The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-15
Workers Arrested
On Coast Kept
In Drunk Tanks

Inv AOhCWAA6 ACsN-A ANNAA
worker jailed in the Sacramento
Red raids" was received by a
member Of the Workers Ex-Ser-
vicemen's League in New York
Editors Note.)
City Jail,
Sacramento, Calf.
August 7, 1884.
Dear p;
If you will recall, in my last letter
I told you OF the raids that were
going on in this State and that our
headquarters was most likely to
be raided also. Well, it happened
and here I am. Talk about fascism,
we've got it and it's here. The
comrades here are determined as
hell that its life in this State be as
short as possible.
We were arrested on July 10,
about Is Of us. The damned cops
and the authorities are trying to
make it as tough as possible. We
were thrown into a concrete room.
called the Drunk Tank" which is
about Is K 30, which can decently
accommodate about Is people. In
this room there is a hole in the
wall where one may naturally re-
lieve oneself, one water Spigot and
three wooden platforms. At night
we are compelled to sleep on the
platforms and on the cold concrete
floor.
Not only are we confined to this
tank" but they continually throw
in DRINKS. One Sunday night, there
were exactly 90 men in the tank.
We made certain of this figure.
Some men, they say, can hold their
liquor well and others can't. Those
that couldn't, well, they just vom-
tied over themselves and others.
Other DRINKS were so helplessly
drunk they couldn't walk to the
hole in the wall. Ventilation is very
poor and between odors Of the body
the vomiting matter and urine, I
experienced the worst headache of
my life.
We have only one cup to drink
from. All types of men are here,
such as perverts, syphilitics, etc.
Ones health is always in danger
AS for food, every morning we get
a chunk Of bread with cheap black
coffee. This is without exception.
For our midday meal, we get beans,
bread, tough boiled beef with
either macaroni or rice, and black
coffee. Lest I forget, we also get.
that is once week, beef stew
bread and black coffee. Never do
we receive sugar or milk for our
coffee. We are fed twice day
and the above is our menu.
Naturally we put up a fight
against such terrible conditions, so
they moved ten of us to cells. I
was one of the fortunate ones to
get q cell We stayed there about
ten days. The other comrades
stayed in the tank all this while.
Yesterday we stood trial. The
Judge termed us as high class
vags," therefore it is necessary to
have a special prosecuting ATTORNEY.
costing this city $500 for his fees.
The case is nothing other than a
frame-up charge. We are defend
ing ourselves and are now select
ing the jury. We all are under a
bail of $1,000 on the vag charge.
We are also charged with criminal
syndicalism" and our bail has been
set at $4,000 each. On this mat
ter I will write to you again in
greater detail. AS soon as the trial
ended, we all were led back into
the tank again and here we must
stay, suppose, until the end Of
the trial.
At one time, while in the cell, I
took very sick My left side around
my heart felt very heavy and I
felt a severe dull pain. Comrades
thought I had contracted pleurisy
and was indeed frightened. The
doctor felt my pulse, asked me
what was in for. and then said
"You take this pill. go to sleep.
you'll be OK. in the morning."
still am suffering from something
that I'm ignorant Of.
There Is one thing that is very
gratifying. In all the time that
we have been confined not one
comrade fell down, and our spirits
are high. The comrades realize
that we are in a fight, and we are
determined to fight every inch of
the way until we win. With such
determination and confidence, we've
got to win.