The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-01
BY A FELLOW PRISONER

own AttcHoAnbS IN jail
BY A FELLOW PRISONER
Copyright. 1880. by NEA Service, Inc)
THE one great source of squawks
Il in jail is the food. This IS true
in every Jail; especially true in the
District Of Columbia Jail.
don't know what the money al
lowance per meal per person is.
Obviously, it isn't enough. I'm not
criticising the Jail officials. Probably
with the money available, and with
prison help in the kitchen, things
couldn't be improved.
But I do know that whereas Har-
ry Sinclair left the jail in better
health than when he came in, the
average prisoner had mighty slim
chance of doing the same thing. A
man simply can't thrive on the kind
Of food that we gothic food that
Sinclair didn't get.
There was enough Of 1t. It was
the quality that was at fault. There
was so much food served that five
minutes after mealtime the dining
room was always madhOuSe from
the noise of prisoners beating their
tin messkits against the garbage
pals to empty out their uneaten
food.
EOR breakfast we would get
n baked potatoes and gravy,
bread and coffee; or some cereal
oatmeal on some days, cornfakes
on another, and so on-bread and
coffee. The milk on the cereal, by
the way, was always of the Sub
stitute" variety
For dinner there would be lima
beans, bacon, bread and water; or
kidney beans, bread and water; or
navy beans, bread and water; or
kidney stew, bread and water; or
turnips, bread and water. 1 don't
mean we had our choice of these
dishes. 1t would be one thing one
day, another the rext.
For supper there would be, prob
ably, dried peaches or apples or
prunes and bread and tea.
The Jail cOmmissary was open to
prisoners if they had any money.
The things you could buy there
were limited to sardines, chocolate
bars, smokes, etc. The idea in
limiting the list so strictly, of
course, is to let prisoners know they
are being punished.
Prisoners friends or relatives
outside are not allowed to send food
into the Jail for them. If such food
is sent it is refused at the Jail
office. Money to buy food from the
commisSary may be sent in, and is
given to the prisoner in SIS amounts.
This is strict Jail regulation.
So you can see that the ordinary
prisoner. even if he had money.
could not add very greatly to the
highly limited Jail menu.
DUT Harry Sinclair rarely, II ever,
- ate the Jail food. He had his
food brought in from the outside.
If-as often happened-his appe-
tite was fC roast squads on toast,
or fresh berries with cream, he got
those things. whether they were in
season or not. 1t goes without say
ing, Of course, that he paid for
them, and also paid those who got
them and served them.
There was a Negro prisoner who
earned the nickname of Salad Man
because of his services to Sinclair.
This man had been a railroad
dining car waiter, and ne knew
something about the art of serving
food.
Sinclair was strong for salads,
and that was this boys long suit.
So he made them for him, in album
dance, with materials that Sinclair
had sent in from the outside.
Despite the rule about receiving
gifts of food from the outside, Sin
clair got many boxes OF delicacies
from his friends. One friend, in
particular, in New York state, was
very faithful, sending him a box
every week loaded with good things.
And these boxes were never turned
back at the jail Office.
IRON what I have said, you
Il might suppose that Sinclair
would have been vastly unpopular
with the rest of the prisoners.
There was a good deal of resent
ment over the special treatment that
was given him, naturally; and
often. when the prisoners sat down
to a particularly unattractive meal
one of them would remark causti-
cally, II wonder how Sinclair would
like thisl" But on the whole, the
jail inmates liked Sinclair well
enough.
When Sinclair first came in he
made studied effort to adapt him
self to his new surroundings and
develop cordial relations.
Doing al OinCe HldIl, Ol course, ne
was not much thrown with his fell
low prisoners. especially after he got
that private bedroom: so he concen-
trated on the guards, handing out
good cigars for the slightest favors.
In return he was treated with def
erence and respect. and one who did
not know the circumstances would
have been led to believe that he
was only visitor-anything but a
prisoner.
NEXT: Visitors, mail and special
services.