Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-20
BY IVAN II. PETERMAN.

North American Newspaper Alliance.
PHILADEL PrIIA, May c0.-Al Capone
has Just spent the dullest Sunday OF
his life. About the only thing the
sang chieitain could say for it was
confdet TO cellmate:
We'll. Jail life sure is different. ch?''
For the first time in 30 years of an
exciting life. Capone. reputei "rajah Of
the rackets" and lord OF Chicago's West
Side underworld, is living the regulation
life of a prisoner. He incurred that
life by wearing a .33-csliber automatic
to one of Phila deipllia's moving picture
theaters last Friday night. Detectives
grabbed him, and Is hours later the
man who is alleged to have bribed,
bullied and shot his way to the top of
the underworld was starting year
prison sentence for the offensc.
It was all new. all strange, all rathe.
shocking to Capone. He has made mil
lions of dollars running beer and gun
men, and he has been accustomed to
luxury. The story of his first week end
IN Jail. as related by William H. Heston,
superintendent Of the Philadelphia
County Prison, was. therefore. a tale of
dictator reduced to the ranks.
"Capone was transferred to the
Holmesburg branch Saturday noon -
ride accorded ether prisoners. There
were no heavily armed guards nor was
he taken in a special car. He rode with
IL other convicts in an ordinary Black
Maria wagon with three guards keep
ing watch"
Hcstcn Not Impressed by Pair.
Supt. Heston has been handling
prisoners for Philadelphia County SO
years. IL of them in his present capacity.
Somehow the "deadliness' Of Capone
Cline. alias Slippery Frank Rio," who
was sentenced with him on the same
charge. has not impressed Mr.. Heston.
We've had tougher ones. Plenty Of
them" he said. "A good many did
their own killings. Some continued to
be tough after reaching here. Why.
gangland in this town was betting even
money the condemned Olney Bank
bandits would never leave Philadelphia
for Rockview and the chair" he added,
recalling the fate of Philadelphia
notorious quartet who killed police
man trying to prevent their hold-up OF
a bank in broad daylight.
They were bad. Just before we took
them to the Western penitentiary I
decided a cipher message In which
plans we're revealed to dynamite the
train. We left three days ahead of
time and everybody now knows the
rest. Yes. we've had tough customers
before Al Capone and Cline checked in
here"
Both men are rather big. Capone, in
the popular imagination, has usually
been pictured as small. Suot. Hcston
placed his weight between IT'S and 1870.
with Cline q 200 FOUNDER, tall and
beetling.
That Cline fellow looked as if he
was cut out for his job, all right. He q
kill q man without batting an eye,
went on the superintendent.
Saturday found Capone and Cline
going through the Bertillion procedure
for prison records. They then were
put in quarantine for 10 days. This is
to prevent spread of any communicable
diseases prisoners may have. AS re:
suit, Scarface and his companion missed
church yesterday.
Holuesbure PRISON, situated at The
extreme northeast corner OF Philadel-
pilia. was built to accommodate the
overflow from Moyamensing, ths city's
Oldest Jail. situated in the thickly pop
u,ated southern side of the town. Be-
cause of the lack of space, with 1000
prisoners crowded into its concrete
dusouts. and the alleged rlisrule OF
certain officials, Holmesbueg last Win
+er was the scene of serious riots, hum
,lreos of prisoners burning bedding.
breaking cells and causing such an up
rising that a new regime was brought
in. At best the place is overcrowded.
Certainly it falls far snort Of what
might be considered a retreat"
"Loafing" Is Only Prospect.
At Holmesburg there IS work for only
$50 men. The other 1850 do short
shifts at housework, brass polishing or
repairing. Two new wings to the prison
on which work starts today call for
outside labor only.
Unless Capone and Cline qualify AS
expert mechanics and can take hold in
che Of the shops, they'll just have to
leaf around all Summer, reading or
sleeping" said Supt. Heston.
The prison has a circulating library
of good books. Magazines, If received
from the publisher, are admitted. Let
ters. duly censored. are allowed without
limit but each prisoner is permitted
TO dispatch only two each month
| Theirs also are censored. Ono visitor a
mSnth is the rule, and it may be a
relative or designated friend. Converse
| ton to the prisoner is through wire
F., screen. And thorough search of callers
| Tor weapons. drugs or messages Is MADE
| Such was the layout to which Capone
| evoke yesterday. He arose shortly be-
fore o'clock and dressed in his Sun
| day best" 1t was a remote sartoria
cry from the nifty costume of pin.
! stripe suit, with tie to match. soft shirt
| and collar, gray hat and modish tor
| coat which he discarded.
AS he stepped into the prison sock,
| and coarse underwear. Capone smiled
bit grimlv. Among a ganster's weak.
nes3es is silk underwear. He pulled or
the gray. prlson-veave trousers witt
black stripe down the sides and donncc