The Duluth rip-saw., 1919-08-09
FRED WARDS LIEUTENANTS
REFUSE HAY-MAKER WATER

WOrKIarm inmates n1nC very strongly
that other county eatables than but
ter, milk, eggs and vegetables 60 into
Jergen Erickson's house.
One Cummings, son-in-law of Supt.
Erickson, is bookkeeper at the work
farm. Ray, the kindly guard, is rep
resented by discriminating inmates of
the workfarm as having a chronic case
of love-sickness. They declare that he
bores them with his tales Of how crazy
the girls are over him. Just now, he
spends much time asking an impris
oned boot-legger all about the inside
features of married life. Ray is not
vet member of the Erickson clan,
but it is alleged that he plans to hold
his job as guard by wedding the step
daughter of Jergen Erickson, thereby
becoming an actual member Of the
Erickson regime at the county work
farm. ,.,
After the previous issue Of the Rip
Saw appeared, two inspectors were out
to the workfarm. The stinking,
clogged-up water closet was condemned
and nailed up, thereby depriving the
prisoners of drinking water in the
night time, as we'll as proper toilet ia
cilities. The guards cannot always be
prompt in answering the opportunities
of prisoners who have imperative calls
from Mother Nature. Only a short
time ago, some hard-pressed prisoner
used couple of drinking cups for
toilet purposes, greatly to the anger
of Assistant Superintendent Erickson.
Since the previous issue Of the Rip
Saw appeared with it's story Of work
farm fare, afternoon lunches for hay
makers have been abolished. The
forenoon lunch has been cut down to
cup of near-coffee and two ginger
snaps, instead of four. Many times,
there are not enough cookies to 60
around.
A recently released prisoner says
that after the Rip-Saw's article two
weeks ago, Supt. Ward came out there
and gave roar. That roar was fol-
lowed by a most memorable dinner,
embracing green peas from the gar.
den, dried apricot pie and some beef
from heifer who broke her leg,
therefore had to be killed to avoid a
total loss. The officers get blueberry
pie on their table.
The so-called buttermilk, it is al
legged, is made by mixing a can OF
skinned sweet milk with can of
clabbered skim milk. The potatoes are
almost uneatable. Only a few days
ago, the last of the old crop was used
up. Those notorious fried spuds stink
to heaven with age and sourness, so
: saw the lads who have to eat them.
A recent inmate reports that he had
no radishes while he was there.
One new feature is bath and
change of clothes for the inmates once
a week, instead of every two weeks.
The Rip-Saw is Informed that the
chap who was in the solitary, without
raiment and existing on cup OF sour
milk and a small piece Of dry bread
each meal, was named Drake, boy l9
wears old, formerly in the navy, who
went up 60 days for stealing watch
and shoes from the local Y. M. g. A.
building. He stood that experience
eight days and then was put back at
moving, after being called ga lazy
hound.' He was put in solitary be-
cause he played out while moving with
a scythe.
The crazy chap was released last
Sunday morning. He did not know
when his sentence of 80 days was out.
He walked into the city. Some of the
prisoners are given a nickel for car
fare from Duluth Heights, after they
walk in that far from the farm. In
mates express the opinion that the So
called crazy man is victim Of vicious
habits and that the kindly old state
of Minnesota should put him into some
sort of a santorium or hospital. He
is considered unfit, even if not unsafe,
to run at large.