Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-10

prominent divine who sent it to a life
term prisoner.
Cases of Cruelty Cited
In order not to tire you 1 will relate
but two or three more cases Of cruelty.
A very intelligent prisoner, who was
one of the best musicians in their band,
was working in the machine shop when
Warden Tompkins sent for him and
said There is dope (morphine) in the
prison, and unless you tell us all about
1t l will put you in the jacket and
have you squeezed until you do"
The prisoner answered politely by as
surfing the warden and those present
that he not only had no knowledge of
any in the prison, but would not know
1t If he saw it. In spite of this frank
and truthful denial the warden ordered
the captain of the yard to lace -
- - - in the jacket tight and
keep him there until he tells The
poor, helpless man was tortured there
for 40 hours, or nearly six days and
nights, and then released only because
he was about to die. The unfortunate
man is living in Los Angeles now,
crippled for life, and in one of his let
tiers to me he used this language:
Fortunately for me, was a powerful
man, Of wonderful endurance, but this
treatment has left me a physical
wreck, unable to do a full days work
at my trade and turned loose on the
world physically handicapped, with
nothing before me but a life of sick
ness.'
Every intelligent man in San Ouen-
TIN knew that this man was being tor
tured, and yet no one dared even say a
kind word for him.
You may ask what prevented the
prisoners from making some demon
stration of sympathy? My answer is.
they dared not for fear of being shot.
1t was said that Warden Tompkins had
l25 men under him, walking arsenals
with five rapid-fire Calling guns. 1OS
breech-loading Winchester rifles, 60
doubIe-barrel, loaded shotguns, 70 rap
ld-flre reVolvers and 1900 rounds of
ammunition at his command
one more such case: Joe Fiddler had
peen a prisoner several years and his
term was drawing to a close, he having
out a rev more weeks to serve. He
was "spooler'' in the jute mill and
worked on the same machine alongside
OF me. And although criminally in
cnned ne did his task so well that I
never knew or heard of any complaint.
Joe Fiddler was naturally a strong,
healthy man, yet he feared one of the
prison guards over us, because at some
prior time he had in some trivial way
oHended him. One evening after we
had both finished our days task and
were on our way to join the o'clock
line from the mill he was suddenly
called back by another guard, and af-
Ter mock trial Immediately sent to
the dungeon and tortured for twenty
four hours in the straight jacket.
Cries VainIy for Mercy
l heard his means and groans and
nlt1f11l -
mercy and the Tompkins officials were
strangers. AS soon as he was able to
walk about the third morning, while
we We're forming the breakfast line
poor Joe, carrying his coat and vest in
'front.' of himA hailed me. 1t was a
cold morning and L inquired why he
did not put his coat and vest on. He
painfully said he could not. his shout
ders has been crippled in the jacket
AFTER L succeeded in getting his clothes
on his shivering form he gave me the
most pltlful account of how he was
deliberately ''jobbed'' into the Jacket by
guard No. in order to satisfy guard
No. Is revenge.
Another scene, several weeks later.
occurred, when an Italian who could
not understand English refused to do
hard work with others on the hill re-
moYal job, and because he would not
walk meekly into the SOLITARY for
the jacket torture four guards grabbed
him, two at his arms and two at his
legs, dragging him in the direction of
the dungeon. His pitiful cries for
mercy were so loud that he attracted
both the warden and the so-called
captain of the yard" The latter ran
to him with both hands on his throat,
choked the helpless man into silence
While he was being dragged into fur
Their punishment. 1 never saw the poor
man since. Hundreds of prisoners wit
messed that scene, and though their
sympathies were aroused they dared
not make demonstration, fearing the
armed guards on the wall and in the
towers
This injustice was not committed in
the black hole of Calcutta: neither was
it part of the 1urid story of the
Tower of London; it had no part or
place in the tradition of the Dun
geons of Chillon'; it was not one OF
the many heinous crimes recorded in
the history of the bridge of sighs''
the ensanguined acts of the gladiator
ial arena" and the "Crypts of the tt