Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-22

rested and jailed. If he would go out
and work the streets all day he was
given three meals and if he would not
go out and work he was kept locked up
and given two meals.
Police judges usually sentenced these
men to from week to six weeks and
they were usually glad to work for the
extra l4eal and the change OF atmos-
phere and also glad to leave town at
the end of their sentences. A state law
now makes it impractible to carry on
this operation Travelling vagrants have
become so common throughout this dis
trict in win5cr,that it does not consti-
tute an offencc i'll Douglas unless the
vaerant commits some other overt act.
The travelling vlgrant is not even per-
initted to sleep in the Douglas Jail this
winter as it is reserved for pay custo-
merS.
Jail Census for Year
During the last fiscal year TAG city
prisoners were locked in the city jail.
During the same period there were 1873
county prisoners and 173 federal pris-
cners. The Douglas city jail is no Or
dinary bastilc housing only common
criminals. This jail, owned and oper-
ated by the city of Douglas and under
the direct management and authority
CT Chief of Police Percy Bowden, has
housed criminals of a high type. Some
of the best known bank robbers, post
office robbers, absconders, smugglerS
and dope runners in the world have
been housed in its specious halls and
have shook the heavy steel of its gilded
doors.
The j&il is known as the Hotel Bow
den after the man who has operated it
for the city for the past eight years.
The county places many prisoners in
this Jail and every arm of the federal
government use it, The most frequent
users of the federal variety are the Gus
toms and immigration services who
carry on the most active branches of
the federal law enforcement work IN
this section.
The city feeds all the prisoners. The
federal government and the county pay
certain rate for food for their pris-
oners and the city pays certain rate
but all the meals are ordered from the
same restaurant which is awarded a
contract for feeding the prisoners.
Prisoners Require Food
There were 1854 meals served in the
city Jail during the past fiscal year
While the records do not show what
prisoners devoured these meals it is
safe to say that city and federal pris-
oners ate the greater portion of the
food as the policy of the city is to keep
a prisoner no longer than is absolutely
necessary! to exact penalty and as this
4o1 Of =
for city offences the average city pris-
oner is likely to eat not more than two
or three meals in the city jail. Each
prisoner is allowed two meals day.
The county prisoners stay in jail
longer than the city prisoners do for
many Of them, after being tried in the
justice court, must await trial in the
superior court and failing to make bond
are held Sometimes they stay in the
city jail for weeks but usually are TAX
en- to Tombstone very shortly to wait in
the county Jail there.
Federal prisoners differ according to
the department that has arrested them
in the length of time they visit at the
Hotel BoWden. Custom law violatorS
are given a hearing before the United
States commissioner within day or
two of their incarceration and if held
for trial are taken within few days or
week to Tucson for holding to await
the convening of the federal court.
immigration prisoners are ordinarily
held in the city Jail here for as much
as month Most of these are aliens
and must await action on their cases
which are handled through the local
immigration authorities and the de-
partment in Washington This is the
one service using the Jail that has about
as many women prisoners as men pris-
oners. The majority of the inlmigra-
ton cases arrested here are of Mexican
origin and many women and sometimes
women with little children are jailed.
Children Not Held In Jail
In city cases, or county cases chill
dren are never put in Jail but are pro-
vided for on the outside when their
mothers must, according to law pe
placed behind the bars In the case
however Of the immigration service the
child is not considered under the rul-
ings and must await the action of the