The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1913-02-17

making as it was an air-tight con
nection. by this means the listen
ing ear could hear the slightest t.,
on the wall The slightest sound
with the finger nail. that would BE-
quite inaudible to the person r,a',
ing it. could he distinctly heart ~
the alright ear in any of four or
five cells on either side of whoever
"9s sending the message.
John DAILY for many months had
4 Chum in his cell that helOcu him
While away many an hour. This
was a spider he tanned and trained.
and many an interesting bullct.p
came from John concerning the
whims and antics Of his pet. John piac-
ed a stnding order with me during
this time for supplying all the moths
could capture in my cell Tor h's
spider Flies We're very scarce i'll the
cells. Scarcity of food suppose
accounts Tor this. hut in season
there used to BE great many
moths. hence Johns order: buf as he
himself will, hope. tell the s-ory
of his spider later on, | must only r.
ie' to it i'll a passing way 50 TOO.
with the roisoniGs of John in Chat
ham with helladoHna saw hin
inside half an hour after the dos
had been administered TO him. We
we're being brought out of on
cells after dinner To go to labor
Looking at him saw at once that
he was very bad. his eyes bulginI
and his tongue protrudins, To my
whispered question What's the mat
ter. john" he replied with great
difficulty. "Belladonna; they've poi
soned me. That VAS all he could
say. A few minutes Inter after We
had been distributed to our respec.
tive labor gangs. | saw John dro .,
and being carried away a special
commission was afterwards appoint
ed to investigate this poisoning anf
also the treatment OF the treason
felony prisoners generally. The re
suit was published i'll Government.
Blue Book.
After DR.. Gallagher, ALI White
head and some others had been driy.
en- mad by the prison treatment some.
thing happened that made me feel
sure for time that |, TOO. VAS
going smash The thought vas
horrifying. My turn had come
going mad like the others. The tor
ture of that experience is Just as
fresh in my memory to-day as il
vas at that time. The recollection
can never leave HE.
This is what lead up ID it. one
evening, sitting in the quictness Ct
the cell, there commenced loud
buzzing in my ears. slapped ms
ears again and again to try and get
rid of it. but the buzZing was per-
sistent, and nothing | could do would
remove it or ease it | tried every
thing ! could think III, but all to
no purpose All night long ii kept
buzzing away, and with queer sick
ening feeling the thought came to me
that ! was nearing the insanity mark.
| reasoned the matter out VITA l. yself
there in the dark, and came to the
conclusion that the tension on the
nerves had neen so great that the
breaking point had been reached -
that the system was breaking down
and that this buzzing was the first
indication that had noticed.
While in the cell the noise keIt
buzzing away, but once outside
couldn't hear it-assumed the noise
of the working parties iii the labor
yards drowned the other sound. For
several days this kept up-the buzz
ing, torturing me in the cell. whl'c
outside in the yards ii didn't bother
me. One evening ON being marched
back from labor to my cell, glanr-
ing up to the roof of the penal cells
in the distance noticed that
fresh telegraph wire had been run
from the military barrack on the
adjoining hill into the prison, and
this wire was fastened right over my
cell, in fact insulated at the vent
lator opening that led from the cell
could have shouted with joy. That
buzzng after all was not inside me
but came down the ventilator shaft
into my cell from this telegraph
wire on the roof, The cell looked
less gloomy that evening when | got
home to it,"