Penalty of Crossing Border

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 136, 11 June 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

Penalty of Crossing Border

By An Offender

HOPING to beat the regulations for entrance into the United States, and certain of finding a job in San Francisco if I could reach there, I left Vancouver southbound or> American Thanksgiving Day, 1935. I succeeded in crossing the line by the railway tracks and then moved over to the highway in the direction of Bellinj;ham. Washington. I had not gone more than a few miles •when a car stopped me. It contained two border patrolmen. After a few questions and a search of my personal belongings I was returned to a customshouse and lodged in a. cell. In the morning I was questioned fully, and having had a similar experience before, told them only the truth. My words were taken down in shorthand. That same day I was taken by ear to Bellingham, lodged in the comity gaol, and the following morning again by car taken on to Seattle. This time I wae taken, to the immigration station there. It was full almost to capacity with Canadians, all there for the same reason. Some were in overalls, many had means —in fact all just a little bewildered and wondering what was to happen. Can Retract A Statement Here one is given another hearing, and if in the previous statement taken at the time of arrest one has told any untruths, one can at this time retract it without any ill consequences. In my own case I had had trouble with the-immigration previously in 1929, at that time only being given a warning. So after seven days I was taken before the United States Commissioner at the Post Office Building, batt set at 500 dollars and taken to King County gaol and lodged in the Federal tank to await indictment by the Federal grand jury. It was then December 6, 1935, and I remained in that tank until February 7, 1336, at which time I was taken to trial before Federal Judge John C. Bowan and sentenced to 15 months in the Federal Penitentiary at. McNeil Island. Of the time spent awaiting indictment and trial much can be said. It yet all eeems like a hideous nightmare. The tank is a fairly large place completely done in steel, steel benches, table, walls, ceiling, floor and bitter cold most of the time. There were only about 12 men besides myself at the time, but before long there were about 30. Some were immigration caees, others bootleggers, car thieves, impersonating officers and, last but not least, drug addicte.

Of the latter I can only say it te an experience one can never forget, being shut up for about 14 hours each day with men craving drugs, sometimes getting it sent in, other times just •raving it. To say the experience nearly drives one crazy ie very mild. Two meale a day were eent in and neither eatable. Those who had money could draw one dollar a day and each night were able to buy food, candy and tobacco, and each man shared what he had with the rest. One Canadian spent months in the same tank, and how he came out sane is more than I can understand. Finally the day came for trial. We were all taken handcuffed in paire to Court. There were three immigration cases that morning, and we all received the eame sentence —15 months and fined 500 dollars, the fine being dropped a few days later. I started on my laet ride, the prison. It seemed funny in a way going to prison, getting a number instead of a name, and yet no crime against a person had been committed. Oh, yes, it's true I'd done wrong. I was some place I had no business to be, yet it was hard for me, at any rate, to eee that as a crime. We arrived at the penitentiary in the late afternoon. One goes by boat from the mainland to the island. My first glimpse was of a rather nice-looking building, which I later found to be the administration building. I was taken

around the side of thia to what k called the "fish pond." You see, all new inmates are called "fish" for the first 30 days by the other inmate*. In the fish pond we changed from civilian clothing to prkon garb. Thie consisted oi a suit of underclothes, shirt and pants, and a coat of a heavy blue material. In my case it was a poor fit and I felt and no doubt looked ridiculous. HoTe I was also given a bath, looked over by the doctor and photoe taken both front and (tide view, and also given my number. It ie on the front of each troueer leg and the back of the coat. So no matter who or what I was before I was just a convict by the time this wae over. As it was after the regular meal hour we were taken to the kitchen for our meal and, after King County gaol it was a banquet. Then I was taken to my cell, first being given sheets, blankets, a corncob pipe, tobacco and matches, a book of rules and regulations. The cell house where I spent my time was a huge affair of concrete, eteel and bars, the cell houses in tiers placed in the centre. For 30 days I was kept in isolation, all new men in the same tier. Most of that time wae taken up in interviews, doctors' examinations and •so on. They were bent on finding out all they could about, me—good or bad. Aβ I was bewildered and perhaps a little scared of what was to come I finally went to sleep, and it eeemed only too short wnen I heard the rising bell in the morning. It was Saturday, and ae that is the morning all new men go to the hospital without breakfast we waited until the hospital line was called. When our turn came we were inoculated, given blood test, vaccinated <tnd taken back to cells and the remainder of the morning wae spent waiting.

Lunch time finally came, and when it came time for the tier I was on, we went out single file and down to the dining room. It's only natural all new men are gaped at, and in the "fish clothes" easy to recogniee. takes a tray, silver, and goes on the line, cafeteria style, and one can have all one wishes to eat, more being served after one ie seated. All men face one way in the dining rooms in rows of eight. One can talk if necessary but not to make unnecessary noise. At this time it might be well to point out that meale consisted of good, wholesome food, properly cooked and served and prepared under a dietitian so that at no time had I any complaint to offer in thie direction whatever. Saturday afternoon was bath day. We put on dressing gown in cell, take soiled clothing, go to basement where we get clean clothing, bathe, return to cell to do as we pleased until dinner time, after which the radio oomes on and lights out about 9.15. So ended my firet day as a convict. Sunday, the second day, started as the first except that directly after breakfast we went to the theatre. This wae really quite a grand place, and all the latest talking pictures are shown as long as they do not deal with crime of any sort. After lunch on Sunday we could go to church if we so desired, and it also was visitors , day. You see, Sunday varies during the summer months as does Saturday. On Saturday, during the summer, one bathes and changes in the morning, and in the afternoons a ball game between the eonvicte and outside teeme is played. On Sunday, during thie time, one hae the show in the morning and the yard in the afternoon. The yard on Sunday afternoon is, I think. the one privilege looked forward to by

most of the men. At this time all men. except those who have lost this privilege, can go to the yard ami talk, walk. eit down and converse as they please. As I said before, the first 30 days were "fish days," and we did not go to the yard in that time, nor receive visitor?. but did see the shows and church if we cared to attend. Pcrljape I've missed many a point in tellinp of my first 30 days, but when they wero over we simply discarded the '"lish clothes" for a set of blue overalls— pants and jumper (still numbered) — and wero then assigned to some regular work which included many ami varied types of work; for remember tliie wae really u small city of its own. The. first work I was given to do was in the salvage yard cleaning bricks, and later a piece of road around a tower. Later on I was assigned to the machine *hop in charge of the toolroom. Here I pave out files, drills, etc. t-> the men, keeping a dnily record and I:ad to make cure each thing wae returned at night. It was pleasant work, easy, clean. The shop itself was run by a civilian who was nice to work for, and the men did some really fine work, taking, for the most part, a keen interest in their ta*ks. One did not have to work hard at any time, yet we were kept busy. I remained at thie work until the time of my release. Met Many Types Of Prisoners In all I spent nine months at this prison, and it was an education in itself. I met murderers, counterfeiters, thieves of all sorts, men doing life for rape, bank managers, lawyers, doctors, dentists, in fact men from all walks of life. To some it meant the making of better men on their release, to others it only meant learning new ways and means of beating the law. One can learn any form of crime one might onre to think about. Xo lack of teacher* are to be found. I'm thankful my mind did not turn in that direction. Many men are only in prison once, and learn their lesson while others keep on going back or on to another "joint," as they call it. I had an opportunity one day of working with and talking to an internationally known kidnapper. Strange, perha[«, but he impressed me ae a meek sort of man. Quiet spoken, well-man-nered and not at all the type one gathers him to be from all the articles that have been written about him. Four or five nights each week we could go to school and learn any subject we desired. To many this wae a great blessing, ae it took up eo much of that time one had to put in. I took a course of show-card writing and whiled many a long hour away. The prison maintained a marvellous library, books on any subject being available, all the better class literature as well ae fiction and magazines. While I was there electric "stoolpigcone" were installed, and they are quite an invention. The men pas*.

through single file, and if any eteel should be hidden in their clothing at lights a light on top. So keen is it eet that snuff cans, sometime* eye glasses, bolt buckiee and eo on light the light. This meane the man steps out of line and ie searched. Should he be emuggling anything in it would mean punishment of some sort, vet I do not recall this ever happening. While on the subject of mechanical stool-pigeons it might be well to mention those in tbe flesh. It can truthfully be said that it's not the rule* and regulations one must obey, nor the guards, nor any of those things that go to make one be on the watch continually, but the human stool-pigeon. of which there are many, each one trying to get something on another. I found the beet plan was to keep t<s one's self ae much ae possible and thus avoid trouble. Shows, school, jard and all the pleasurer; one has are counted as privilege*, and ohnuld ouo disobey rules these can ho taken away. Also there ie the "hole" for bad eases, awl that means bread, water and darkness. Xot many men go to the "hole" as a rule, yet always the odd one. On Punishments And Privileges Another form of punishment Is called the "screen;" here one gets one's meals but hae no tobacco, reading material or mail, and nothing to do but eit and think, and that is hard to do after a time, I can imagine. If a person hae money he is allowed to spend up to 10 dollars a month, for which he can buy cigarettes, candy, razor blades, magazine*, etc., one day each week. Thoee who work in offices get shaved twice a week at the barber shop, outside crewe once a week, hair cuts every month, and at no time is one's hair cut off unless they desire it themselves. Also one has his own razor in the cell and can ehave ae often as he pleeeee. Most men kept themselves tidy, and this was encouraged. An orchestra is composed of convicts which plays during Sunday dinner and at the ball games, aleo at times shows are put on in the theatre by the men. | some of which were excellent, many ' talented men being there. j One was permitted to write two letter* each week and could correspond with five people. Naturally all letters are, censored. Visitors were received each Sunday. No hand-shaking or kissing is permitted. I wae finally paroled in November. 1936, given an outfit of clothing, again taken to the immigration station in Seattle and deported to Canada on the night boat. Some people reading this may think prison life ie not so bad. Yet just let anyone spend even the short time I did there and it will geem like a life-term. To take away one's name, and in ite place put a number is something not many of us deeire. Fm eure I did not. Young men like myeelf think the United States has eo much more to offer us, which, perhaps, is true. Yet all I can say is that unless one can do so legally, it'e eo much more desirable to stay at home where you belong despite its unemployment. For once one gets a number it's very rarely taken away. I hope this article may etop someone from doing ae I did, for it is being told with that in mind.