The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-15
Inmates Of Kilby Prison Send Open Letter AL
 leging Cruelty
MEAT IS TAINTED,
 AT TIMES, IS SAID
Missive Published Following Re- ceipt By Montgomery Journal
 Makes Other Complaints
NO BUTTER SUPPLIED INMATES OF HOSPITAL
Visitors Deceived About Condi- vions, According To Allega-
 tions Made By Authors
tsTATE CAPITAL BUREAU,

MONTGOMERY, Ala, March IA Inmates of Kilby prison, through an open letter, charge use of torture meth eds in that chains have been placed in the punishment rooms of Kilby pris- on and that prisoners are now being strung to the will with their toes bare ly touching the top of a 2x4 board. The letter was addressed to the Mont gomery Journal.
 The convicts also charged that they are at times, being fed tainted meat :; that coffee served is nothing more than colored water and that biscuits are served only three times a week.
 The letter stated that when visitors come to Kilby prison the convicts are fed good food, thus leaving the insti- tuition with an impression that they have eaten the same food given to the convicts.
 Say Promises Broken
 "The officials promise us more and better food, but we never get it." the letter continued. Occasionally we have a change and have a stew for supper but the meat is tainted and we cannot eat it."
 The letter in full follows:
 "We, the white inmates of Kilby prison, are appealing to your good pa per for some of your valuable space. We trust that you will publish the fol- lowing facts for the benefit of us un- fortunates confined he-e.
 Under the Kilby administration, when this prison was under construc- tion, the state investing over a mil lion dollars in this institution and not receiving any returns on the invest ment at that time, we were being given food nearly 100 per cent better than we are getting at present, and we are are now showing a good profit on the investment made by the past adminis- tration.
 Under the Kilby administration we had hot biscuits every morning, butter at least three times a week, milk every night for supper and our menu changed daily, with a good variety of solid foods.
 Biscuits On Sunday
 At present we have biscuits only on Sunday mornings and twice for supper during the week. They are placed on our plates and are cold when we get them.
 "The state is now milking 100 cows at the dairy, while only about 30 were milked daily during the past adminis- istration, yet we Co not know the taste of butter or milk. Even the butter for the patients in the hospital has been discontinued.
 Our menu consists of the following :
 Breakfast, grits, light bread, thick ened water for gravy (tasteless) a very small portion of sow belly and eolored water for coffee.
 Dinner, cornbread, beans, potatoes and more SOW belly and water to drink. Supper, wet get what was left over from dinner except we generally have rice and more imitation gravy and wa ter to drink.
 '"The officials promise us more and better food, but we never get it. Occa- sionally we have a change and have a stew for supper, but the meat is tainted and we cannot eat it.
 Good Meals For Visitors
 g"When visitors come out they are given good things to eat and leave here under the impression they have eaten the food given the convicts each day.
 "We are confident that our governor (can4lnuah nn pnma TSa Halunn Thrael