Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
DUNGEON FOUND
AT FIRST PRECINCT
Prisoners "Water Cure"
Charge Leads to Find
by U. S. Agents.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
Of the precinct of brandishing a large
club over his head, declared he was
led down a fight of steps to a cellar,
in a dark portion Of which the police
man halted him in front of a heavily
barred door.
Prisoner Views Cell.
A light was flashed on and the
prisoner was told to take look inside
the door. He saw small cell, totally
without windows and laden with nuSty
dirt. Cockroaches scampered across the
floor and on the walls
The frightened colored man was told
grufdy that he would be thrown into
the cell, and that water would be turned
into 1t, unless he decided TO come
clean" according to the story of the
witness.
Federal Investigators are said to have
been inclined at first to disbelieve the
mans tale. but. as routine duty. went
to the station house for an examination
Of the basement.
The agents made a personal search
and found the dungeon, just as the
prisoner had described. 1t was dusty
and there was no evidence that it had
been used recently Government photog-
4dp1lSLS COOh d Oh plCGuI eS vi
the cell for use es evidence"
The policeman named by the former
prisoner as attempting to intimidate
him with threats of water cure" in
the dungeon is understood to have de-
MED the whole story when first Ques-
toned but to have admitted later he
had taken the prisoner downstairs just
TO show him" the old cell.
"CIub" Found AT Station.
The club" to which the witness re-
fe-red was found at the station house
and exhibited to the grand jury. 1t
was a large ieather-covered piece CT
wood, greater in thickness at one end
than at the other, and having cell
key attached to the tapered end. The
club" ostensibly is designed to make
the key so conspicuous that it cannot
be used without attracting attention.
There are said to be several such key
holders" at the station house.
Evidence and testimony regarding
the dungeon are expected to be offered
by the Government when five indicted
policemen of the first precinct are
brought into court for trial. The grand
jury also may make use Of the facts
in preparing a possible report to the
court on the exvcnt OF third-degree
abuses In Washington.
Inspector Stoll said last night that
the last time he heard of one of the
dungeons" being used to conflne a
prisoner was some 10 or is years ago
when he himself had screaming COL
ored man locked up after the mans
cries had echoed through the station
house for hours and the neighborhood
residents had begun to telephone COM
plants. The man, he said. was not
k~,,k Id,
soon quieted down when locked in the
basement where his noise annoyed no
one.
The dungeon" at No. l precinct,
low-ceilinged cubicle room of about II
feet square, was being used last night
as a store room for WhitewaSh lime
barrels Unlighted and windowless,
there was no evidence of recent occu-
patton by prisoners. The iron-barred
door was rusty and swung on rusty
hinges. There were no reaches in sight,
although Inspector Stoll said there were
probably some of the insects in the old
basement.
The officer in charge Of the precinct
last night, Lieut.. H. W. Lineberg, de-
clared he had never heard of a prisoner
being locked up in the dungeon" since
he was assigned there last July.
Stoll said the dungeons" were built
into the station houses before he came
on the force some two-score years ago
The one of No. precinct, he added, was
used as a storehouse for confiscated
liquor, while he was assigned to duty
there. having a strong lock and being
conveniently situated for filling or
emptying by the enforcement officers.
Stoll said there were no dungeons"
in Nos. IS and IA precincts, which were
built in recent years, after the dun
geons" had fallen into disuse, and that
he did not think No. IL precinct had
basement cell. All the other precincts
have them, he said.
It was possible, continued the police
men, for some Of the younger members
Of the. force to be ignorant of the ex-
istence Of the cells.