APPALLING CONDITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 21628, 25 January 1934, Page 8

APPALLING CONDITIONS

HEW YORK PRISON IN THE HANDS OF GANGSTERS Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. NEW YORK, January 24. (Received January 25, at 1.20 p.m.) Officials under the new city administration led detectives in a surprise raid to-day on the municipal -penitentiary, which is located on Welfare Island, in East River. They found almost unbelievable conditions of racketeering, corruption, and vice, with a clique of powerful gangsters virtually governing the institution. The warden and his assistant wardens were immediately relieved of their duties, and the chief assistant was put under “ military arrest.” The 1,600 inmates were rounded up and confined in cells, while a search of the prison revealed stores of narcotics. There was evidence that a large improvised distillery had been in operation, while many gangsters were armed withh bludgeons, knives, and razors. Apparently they had run the prison and lived in luxury at the expense of prisoners without political backing. They kept food and other delicacies in private ice boxes. In the words of one of the raiders the penitentiary was a place of “ corruption, lawlessness, crime, laxity, special privileges, dope, murder, and graft.” The trade in narcotics appeared to be the principal source of income. Gangsters were functioning as a supergovernment over the prison. They were well organised, and were specially designated by the warden as “ hospital assistants,” giving them the privilege of sleeping in the limited hospital space, while legitimate cases of illness were forced to remain in filthy and insanitary cells. They were allowed to keep a private stock of carrier pigeons, bring in drugs, and communicate with associates outside. The morals of the prison were declared to be “ indescribable.” Youths were forced into close association with degenerates, consumptives, and others suffering from communicable diseases.