New-York tribune., 1912-12-12
IlNBS KEEPER BUSY
IN SELLING COCAINE
Grand Jury Gets information
About Profitable Traffic
in Drug to Prisoners.
MOTOR SOURCE OF SUPPLY
o,vsician Who Buys Dope" in
Large Quantities in New
Jersey Retails 1t to
Street Venders.

.t,e traffic in the Tombs, disclosed
~so Tribune's articles last week, was
M Yesterday by the John Doe
I'D iury which is investigating condl-
80 in that prison generally. Though
-orort has been made. il was said the
49, found that traffic in the drug was
,boroughly systematized'
one of the keepers has been selling the
..sor." 10 the prisoners, and to such an
..n, was his fame as trader known
.orq cookies" that his name has be-
.ore q byword in the coke districts N
all parts Of the city
~ you're pinched and get in the Tombs
-. plank: he's always got it for sale,
r.s the word among the confirmed coke
s.nds" and their friends knew that,
.sorgb they might always have difficulty
q carving cocaine in to prisoners, there
.'ould be no trouble whatever about
Ringing money to the men or women be-
hind the bars. and the prisoners would
ave no trouble in exchanging il for the
drug
Bernard Levy, the witness who ap-
nsared yesterday. has been a prisoner n
N. Toubs. He was able to tell the grand
,rry about the actual conditions there
With respect TO the fact that dope
6ends" found IT as easy. and, in fact, al
most easier, to get their dope" in the
Tombs than when they were at liberty.
Whether Levy informed the grand
,urors of the identify of the keeper who
makes II his profitable business TO sell
cocaine 10 the prisoners is not known. but
there is little doubt that before the in
ysstigstion is ended the grand jury will
hA able 10 give the name of this man to
Justice Gon.
Drua Fiends in Tonbs.
DR. Frank A. Mcguire, the Tonfbs physi-
clan. followed Levy as witness. The
doctor believes Il is not only inhumanly
cruel but possibly fatal TO shut off
cocaine hend's supply of the drug at one
Llow. He said II was necessary TO give
dope fends" particular medical care and
reduce their allotment of the drug gradu-
ally Or. Mcguire has observed in his
work IN the Tombs that the men pTis-
cners seem TO care little whether they re-
duce their drug doses or not, but the
women appear 10 take pride in getting
their sllotments down as low as possible
There is no way of curing them by
simply shutting them off from the use of
The drug. Dr. Mcguire said, because TO
take any such step as that would prob
ably either kill them or drive them in
sane. when prisoners are in an institu-
tion where they are required to do heavy
manual labor out Of doors IL is reason
ably safe 10 cut off their cocaine at one
stoke. The labor and the perspiration IL
induces act as an outlet for their de-
moralized nervous systems, but when they
are confined in cells with but nominal
exercise period any method other than
that of gradual reduction of the amount
Of drug used is a risky experiment.
Warden John r. Hanley was another
witness. but ii was said he swore he did
not know anything about the alleged traf-
fc in cocaine within the walls Of the
Tombs He supported Or. Maguire's
theory that the only practicable method
was TO give cocaine flends confined in the
prison careful medical treatment and re-
duce their allotments Of the drug by easy
stages.
From Warden Kennedy Of Sing Sing
prison The Tribune has learned that the
same state of affairs-that of one or more
u the keepers making a business of sell
ng cocaine to prisoners-has TO be guard
I'd against continually at the states big
penal institution. That is, Of course. in
addition to the watch kept upon visitors
who are friends or relatives of prisoners,
to see that they do not bring In quantities
Of the drug.
Physician Source Of Supply.
The cocaine cases Of Catherine de
Lorenzo and William Callinan. which were
10 have come up for sentence in General
Sessions yesterday, were postponed-the
woman's until to-day and Callinan's until
early in January. It is likely that CALI
nan will be called before the grand fury
before he Is sentenced, as he is said to
have thorough knowledge Of the meth
ods by which cocaine has been sold by
Tombs keepers TO prisoners.
II is understood that the grand jury,
though primarily engaged in ascertaining
conditions with respect to the cocaine
traffic inside the Tombs. will probe the
question thoroughly, and learn, II posi-
ble where the cocaine which the Tombs
keeper handles is purchased.
The trail, according TO an informant OF
The Tribune, will lead b..ck TO the same
source which is the foundation Of the
----~-~---- ~-----s--s------s----