The solitary cell is a sore trial to prisoners under the most favourable circumstances, for, as a rule, men of this sort are gregarious. But its painful monotony and loneliness are doubly hard to the one who is denied the use of the weed, which, from long habit, has become almost essential to his very existence.
No one unacquainted with the use or abuse of the fragrant weed can imagine for a moment the sacrifices its devotees will make to procure it.
Sometimes a warder who deals in the article is “bowled out,” then he gets into trouble—the chances being that he will lose his situation and be sent adrift without a character; but, as a rule, the prisoners who get supplies this way seldom or ever “round” on the warder; but there is this danger of discovery: The prisoner who gets tobacco may, perchance, in a generous moment give a piece to a fellow prisoner, or a mate “smells” it and discovers what he has got.
The secret once so divulged, his mate soon finds out who the “blooming screw” is that “slung the smash”—that is, brought in the much-coveted article. Then the unfortunate warder is likely to come to grief. All goes on smoothly enough till the two mates “chip out,” or the “blooming bloke,” the obliging officer, falls foul of the possessor of the secret, not dreaming that the man knows anything about the contraband trade he has been engaged in.
The prisoner, smarting under some sharp act of discipline on the part of the tobacco-supplier, determines upon having his revenge, and humiliating his janitor, he quietly bides his time till the chief warder or governor comes round, when he asks to speak to him, and “blows the gaff.”
A circumstance of this nature took place with a man who was confined in a cell close to the one occupied by Peace. The man was a moody, contemptible ruffian, and had given some trouble to one of the warders in charge of that portion of the building. When M‘Pherson came round he accused the officer of having conveyed “’bacca” to one or more of the prisoners.
“It is against the rules of the prison to supply tobacco to prisoners,” said M‘Pherson. “Send Mr. Morgan here!”
Mr. Morgan, the accused officer, presented himself.
“How’s this, sir?” said M‘Pherson in an indignant tone. “No. 74 accuses you of supplying tobacco to the prisoners. What have you to say to the charge?”
“It is not true, sir,” Morgan replied.