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

they had There were few formalities
and every one entered Immediately into
general and friendly conversation,
which continued throughout all wax
Ing hours. Conversational topics were
limited to such subjects as how each
member had become drunk, how
awfully drunk he was and the circum-
stances OF his arrest; different places
in Washington to get liquor. it's cost
and quality: the general condition of
the District Jail; comparison of the
District jail with Occoquan and jails
III other cities. When these topics
had been exhausted completely, the
| same topics were discussed all over
again with additional comment along
the same lines. OF course all CONVEX
sation was interlarded generously with
profuse and colorful profanity and
| vulgarity.
They Begin to Grave Food.
| AS the first afternoon wore on a
decided Impotence for food was evil
denced among my cell-mates. in which
] Joined, having eaten nothing since
the day previous. At the ringing of
a bell, about 4:30, every one surged
toward the door. But it was false
alarm. That was just the first table.
| We were on the top floor and would
be the last called. thought it would
be another hour or so, but in a short
| time it was our turn. Each mess and
| the washing up therefrom takes but
a few minutes. We were let out,
formed in a long line and marched
down stairs to the dining room. There
were long tables in the middle OF the
room and others against the wall, with
I wooden benches to sit on. Across the
wall was O large sign NO Talking"
This was simplifed by the fact that
dinner was already spread and there
was nothing to ask for except the salt.
A large bowl of this was on each table
| and any one who wanted it just
pointed and then dipped in his soup
| spoon, used or unused, as the case
might be. Dinner consisted of small
amount of cabbage soup, a large cup
of tea and a half loaf of bread cut
into about three chunks. The soup
! and tea were bad, but the bread was
good. There were second helpings for
| a few of those who finished first. which
brought competition to a high pitch.
Silverware consisted of enamel soup
| plates and cups, from which the
enamel had worn off, leaving rusty
| tin. AS each finished he would turn
on his bench and face out. still clutch
| ing his spoon. Anything not eaten
!
| neighbor; in fact, sometimes both
neighbors would reach the desired
morsel simultaneously, with the result
| that the soup, or whatever it might
| be, was precipitated over the back of
| the original owner. At given signal,
| every one rose, marched around the
tables and deposited the spoons in a
box at one end. While we were leav-
ing, colored prisoners, acting as
walters, had collected the plates and
| cups, rinsed them slightly under a
| faucet and they were ready for the
next meal.
The Highly Esteemed Bean.
Other meals were very similar. ex.
cept that sometimes there were beans.
a rare treat among the prisoners:
sometimes a small piece Of meat in a
| lot of floury gravy. At breakfast
| there was coffee and at lunch water.
At breakfast usually there is some
sort of porridge or oatmeal, but some
, times just q cup of molaSSeS to dip
| bread in. On the way to each meal,
colored boys stand along the line of
march like so many street vendors
selling sugar. Their cry goes up in
cessantly and persistently.
| Get your sugar. Get your sugar.
Only cents bag. You can't eat the
oatmeal without sugar. You don't
know how bitter it is. It's awful. Get
your sugar.
| Or, 1.-The apple sauce made out o.
| green apples. Too sour to eat. Get
your sugar"
| OF course there never is any oat-
| meal at that meal or any apple sauce,
and very seldom do they have any
buyers except among the new arrivals
| Back in the cell the same general
conversation was continued. mostly
unfit for publication. well here
am in the can again. Blank. blank
blank blank. That lousey blank,
blank, bull got me just as I was goin'
home. Every time l go near that
blank, blank Blackie, he lifts me. I'm
never goin' near that blank end o.
town again. i told Yellow, etc. etc,
etc"
The Worlds a Small Place.
| My great difficulty was in avoiding
| too many embarrassing questions. I
had a hard time keeping my identity
| lost in some obscure locality. Every
body seemed to have lived long time
| in every city.
| "You'se from Moo York eh? Where
ye Woke"
| along the Brooklyn docks"
! "Yeh? I worked there 10 years. Me
folks all live on ocean avenoo. How's
all e boys?"
This fioored me so I beat a hasty
retreat, saying 1 hadn't been there
for some time, but had drifted over
to Hoboken.
| "Hoboken," says another, DO We
know Charles place up the alley off
Water street? Do We know Daisy
Moran. the bull on the waterfront,
and Judge Hoolahan?"
Oh, yes, l knew them all right, but
this was getting to be dangerous
ground so l sidestepped to Trenton.
| TONI" asks third.
"'Merican Pottery Woiks," says J..
| WAS yuh? I just come from there
| last Summer. Know Sans place and
the goil Nellie what woiks there?"
/ No 1 didn't. Hadn't stayed there
very long but had moved on to Balti-
more.
"How's woik in Baltimore
Rotten" says I, Cant buy job.
That's why I come on down here. On
me way to Florida" Here l became
entirely engrossed in the evening
papers and only grunted when asked
further questions.
| The Floor a Filthy Place.
In the evening every one sleeping
on the floor was given a straw pallet.
These were very dirty and the straw
had all worked to one end or both.
but it was better than lying on the
cold cement floor. 1t was cleaner.
also, than the floor for the reason that
by Z o'clock, with seven men chewing
tobacco and splitting all day long and
throwing cigarette butts and all other
refuse on it, the floor was a filthy
place. The aroma could have been
/ improved upon. However, about 9
| o'clock, every one took off his Shoes
got as comfortable as possible and
| soon the snoring was general