Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19

Anth0ny'S Parish. Front row: Doris w
Golden. Back row: Katherine Bei.man
for my soup or stew as soon as I sat
down.
That evening the prisoners were
treated to a motion picture, seven
reel Western drama thrown on the
screen before darkness came. After
dark electric lights were flashed on as
each reel ran out and guards surveyed
the room.
Prisoners Curse Mates Cough.
At 7 o'clock the guards checked up,
causing each squad to line up in the
building. Another hour, each minute
seemingly longer than the one before,
and we were herded of to the dormi-
tories. The new prisoners were as
signed to hunks, metal beds in three
rows along the length of the building,
80 beds to the row, two rows on the
left and the third along the opposite
wall A mattress filled with straw, one
sheet, a straw-fllled pillow and two
heavy blankets was the equipment. A
cardboard label hung from each bed,
bearing the prisoners name, number,
squad to which assigned and sentence.
The men stripped to their underwear
and all piled In bed to await the final
check-up made by the night guard
who walked in silence down each row.
Lights were kept on all night. was
kept awake the first night by man
In the next row and two cots over
whose rasping cough bit into the silence
until painful to hear. Muttered curses
were directed at him. but to no avail
The last thing I heard at night ana
the first sound in the morning Tor nVe
days was that cough and the explana7
ton of it was furnished me indirectly
the third day.
Sunday was interminably long. We
stayed in the recreation hall, for churcn
services conducted by mission workers.
and until o'clock that night; except
for the base ball game in the afternoon
Monday morning at o'clock, having
again been unable to eat the food, !
went to work with No. squad. ana
was assigned as helper to Mr.. Nelson
boss carpenter, not a prisoner. MI
Nelson was engaged in putting slate
roof on a new building, and he attacked
his Job as If he had to finish 1t by IL
o'clock. Carrying armfuls OF heavy siae
across a slanting roof for eight nours,
in oversize shoes and with no food In
the system, is some job. If the assistant
in the clinic had been correct In his
diagnosis of my physical condition, that
lob would have done me up. AS naro
as it was, however, the work did not
bring me around to the point where
could eat at the workhouse dining table:
I did the same work the next day, ano
at quitting time was very tired ana
very hungry. but still I could not ca.
the food. I mentioned the matter 70
the boy who had warned me TO lay on
the coffee" and he said had 1t light.
Pays Balance TO Fine.
give been here 80 days" he said. Il
sometimes think can't last it out. You
can do six more days on your ear.
1 didn't do six more days. After TWO
days and two hours of the third on that
slate roof I took my nail-marked feet
off a ladder for the last time. paid
NV fine. 81. for the remaining four days
of my science, and that afternoon Capt.
Francis escorted me to Union Station
along with 10 other men whose terms
had expired.
Now-as to Mr. Sinclair. .
He also was Intercepted and searched
when he entered the District jail after
reaching the jail in his Limousine. Inc
same officials who looked over the rec
ord of his residence and Occupation
was a clerk. But when they ascertalned
that Sinclair was registered pharma-
cist somebody said 1t was the lucklest
break the Jail had had in years: A
pharmacist was urgently needed, II
seemed, and the wealthy oil man was
assigned as assistant to DR.. LYMAN, the
Jail physician, forthwith.
Jail officials pointed out that ncom-
ing prisoners are detailed to the WORK
nc UonQnrfPC OC-
cur in various details at the jail. "A
plumber goes to that work; carpenter
TO the shops, a clerk or bookkeeper 10
the prison office. There was no vacancy
for a clerk when I was admitted. ..
But when Mr.. Sinclair went TO JAN
it was discovered that he was a pnar-
macist and a pharmacist was just Wnat
the Jail had been wanting. He got tne
Job. My training as clerk put me on
a roof hauling slate.
Sinclair Gets Prison Comforts.
Assigned to the office force" MI
Sinclair drew a bed with real mat
tress, clean sheets, pillow, blankets, IN
big cellroom with about 70 otner prS-
onerS.
But there was, it seemed, vacancy
in still another department. The cnnle
needed an orderly. That was announcer
and was the man Tor the job.
He was made an orderly. with quar-
tiers in the clinic a large cell TO him.
SELF, furnished with a white IRON nos,
pital cot, clean sheets, an enamel stano
and chair. 1t is light and airy.
Mr.. Sinclair just happened to be the
man to fill the vacancy In the clinic
however His predecessor was a coloIeo
prisoner. Anybody, the Jail officials ex'
plain, might be chosen for the job
There was some uncertainty YESTERDAY
about whether the previous orderly nae
been discharged or transferred to othel
duties when Mr.. Sinclair turned up
But the lob was vacant.
Mr.. Sinclair eats his meals with the
"office force" and is served before the
other prisoners are served. The food Is
admittedly superior to food given othel
prisoners.
Mr.. Sinclair gets the New York news
papers every morning. I wonder wha'
would have happened to me If hac
asked to be allowed to subscribe to the