Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-07

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toughness didn't ring true. but was
for my benefit alone and their swear
ing not from the heart, but purely /
gesture with which to impress me.
The Quest for Sleep.
Then tried to sleep but il turned
out to be more Of a trick than | had
| bargained for. A cell Is about Z feet
! by 4. concrete floor. three steel walls,
| a steel ceiling and bars and barred
| door. From one wall folds down n
rack for bed. 1t is constructed of
| interlaced Stats of the hardest metal
| known to human kind and around
| the edge is sharp rim which sticks
up two inches. For tall man there
| is no known position of lying which
prevents this rim from cutting in
| at least three places.
Then there is the problem of what
! to do with an overcoat. 1t is better
| not to have one. as 1t tends to keep
one awake deciding what to do with
| it. It can be used either as pillow,
| to put underneath as protection
| against the ridges or az blanket
| as a protection against the cold. l
| tried each of these in steady rotation
| throughout the remainder of the night
and in each case there seemed to be
| something lacking. Added TO my
other troubles the only other inmate
| of No. IL, for Brookland is a
| lawful section of town, had the next
! cell to me and talked continuously.
| This other active antagonist OF
| Volsteadism seemed to know every
member of the district attorney 8
| Office and every big lawyer and bust
| ness man in town and pleaded at
| intervals of two to three minutes
for some one to communicate win
| his friends and get him out and l
wished fervently that some one
would.
About 5 o'clock I doZed off and
dreamed Of the princess who couldn't
sleep on 10 mattresses because there
was a pea beneath.
We Leave Old No. II.
A few minutes later we wero
rustled out, for what I didn't know.
| All the policemen on duty asked me
kindly and with grins IL I didn't feel
much better, and / said "yus." But
l really felt much worse.
About half an hour later We took
a. long cold ride by the light of the
| moon to No. 8 and I was sorry to
leave No. II. where, at least. it was
| clean and solitary.
No. 8 was crowded, mostly with
colored men still recovering from the
effects Of the week end corn. 1t was
also dirty, cockroaches were in evil
dence. nor did 1t have the same sani-
tary aroma that pervaded No. IL. |
was led to a cell already occupied
by two others. one my Earrulous
| neighbor from No. II. and the other
showing every sign Of just coming to
from a long and protracted drunk:
He spat necessarily. and in all
directions We sat three in row
along the metal rack. / in the center,
and thus we waited more or less
patiently for three hours. The talk
alive one, having begged, pleaded
and cajoled for food since 4 o'clock
| at No. IL, started in Immediately
again at No. 8, and kept it up con-
tinuously for the three hours we were
there.
The Starving Prisoner.
If perseverance counted. he would
have had a turkey. Every one who
came within sight or sound was APP
pealed to.
SAY, captain. how bout a little
breakfast. I got the money.
"Say, captain, how about a sand
witch and coffee. I got the money
Say, captain. how bout something
to eat. I got plenty of money
This on an average OF once MN
ute for three hours straight to every
one who approached, be he captain,
sergeant, policeman or Janitor, and
when no one was around the appeal
was made louder. bemoanlng IN
plaintive voice over and over again
that he had had nothing to eat since
early Sunday morning. Finally, he
was silenced for q time. One large
hard boiled cop stopped for a mo-
ment looked at him and remarked:
Say, what hotel do y think this
is, the Moo Willard? Why didntcha
think of your meals before v came?
Why didntcha put your breakfast in
a box and bring your coffee in a
thoimus bottle?"
Then for an hour the unhappy
prisoner interspersed his plea for
food with one for water. This was
equally useless. No one ever did
have sympathy for him. ! least Of
all.
On Our Way to Court.
At $50 o'clock we were herded
| out, crowded together. white and COL
, ored. into the patrol wagon and so to
Police Court.
II Dante could have spent such a
! morning in such n scene. he would
have added another chapter to his
| Inferno. We were herded into the
building and up the stairs and into
an office, where each prisoner was
handed a meal ticket. Adjoining this
| office was a large cell behind iron
bars. and to the rear of the cell two
toilets. Both the cell and the toilets