Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-03-30
TELLOF POKER
GAMES NIGHTLY
WITH 'RAKEOFF'
Judge Anderson Amazed as
He Hears Disclosures of
Lax Conditions.
MUST GUST THEM ALL

Marion county jail; prisoners al
lowed liberty at nights.
Where Made
In the United States district court.
BY Whom
Prisoners confined in the federal
section of the county jail.
Who's Responsible
The jail is under the supervision
of Robert S. Miller. sheriff; Ed Mars.
jailer; George Douglas, night keeper,
and Uncle" Charlie Whitesell,
Frank Kemp and John vanCleave,
guards.
Amazing disclosures of graft,
gambling and open violation of the
law as well as of Jail rules, In the
federal wing of the Marion county
Jail, were made to Federal Judge
Anderson today by prisoners.
These prisoners revealed how they
were forced to take part in the
gambling, how they paid heavy
''rakeoffs" to jailers, how grating
guards made them pay for beds, ice
water, food and other special IA
vors."
The poker games with their "rake-
OFFS for the house took place every
night from to 8. The proceeds, amount
ing to $500 month, were divided among
the jailers and guards, according to the
prisoners.
Those who played were shown special
privileges while prisoners who refused
were compelled TO mop floors and do all
the hard work around the Jail.
Prisoners were forced. on entering the
jail. to pay 81 for a bed and s. for a
mattress, according to the statements
made IN court
They said they were charged 81 for
having blankets washed.
PROPERTY STOLEN
FROM PRISONERS.
Fruit and food sent by friends was
stolen from the prisoners at the jail and
/ they were not allowed to have such pro-
visions. it was charged.
Prisoners confined to their cells for
punishment face slow starvation, several
Of them asserted.
They are permitted TO buy food through
one individual only and are charged ex-
robitant prices.
One prisoner testified that he could buy
butter only If he paid S1.40 per pound.
Even food purchased through jail Of
icials was ofttimes stolen and nearly
always a portion was taken, they said.
Clifton O'Neil, an ex-army cook, now
confined for pass ng bogus army checks.
testified and said such food as was
served to prisoners was thrown away in
the army and estimated the cost of feed
ing each prisoner at 20 cents per day.
The sheriff is paid GO cents a day for
each prisoner.
LEFT JAIL. STAYED
OUT ALL NIGHT
Prisoners testified that they had pos
session of a key to the Jail and had. on
several occasions left and stayed home
all hight.
Otto Mckay, Terre Haute jeweler
serving time for bootlegging. said that
on one occasion he had left the jail and
visited Terre Haute. being gone one day
and one night.
on his return he had difficulty in
breaking into the jail and it was neces4
sary to call George Douglas, night turn
key, to let him in.
Mckay said he gave Douglas IS on
his return from Terre Haute, $50 that
he would not get In bad.''
DAILY MENU
AT THE JAIL.
Here is the daily menu Of the JAIL as
given by the prisoners:
Breakfast-Boiled mush with molasses
diluted three parts. water TO one part
syrup, and one cup of weak coffee
Dinner-Boiled liver or boiled heart,
water and bread.
Supper-Bean soup.
Sometimes, to vary the monotony of
the menu, the prisoners were given bean
soup for dinner. they said.
The meat served was of a fourth grade
quality, some of which was decayed and
evil smelling.
William Rothe said he ate meat once
and 1t made him sick.
Prisoners who protested against the
treatment or threatened to 'squea1,"
were threatened with being placed in
the "black hole" or the 'U. S. row."
The "black hole was said to be a
dungeon in the Jail without light, venti-
l;tsion or furniture.
"U. S. ROW"
INSIDE CELLS.
What is incwn as a "U. s. row" is
an inside row of cells in which the pris-
Oners can gec little outside food.
The men feared to be placed in this
row because of starvation.
The cells therein were iIl-kept and
lousy, they said.
Leslie Sanders. minister, charged with
using the mails to defraud, has been
confined in the "U. S. row. for the past
three months.
He appeared in court hardly able to
walk, emaciated in body with deep cir
cles under his eyes, emphasized by the
prison pallor on his face and was told
by Judge Anderson, to stand up, being
cited as an example of confinement in
the "U. S. row.
George Douglas, night jailer; Frank
Kemp, Uncle Charlie WhiteseI, and a
guard named VanCleave, with Sheriff
Robert s. Miller were summoned into
federal court to explain why such con-
ditions existed in the jail.
MILLER INTIMATES
HIS IGNORANCE.
Miller, through his attorney, intimated
that he did not know of conditions at
the jail
The Investigations may lead to federal
indictments against the Jail keepers.
The court hearing resulted from per-
sistent complaints made by prisoners
personally and through letter, and also
by complaints of citizens.
THAT poHk game a the jail is no
torious and is causing scandal all over
Continued on Page Two.)
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