The Glenwood post., 1909-03-13

IL YOU VAIL u oGc Ill N-AtAAAi lllc u
iuhuman treatment, go to the base
mont and see those men in the cells, "
said u Glenwood business man Thurs
day afternoon just after he had ascend
ed the stairs and regained the street
from the nougan building, now used
as council chamber, fire house and
city jail 81 never saw the like of it.
There are twenty-seven men in the two
dmgy cells, and they have not had a
drop of water to drink since they were
put in there this morning, and were de-
MED food. If that is what you call
justice, | don't want any of it, con-
tinued this taxpayer and business man.
He was speaking to parties who were
just entering the building to attend the
hearing in the West Glenwood cutting
Grape. The parties could hardly be-
lieve the statements made by the bus
iness man, but entered the basement,
and found that his words were only too
true.
What sight greeted them! The
l
basement, like all places of the kind
was more or less foul smelling. The
two small cells, with combined floor
space of something like six feet by
eight feet. were filled with human be
! ings. that had been packed in like sar-
dimes. In one of the cells fourteen men
were held, while in the other thirteen
hungry, thirsty men We're similarly
jammed. SO closely We're they janmed
into the epace supposed to hold four
men that they found it next to i'm
pos ible to stretch their tired limbs.
| Breathing the already foul air, and
made more communicating each time it
was cxhalea, these twenty seven men
guilty of no greater crime than work
| ing and spending their money too free
! ly, in one of ''Glenwood s necessary
in West Glenwood there human beings
were denied both food and water by
those in charge of them.
Helpless and at the mercy of the
| picnWoou ollIcelS, #1hey Nele loiceL
to. spend nearly twelve hours in this
hell hole called Jail.
Human Plea for Water
1--WE can stand this packing in, but
they havu't given us a thing to eat,
nor drop of water to drink since
they put us in here this morning. We
havn't had anything since last night
If they would only give us a hearing
and let us have u chance to get some
thing to eat, or give us drop OF
water to drink, we would not complain,
hut they will not come to US
Can the free people of this state con
ceive of such horrible eonditionsa Are
those the characteristics of free gov
ernment: Are we returning to the
dark ages, and to absolute unciviliza
| ton? The statement above was made
by the men in the cells. They were
crowded in until they had no room tc
turn around unless every man in the
cell moved at the same time. Held cap
tive like cattle in the slaughter pen
but not treated with even slight de
gree of the same consideration. No
these men, who gave every evidence ot
being working men, were made the vic
Tins of gross neglect, and heartles
treatment at the hands of our officers
When Justice White entered th
building where he expected to hold
session of police court, he asked re
garding the twenty-seyen men below
, and wanted to know if they had bee
= given food or water. 1t was then tina
, Mrashal Weidenhammer replied: enc
we don't give those kind of fellow
anything to eat and don't give ther
anything to drink, either What d
you think of that, Mr.. Taxpayer ?
e Would you deprive a human being O
q water or food when it was yours
:, give?
Mayor Drach also visited the chan
: Der of the police judge juft before til
court started. His attention was cal
! ed to the conditions in the bascmc,
jail, and he merely replied: "Wel
we can It handle those fellows with ki
Gloves They did not need to
1 handled. All they wanted was hea
ing, some food and drink of waite
and yet no steps were taken to gi'
them drop to moisten their parcht
tongues, made bitter by the foul a
they were compelled to breathe. II
t'come, go down and see the bunch.
But the mayor replied, "I've seen Il
lows like that before Could hum,