The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-13
Ice-P acks Help Kill
PneumOnia' Victim
On Welfare Island
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE,
laughing and his eyes just stared"
Saw Dying Negro

Laughing ana MS eyes Just stared.
Saw Dying Negro
Smitty called on him again few
days later, he states in his affidavit
Knowles still "had on his head the
same ice-pack. He looked at me but
didn't say nothing"
With Smitty visiting the dying Ne
gro was Benny Jackson of 206 w
128th ST., who corroborates Smitty'a
affidavit about the ice-pack on the
patient dying of pneumonia" Jack
son tells how the doctor came in
II asked him (the DOCTOR whether
he will recover and he said, Well
we're doing all we cam And SO !
asked him what the diagnosis was
and he said. we amt handing out
any information
Smitty's Affidavit
"City of New York,
County of New York,
estate of New York, SIS.
''Wilfred Smitty, being duly sworn,
deposes and says:
"That I reside at 2O6 West 18th st.,
in the Borough of Manhattan, City of
New York.
'"That knew George Knowles, de-
ceased, during his entire lifetime and
was fully familiar with his health and
habits and family relations. That
George Knowles got into some trouble
with the police and was sent away
to prison for so days on our about
May Is, 1882. About aSweek later, the
officer on the beat at 129th st. and
Lenox Ave. informed me that George
Knowles, also known as Peacock
was very sick and that any of his
friends who wished to visit him may
go to Welfare Island. On the very
same day, Benny Jackson and I went
to see him. We got to the entrance
of the island, the keeper searched me
and took out everything from my
pockets and told me to sign book
walked through the gate which
was opened up by the keeper and
passed a lot of beds which were
crowded so close to each other that
there was no space between them.
Then I saw Peacock, he wasn't lying
down, nor was he sitting up. He was
sort of propped up by pillow and on
his head was an ice-pack. I looked
at him and he sort of laughed in a
funny way. So says to him. What's
a-matter, boy?' and he didn't answer
me, but stopped laughing and his
eyes just stared. There was man
IN a bathrobe standing alongside the
bed who said to me, They don't feed
'em around here and if he asks for
eats they punish him. All they gave
him is Just little bit of orange
juice Then Peacock asked for some
water and I was about to give it to
him, when another man came over
and says, Don't give him no water
when I saw him again couple
of days later, he had on his head the
same ice-pack He looked at me, but
didn't say nothing.
"All the time I knew George
Knowles to the very day that he went
to court, he was in good health and
in fine condition. And to my knowl-
edge he never was sick one day. AL
ways full of pep and strong as an OK.
He was about feet 7, and weighed
about 165 pounds, and his sudden
death after being two weeks in Jail
is something l can't figure out.
"a week after the first time Wis
tied him, I was informed that he was
dead. and so I made a collection
from all his friends and buried him
decently.
"(SigneO Wilfred Smitty.
Sworn to before me this 30th day |
of August, 1888
James P. Collins, Notary Public,
New York County.
IN. Y. Co. Clk's. No. 100.
Term Expires March 80, 1884"