The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-04-19
OFFICERS USE
FIRE HOSE ON
RANK AND FILE:
Nearly Drowned In
Cold Cells
Editor, The Daily Worker:

tISy Sdlu dUOuG lHS CUHulIlOIS ii
the army. l was a soldier and wa
stationed in the Hawaiian Island.
at Schofield Barracks. l am out o.
the service now and so can tell fact.
about the army without as much
danger of being sent up for twenty
years as l would be if l were still
n the army.
l would like to tell you of some
things | saw while l was in the
Hawaiian Islands. First, the off.
GERS make a practice of bringing
Booze into the post and drinking il
in their quarters. They usually have
/ car of their own or a hired car
and when they come into the post
the M. P. at the gate does not dare
TO search their car for booze as he
does enlisted men. They often have
parties at which l have seen many
of the high ranking officers of the
post so drunk that they acted like
crazy men, flirting with other Of
ficers' wives and dancing in the
most disgusting manner. When we
were on guard around the officers
quarters, we often took a peek at
the things that went on at these
rarties.
Life of Servicemen.
Enlisted men get a different deal,
hough. They are searched very
thoroughly when they come into the
post and a pint of coke" (Hawaiian
iquor) is enough to send them up
for five years. Many of the men
have been sentenced to such terms
and higher for this. When they are
waiting for the transport to take
them to Alcatraz, they are kept in
he 'stockade" at Schofield Bar
racks until just a few days before
The transport sails. The "stockade"
has an evil reputation among SOL
diers. 1t was formerly so well
known that Colonel Pistol was sent
by the war department to get infor-
nation about it. What he found
was never told to the soldiers Of
ficially but it didn't need to be. We
knew all about it before he came
and found it out. We knew because
many of US had spent time there.
Little Joe" Rock.
There is a large rock in the Bull
Pen" of the stockade which has the
name of Little Joe."'. This rock is.
formed of very hard kind of lava.
It was used as a means of breaking
the spirit Of an 'unruly" prisoner.
a mallet made of hard wood and
weighing about eighteen pounds was
given to the prisoner. The handle
was fixed with a short heavy piece
Of iron pipe which slides up and
down easily. The prisoner had to
lit the mallet above his head and
then strike hard at the rock. Each
time the mallet was raised, the piece
Of iron pipe fell along the handle
and gave him nasty rap on the
.snuckles. The rock is we'll out in the
open and there is no shade near it.
While was there, many men tainted
while going through this torture and
some got sunstroke. When this hap
pened, water was thrown on them
and as soon as they came to, they
were made to continue the punish
ment.
Torture Cells.
Another form of punishment at
the stockade is the "Stand-Up Cells"
These are just large enough for
man to get into-like a telephone
booth. The top is movable and when
the prisoner was placed in the cell
this was lowered to a few inches
shorter than the prisoner. He
could not stand up straight because
The top is too low and he will hurt
his head against the spikes in the
top if he tries to press against it.
The walls are also full of spikes and
he cannot lean against them. He
must remain in a crouching position
all the time he is left in there. One
man was forgotten in one of these
cells over night until he was missed
by the guard relief and he was in
such bad condition that he had to
go to the hospital.
Use Fire Hose on Prisoners.
Sometimes the stockade officer
feels like getting back at a prisoner
because of cat calls or swearing at
him from the dark cells. The fire
hose is taken out and cold water is
poured into the cells until the prison.
er5 are nearly drowned. Then they
have to stay through the whole night
in their soaked cells and often catch
a cold because the nights are chilly
N Hawaii.
There are dark cells in which men
are left for weeks at a time and
when they come out of them they
are more dead than alive. The only
hing thar they have to eat during
this time is bread and water. These
things are done to the prisoners be-
ause they have disobeyed some rules
# the stockade.
Sprayed with Formaldehyde.
Another favorite trick was to
spray Formaidehyde on the prison
,rs. After one fellow was killed by
his method, it was decided not to
Sc it any more. Col. Pistol found
ut about this.
Tasks of Prisoners.
Prisoners were put to doing such |