand the
position of the criminal without De
coming a criminal. Superficial expert
mentation and opserVatloIl ma. laiu ,,S
touch the matter. I had committed no
crime. / knew 1 had friends and neeq
not remain in jail an hour unless
chose to do so. I was welcomed INTO
the tanks by more than a score OF
comrades. And such welcome tnat
was, as they gathered about me TO
shake my handl With the criminal
there is no such welcome. Ihere - no
such assurance Of freedom when 1ree-
dom is desired. So 1 shall not Halter
myself In thinking that I saw life from
the point of view of the man caught
in the net of the law. l did see TINS,
however: 1 saw something OF the con-
ditions under which such men are
placed. 1 saw something OF the ul-
speakable filth of the overcroWs,ueo cetls;
breathed the fetid air, ate the prison
food and saw something OF the brutal
itv characteristic of such an instltu-
ton.
Overcrowded and Filthy
",rhe city Jail is overcrowded. In the
tank that I occupied there were from
eighty to something over 100 men. Inc
dimensions of this tank, as l measured
il by stepping width and length, were
about 12x4O feet. I could place my
hand on the ceiling, palm fiat. Inen
there were side cells SIX 10 each sIue,
counting the toilet cell. There were
SIX or eight Chinese, five or six negroes,
as many Mexicans and at one Time
about twenty-four DRINKS, Whlle was
there Now If you can imagine more
than 100 men in a tank like TINS, III
July weather, many OF whom hao NOT
bathed for weeks, the most OF them
smoking cigarettes and ancient plp lst9,
Won can get some idea as to the qualty
Of the air we breathed. But you VIII
have to add to this the effluvium from
the toilet the overflow from when was
tracked each day through tank and
cell on these floors so covered men
lie down to sleep, spreading theH
blankets, when they have blankets.
al blanket, however, was sorry COM
fort filled as they were with Veflnln
and covered with the accumulated nlth
from continued contact with the dlrty
floor. After folding the planket tnal
one Of the comrades had given me, my
hands felt sticky, as if L had hanoleu
a horse blanket from sWeaty morse.
When the lights were put OUT the R lI,a'.
was oyerrun with vermin. They
surarrned over my face and neck.
Needless to say 1 did not sleep that
night. Through the long hours l SAT
in the middle of the cell, with arms
locked about my knees, thinking;
thinking thoughts that burned IKE
irons and dreaming of better days. For
change 1 picked my way through the
siaening forms huddled on the filthy
Aoor Men were grooming in their
sIeen Some moved and were cursed
others Law through the long night IN
deathlike stupor
ct counted each stroke of the prison
clock. but discovered before morning
that the clock itself was IN collusioIi
with the lying system of Things strlk-
ing as it did three hours aheau ol 'iiiio'
Their Bill of Fare
..rrbe prisoners were served two meals
a dav. For breakfast, stale preao,
hot water colored with some cereal
product, and a thin slice of pressed
meat. 1 had read The Jungle SO
did not eat the meat.
"On sitting down to this meal for
the first time I called out: by the way
Johns. the eating of this Is not COM
nnIsorv. is it?' Some one answered
,s,d said. TT will be in a few days.
sFor supper the menu was un-
changed, except that instead of the
pressed meat we had a sort of beef
and bean broth. I saw Johns stirring
about in his pan with his iron spoon
and asked IL he was Swimming his
milk Beans he said. I am finding
Some beans down there This inter-
ested me. After diligent search
found seven beans in my own pan,
which I reported to the comrades. 1
am two ahead of you,' said Johns; I
found nine in mine
IT don't know what the city is sup
nosed to pay for these meals. But I
do know that better meals than any
that I saw can be furnished for 8
cents. If the city pays more it is
simply robbed. I put this up to the
taller, and dare him to face the issue.
Running the cantIet
ssF,very morning at o'clock the pris-
oners are called out to run the CANT
lei. The detectives are lined up, the
,,,-isoners' name is called and he must
% down the line. The reading clerk
saws: He's a thief he's a vag'; he's
! drunk or whatever the charge may
he and the detectives will curse, taunt
and insult him.