The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-03-30
PETERS GOES
THROUGH PENS
MELTING POT
Continued From Page One.

| l removed collar, tie, cur iinhS'
Everything that was not part OF
my suit and undergarments.
The guard took my hat, bulg-
ing with the nick-nacks that a
man carries in his pockets. He
counted my money, repeated the
total aloud, and handed it back
for me to count.
Then he took it again, and dis
appeared into the office at the
right. The smaller trusty fol-
lowed him with my overcoat and
grip.
Follow me-" commanded the
tall convict.
He started into the room of
eell-rows. We walked past an
interminable number of barred
steel doors.
The pavement, smooth and pol
! ished like glass, rang with the
sound of my heels. Odd sounds.
changing of doors, snatches of
echoed conversation and tramp
ing of feet, came from no place
in particular but made me trem-
BILE with the weird disorder of
noise.
Turn to the right" ordered
my leader, as he stopped before
an open door. We had passed
the end of the row of cell doors.
entered large bathroom.
There was a network of pipes and
shower sprays on the ceiling -
probably 40 in all.
"This is the melting pot"
commented the trusty.
what? don't UNDER -.-
stand" gasped.
This Is the place where
you lose your identity" he
explained, u friendlier tone
entering his voice.
Here's where you do the grand
dive. When you come out of
here you're just like all the rest
of us. Better begin stripping and
get it over with"
While | was removing my
clothes, a guard entered the room.
He dumped a bundle of clothes
on the bench beside me. They
were blue-gray.
1t was while | was under the
hot shower, scrubbing myself with
prisonmade soap, that | received
my first big surprise.
The trusty and guard were
watching me.
'Whatcha in for, kid-for-
gery?" asked the trusty.
Yes" | replied. How did
you guess it,"
How They Figure II.
Now, | never have been charg-
ed with crime, and never consid-
cred myself of the criminal type.
Further, / felt certain that this
man did not know anything of
my case. And | was curious.
Jaw, that's easy" replied the
con" After you've been in a
place like this for a while, you'll
be able to spot fish the minute
you see him, and tell what kind
of a job he did,"
But how could you tell my
charge peTSlSteu.
an institution of this kind learns
to be studenK of human ma
ture. Anybody could see you're
an office man. You amt a bur-
glar, or an operator (safe crack
err You don't look like a stick
up guy (hold up MANI and you
amt tough.
One Year Easy Jolt.
80 you're either a grand lar
ceny or forgery. l guessed at
forgery because its a higher class
job and more popular.
What did you bring?"
81 don't understand" l said.
what kind of a Jolt did they
give your" he repeated.
BY this time | was finished
with my scrubbing. l had seen
my civilian clothing rolled into
a ball and dumped into a big can
for fumigation. / had lost ev-
erything that connected me with
the Outside.
lin prison they always write
Outside with a capital co."
"One to Is years." l answer
ed.
"Oh, that's easy" the trusty
encouraged. THAT year will 20
by so fast you won't know it,"
Asked 1t so Times.
During the entire time that I
was Convict No. 0047, I met that
same reply every time that l told
the length of my term. A mini ]
mum of one year in Walla Walla
is soft"
And the password of acquaint-
anceship among inmates consists
of two questions:
What did you bring?" and
"What're you in for?"
answered those two questions
more than so times during nv
three days Imprisonment.
Mustn't Ask Them.
But | learned that it was pre-
sumptuous on the part of a fish
to ask the same question of a
ro0uIar IN paata