New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-12
MISS DAVIS LEADS
ISLAND SERVICE
Continued from page

rules, and it is to your advantage TO
obey them. There may be laws here
that you don't understand, that you
don't see any reason for, but III war
rant you there are good reasons for
them all.
"You boys ought to forget yourselves
when YOU get bacl; to your cells, and
sit down and think, and then you VIII
':dcrstand the necessity OF having
rules in q community like this, really 10
protect yourselves. If you can learn
two things while you are here, obedi-
ence TO the law and self-controi, you
will not regret having been here. you
can go out and become uselu' nieinoei
of society again"
roll increased rapidly yesterday. Tier
mon flor of prisoners got back TO work
in tho shops and were given the regular
wilson fare instead Of the bread and
water diet. as they voted to be GOOD.
Keepers put the question to each man
IN his cell on the tier vhere they mad
been troublesome: 4,
"Do YOU want 20 go back to WORK ana
regular eating? The CommiSsloher -
willing if you promise 10 keep oluei
and obey the rules .,.
No prisoners were allowed 20 hold
ont however. on a tier where the ma
ioritv voted to Ego back" The major
itv ruled and the whole tier went back
in such instances. No new outbreaks
followed.
Seven hundred and fifty men appear,
were added 20 them at luncheon. and
more than a thous<d partook OF the
regular prison supper last night. mat
left about four hundred still on the
bread and water diet in their celis.
Eighteen of the ringleaders IN the
"strike" are still kept in solitary con-
fnement.
Commissioner Davis said yesterday
that she had found one Of the princl-
pal contributory causes of the upris-
ing had been the use OF habit-formlng
drugs on the part of q large number oil
the prisoners. One of the prisoners
told her tina: there were 700 drug
fiends" among the 400 prisoners ana
that some of the leaders OF the upris-
ing were among those worst addicted
to the use of drugs.
The Commissioner called the atten-
ton of DR.. Julius Schechter, the prison
physician, TO the prisoners statement,
and he said it could be discounted
about % per cent. He said there were
about 500 prisoners addicted TO the
use of drugs. =.
DR.. Davis said she had learned OF
many new ways of smuggling the drugs
into the prison during the short time
she had been there. Some of the prls-
cners told her that several men who
had been deprived of their drugs since
the crusade against their sale IN the
prison had helped to start the trouble
They denied that the strike had any
thing to do with an intention TO dis
credit the administration. declaring
that they had the greatest respect Tor
the Commissioner and Mayor Mltchel
as we'll
One prisoner, former real estate
dealer. who holds himself somewhat
aloof from the other prisoners. told the
Commissioner that he had made a care
full study OF prison conditions since ne
had been there, and had cure for all
the existing evils. He submitted a
lengthy manuscript on the subject to
the Commissioner. which she promised
to read, entitled "A Philosophy OF
Kindness"
The substance of the prisoners phil
osophical cure was to the effect that
blindness engendered in the hearts Of
the downtrodden desire to reclpro-
cate" He pointed out that as much
profanity was used toward the pris-
oners by the keepers it showed nat
urally "unkind feeling" on their part,
and that this had its mental effect
upon the men behind the bars and
caused restlessness and sometimes
open rebellion.
Frank f.. Wade, of Buffalo, a member