Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-05
Farce
At HOln,esburg Jail
Continued from Psss One

Continued from Psss Ons
the struggle, severely reprimande ed the
men he himself had sent to punish the
convict.
"The visitor departed content. and
the captain had the man beaten again
and strapped to the floor without food
for twenty -four hours. And TINS nap,
nenet in 1922. The date of 1t all L
ing in Holmesburg.
ITO be deprived Of food from
twenty -four to forty eight hours is
beinr administered for the slightest
offenses, such as whisper through
yentilator, n scrap of tobacco or even
slight hummins, to while away dragging
moments.
''rhe confinement for the ma ajority
vas solitary-eyen the meals being
served in the cells. And such m:eais-
pieces Of bread, often so burnstl rs 70
be uneatable. For dinner the same
bread with stew is served. :,
"The keepers ut Holnesburg lead
comfortable, even lazy lives. have
seen, going about the houses in my
capacity us barber, as many ms twenty
shoulders Of lamb being prepared for
| the dinner of the fifty-six Keepers.
n.; s%sy If s.f for ,sfs ss' $r Tscv Isss ess
and drink. one or two. and sit about
and curse the men they watch. They
take their exercise with the prisoners
and many seem to need lot Of exer-
else.
THE prisoners are allowed twenty
minutes day. In the court If tn
weather is Of the best. One time. the
weather not being of the best We had
no exercise for two or three weeks.
No exercise ut all is allowed ON Satur.
days or sundays: 50: you Sse. eacr'
the men could walk about in their
cells. but that makes noise. and noise
means foodless twenty. -four hours.
Have to Nope in Cells
"Son.e of the 'faSorites' are allowed
! to work in the shops or at scrubbing
floors.
When I was at Holmesburg there
were about eighteen men in the tailor
shop and fourteen in the shoe shop.
About fifty worked four hours a day
clea ming the corridors: Some others
worked at weaving and making stock.
ings. The rest, 800 odd. sit through
the day seeing and hearing nothing,
going TO pieces mentally and physically.
Yet the work of the prison officials
has been praised by visiting committees,
visiting committees who see only the
few men ut work in the neat.appesring
shops and ore hustled out. They do
not see the hundreds Of timers tho
brutal punishments or the mcager ra-
tions and the fellows doing their soli-
tary bit:
burg was strapped (foodless) for
twenty -four hours. This happened to
me three times because I was the vic.
tim Of the dislike of the guard who
reported me.
"As n barber. I attended to between
four and ten of the keepers a day.
sometimes doing what would be S.
job outside-shavc, haircut, shampoo
risk to myself Of detection, q small
handful Of tobacco. perhaps enough for
three or four smokes. had lost ali
taste for tobacco, but. fortunately for
me, the convict cook had not. lie
would often trade me better meDl
or II piece Of good meat for my meager
supply.
How Meals Are Prepared
'"The prisoners meals we're prepared
in huge iron pots. And the pots were
| very Vh anu bo tuSlUb tuut IL LQPY mad
ever been cleaned there would have
been no pots left. Food left standing
in these pots, for even a few hours.
was contaminated. An inspector once
urged Il set Of aluminium pots and almost
got them. However, he died before the
purchase was made. The order was
countermanded and We never got them.
"Holmesburg takes Z mans life-his
heart away. and leaves him. at the
time when he Is again turned free TO
make his way in an antasonized world.
without the mind or the ability 10 suc.
ceed.
such waste OF human lives-sueb
treatment Of human bodies--wouid no,
be permitted II all knew what I know
had seen what have seen. I tell
my experiences in the County Prison
with the hope that something will be
done by those with the power, TO i'm.
prove conditions at Holmesburs."
One convict cached tobacco In The
boiler room. It appears that some
workmen from the outside had listened
to the pleas Of the convict to sneak in
some tobacco, knowning, that while It
was a violation OF the rules, It would
be an act OF kindness 70 bring Il in !:
the VoYkmso did. Part OF this contra :.