El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-30
BY G. A. MARTIN.
CContinued from nuEe II

/ weapons nor tools for causing trouble.
{ inside any OF them.
The entertainment provided Christ
mas night is typical Of the weekly
I entertainments these men have. Mai.
{ White took US 20 a show that was
[ given In the auditorium. Col John
. bacou Macdonald the commandant
I Mrs. Macdonald. and many other Off
Z GERS and their families, were present
+ for the show.
A Christmas Party.
The men marched in out OF their
various prison wards and had seats on
Z the benches in the big auditorium.
| The officers and their families and
guests had seats in chairs up front.
Holly and Christmas greens decorated
the stage and the columns about the
auditorium A big Christmas tree. full
OF tnsel and lights. sat in one corner
A five reel FATTY" Arbuckla picture.
The Life Of the Party" sent over
complimentary from a film exchange,
and a two-reel Sennett comedy, were
featured An orchestra made up Of
prison inmates. rendered some excel
lent music. There was one negro in
the orchestra- All the others were
white men. The show began at 1880
and lasted for over two hours.
Sunday night a concert was given
IN the same place for the prisoners by
talent from san Francisco, and on the
Wednesday previous there had been
another concert. From this it can be
seen mat life IS not very monOtonous
for the prisoners on Alcatraz.
Could BE Worse.
The heaviest work the prisoners DO
IS operating the laundry, which does
the washing for the Preside, Fort
Mason. and for all the army trans
ports arriving at or leaving San Fran
cisco. This work is paid for and the
men doing IL are allowed small
wage FOR their work
The prison barracks or cell houses
are all built Of rock or concrete with
concrete floors. and are as clean ana
sweet smelling as any home. The men
have free access TO the corridors until ]
s o'clock in the evening and may visit 4
with one another They are PERM t-ed /
10 smoke. at any time except after I
taps, at 1915. when all lights must be I.
out The men must 80 TO their cells ]
or hunks and be locked In at 8, but l
they may stay I'D and smoke and read /
or write until taps The library has !
several hundred volumes and they I
can draw anything they wish. from I
light fiction 20 technical books
A Good school
There IS q school in operation In /
connection with the prison and those
who are iliterate are forced 70 AZ
tend. attendance IS optional with
others.
me officers have attractive quar-s
ters-frame buildings well heated
and. as there are forty or fifty Of
them on the island, social life IS
rather active, as many have tner
families.
Officers from an branches OF the
service are detailed here, but the ma
iority are cavalry otllcerst az Lnefe
Is an excess OF officers in this branch
1f the service at present The guards
are composed Of men especially Qe-
tailed for this work from other or
Plantations and they are formed into
! battalion Of "Alcatraz Disciplinary
Barracks Guards
A Nseionis Thanks.
The adjutant Of the island is going
lway soon. BIS going is another u
ustratlou Of the tragedy Of lie re
lolds the rank Of major and has held
{ during the entire time OF the
world war. but he goes back now 20
!. sergeautcy In the cavalry and viii
sam in a couple OF more years and re-
ire. The commanding officer Of the
iris0n says the major IS one OF the
lest officers he has ever known and
IS an adjutant he is hum einger
.r such words TO that eject az
.oloneI would use IN expressing him
ELF but when The major took his
examination. he failed on some prob
ems in geometry, trigonometry or
ONE such stuff and the higher ups
his more important than his ability
o command men, said he wouldn't do
or a permanent officer and sent him !
ack to the ranks
who Is Bests
He had put in about 25 years as an +
nlisted man, rising to a sergeantcy,
efore the world war came. Then he
Tas made a Lieutenant. then a cap
ain and finally a major. While we .
Tere az war he was good enough 70 I
ommand battalion Of men, but now
hat the war Us over. he is not com
eteut 10 command even as a lieu
anant because his trigon0metry is
OF on straight Some younEster from T
ONE high school. with no knowledge I
men. but a bear on trigonometry, Z
nm get the job Such IS life in
reat republic
Anyhow. it is interesting 90 visit {
lcatraz and see how well Uncle q
am takes care OF the men who call C
lmmanding officers -old things and g
ct the uniform taken off for the
ffence. There are no more CON
sientious directors" here. Mr.. Baker a
ad them an released some time ago. =
nd the officers are all glad. but ..
lere are quite few men here who o.
nlisted to go 70 France, and who, ;
acause they didn't get 20 60, de- "a
7rted and got caught at it, They =
re still "in.' &
Crime iE not the most alluriuE e
ling in the world to- write about. 2
ut &c is all the talk out here on the y
Jast, presumably because there is
) much OF it. And it is not confined r
san Francisco. q
AS I passed through Fresno the 2
Their night, a big crowd OF citizens d
as at the depot looking FOR a man %
ith a lot Of gold teeth-and prepar-
e for another lynching. A girl had q
lme into Fresno TO visit with an D
ant from q nearby town. She had q
zen taken from a picture show by n
.ree mer, put into an automobile, "
lped and then taken TO a shack some / ~
ace and that was the last she re- -
embered until she came 20 in the q
rect, her young life ruined. She was 4
ported Ga a serious condition. Three (
en-, she said, were in the automobile. =
It the one with the gold teeth was
only one she could accurately o..
scribe y
AT the time, The Fresno papers ~
ere full Of stories Of the iudict- &
ent of bunch OF prize fighters on ii
e charge of assaultlng another girl n
70 or three weeks ago in a similar
amer. Some had confessed. ir was ri
ated. and were 10 be tried this o.
eek. Some Of them were also be- 8
6 held for thefts of various sorts q
out here they are laying nearly ~
erythiug 20 the doors Of the prize p.
enters and for a time at least ~
It'll the temporary hysteria wears =.
f-prizc fighting is "iu BAD on the m
ast The law has been violated in sc