The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-24

ness and a defective water tank proved to be the way out. The sink was already standing full of water ready to wash the dishes after the meal; and l, thinking of that loose topped cap, turned it on full force, jerked off the top so that the water could not be turned off, and then I waited-for but few seconds.
 Hey, hey!-Hello up there!" came the cooks voice up the shaft. "Whats E wrong?-your floodin' us out down here! Shut that water off"
 O o o
 To The Main Lead.
 I jumped to the top of the shaft, happy in the thought that l had found the way of absenting myself.
 T can't do it, Sandy" I called back They've knocked the top of the tap off Wait a second and I'll run out and turn off the main lead!'
 With that l dashed out through one of the dining room doors and started down stairway.
 "Where are you going, Kane" l heard the deputy warden's voice and knew that he had rushed inside.
 "I'v got to turn the water eff" I beloved back at him. They've broken the tap, and the place Is flooded!"
 He did rot answer me and 1 dashed on down the stairway and out to the yard, while he ran in tEe direction of the dining room heard his voice high pitched and angry after :, had reached the court.
 Get to your cells, all of you!-go quickly, or I'll blow a hole through each one of you" he spoke as if he had a firearm persuader in his hand, and no doubt did; but l did not see it-and as I turned off the main water lead with a large wrench that was kept for that purpose, I was congratulating myself that I had not seen anything worth telling.
 The reader might wonder at so much activity on my part to evade what ordinarily might be said to be on the side of discipline and order. But Of all places where 1t might truthfully be said that all things are not expedient even though lawful unto one, that place Is a penitentiary. In prison it is only a fool of the first water who Is anxious to tes- tify against ellow-prisoners who have transgressed. If such a one be under a sentence that will permit of his being taken at once outside and watched over by the guard force then he might afford to be a wit ness that helps to convict trans gressor; but if his position be such that only promise of protection is forthcoming-to say nothing about the probability of his having con scientious scruples against bringing greater punishment upon prisoner such as l had-then he had better see nothing and know nothing.
 2 o o Called Before Board.
 Such was my situation when, on the following day after the unreasoning prisoners had been quieted down, was called before the state board ot control, which body had been sum- moned by the warden prior to his taking any action looking to inflict- ing punishment upon the rioters.
 T believe you have a kind of su- pervision of the dining room, haven; you, MT. Kane?" asked the chairman of the board.
 T am called the head waiter" was my answer.
 T presume you saw the rioting start?'
 "I did-yet in way I didn't"
 Explain yourself"
 T was just preparing to wash out a plate that a prisoner had given to me, along with the information that the gravy had a fly in it and l heard the noise and talk break out behind me, Men who appeared not to be in on the disturbance were standing up and looking back at the noise-mak- ers-some of them lodging things that were being thrown-and I was not in position to see much of the boys carrying on. And to bar me entirely from the show-if I may put it that way-a loose-topped water tap was jerked or thrown off during the early stages of the trouble, and because the sink was full already 1t ran over and began to flood the kitchen below. I had to run out and down to the tap on the lead and turn it off there"
 Well, did you leave the dining