The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-03-31

ments which he had brought me.
Those arc your fish.clothcn
You'll get another outfit. with soms
undaeiothing. after you finish being
a fish
And a. that moment I began
suffering the sorsures Of . flsh.
" you have never worn q suit Of
hsh eioshss. you cannot spprs-
cisse tho torture. The clothes
ere Of heaviest wool. And the
tickling sensation esussd by
that wool fiber suoehina q mans
flesh 10 escrveiatina.
IL IL not a torture authorized By
prison officials I doubt II they
have ever realized the discomfort
that those garments cause for thu
pew prisoners.
But for ~ hours my body squirm.
Cd and writhrd In III. worst agony
OF tickling tina, ! ever experienced.
Ny OUTFIT consisted Of shirt. trous-
ers. socks and shoes.
They had allowed me 20 keep the
shoes that had worn into prison
And In addition 20 my other trou-
bies. tho suit was many times too
large for me and hung like bags on
my slender frams.
The walia Waila officials reserve
four cells OF Wing l. for the In.
coming prisoners. These quarters.
known as fish calls. are the Same
~ all others In the prison. except
that they arc not used a. perna-
nsnt quarters The regular prison.
ers hav. permanent cells. in which
they iive during their entire torn.
Cell Is Solid Steel
Box. Tnple-Barred
followed another trussy up two
flights OF steel stairs. down q pass.
age tina, resembled the deck OF a
ship. and into q cubby hols OF a
stateroom. II was my .lrs. prison
cell. II was known as eel. be
cause II was cell No. 4. In z tier OF
Wing I.
The trus,y Who took me 10 my
cell slammed the steel door shut.
Then be hurried back TO the end OF
the corridor. There was a ciang.
ing OF more steel.
Three bars slid into place In
front OF the door. The trusty bad
closed huge lever at the end o,
the ceii-row, which had automatic.
ally locked every one OF the II
doors In the division.
The trusty. found later. was a
sweeper" There are three rows
of cells. one above the other. on
each side OF wing. Tho backs OF
tho cells TT against one another.
The cell II n solid steel Dor. with a
door composed OF wide bands OF
steel ribbon. two inches apart.
The sweeper" II supervisor OF
all the cells on his floor. He opens
and closes the automatic locking
lever whenever the prisoners enter
or leave their cells. He sweeps tho
corridor. or deck, and oversees the
conduct OF the men in bis division.
The sweeper holds position OF
honor.
A barred window In the wall
facing my cell door was open.
The sun shone In. A flock OF
sparrows sang eheeriiy Just out
side. One sparrow flew into
the prison and sang . little song
a. he perched on an Incanoes-
cent globe near my door.
u was . glimpse Of spring.
time and Joy. Inside my tiny
cell, I was saddencd and de-
pressed by the blIthesons mes
sage.
Sweeper" Cheers Up
the Lonesome Fish"
My cell was s ftet 8 inches wide.
. feet long and 7 feet high. II was
smaller than any stateroom or bath
room that had ever seen. Two
steel hunks hung from the wall by
steel straps. There was stool TO
sit on.
The sweeper OF my tier came hur-
rying past the door. He held q tiny
oil lamp. like the torches that min
ers wear In their caps.
And he mumbled some cryptic
phrase az he shuffled along the
shiny steel deck.
I wondered why man needed n
torch on day when the sun shone
into prison so pleasantly.
He was saying. Light 'em up"
II is a universal expression used
by sweepers.
The sweeper was inviting men In
tho cells 10 light their pipes. No
matches are permitted inside. the
prison.
The lamps burn day and nfkbt.
and tho sweepers mako their trfps
along the decks every 20 minutes
during the evening and other times
when men are confined 10 their
cells.
"What'd you bring. kid7"
II was tho sweeper. seeriny into
my cell He was kindly old man.
with pripn.worn, but home.like
face. lie wanted to cheer up the
fish.
"oh. that's nothing at ALL" he
replied. when told him the
length OF my sentence. That
year will 90 by like 30 many
hours. The first month or 30
10 always the longest. Why,