PRISON LETTER

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

(An open letter from an inmates of Walpole Prison. Walpole, Massachusetts, to Robert Eggert, a Crimson reporter.)

Dear Robe:

I'm sorry for such a long delay between the date of our interview and that of this letter. A great deal has happened since then. No doubt you've heard about the prison employees' alleged finding of a gun and their alleged search for a machine gun--BULLSHIT!

How very convenient for them to find a gun at this particular time: I remember when earlier this year these prison guards were pushing for a pay raise when to land behold--you guessed it--two guns were found outside of the prison in the ladies room--they got their pay raise.

If a gun was found it wasn't brought into this prison by any convict. You can believe that.

The prison officials have been releasing many untrue news reports regarding the situation in this prison. They desperately want to retain the public's support. Warden Moore claims that we were forced into our cages on the afternoon of November 5th. That's a goddamn lie. We began a work strike at 8 A.M. that morning and we returned to our cages as we normally do for the noon count--we've been confined to these cages since that day but this was our decision. Moore claims that he had us confined due to sabotage and the alleged finding of a gun, also, he now raves about the possibility of a machine gun. He neglected to mention the fact that his deputy (Bitterworth), immediately after I had had an interview with Charles Laquadera--WBCN Radio--on November 2, in the presence of the deputy commissioner Higgins and prisoners George Nassar and Bob Dellelo, threatened me with the following statement: "Nolan, if WBCN says anything detrimental about the administration. I will issue a press release in the morning mentioning reports of a gun and a machine gun." Dig that!

When the grievance committee met with Warden Moore on the eve of this present work strike and requested that he make some meaningful changes, other than just cereal at supper, and warned him of possible trouble if he insisted in refusing to comply with some of our 140-odd grievances--he replied by stating: "The battle lines have been drawn, I'm the captain of this ship. I'll go down with my ship." We prisoners have abandoned the ship! Moore is not keeping us confined to our cages: we refuse to come out!

I'm writing this letter from 10 block segregation. I was placed here early Sunday morning. The charges against me are completely untrue. I'm neither surprised nor discouraged. I welcome their attempts to intimidate and harass me--it can't be done. God how these people hate me: I went before the discipline board (the human meat grinder) and requested my rights as a citizen of the U.S.. I requested very basic rights such as: a copy of the charges--No! The right to be represented by my attorney--No! A postponement of the hearing until I could at least discuss the charges with my attorney--No! Could I hear the investigation report--No! Could I call witnesses in my defense--No! Need I go further? I was sentenced to indefinite segregation (a year or more of 24 hour confinement in this cage), and an unspecified amount of time in the hole with a loss of an unspecified amount of good time, My crime? My law suits! I was just released from segregation 3 months ago after serving 7 months of total confinement--my crime? The same, I can take a joke so I'll survive this as I have in the past. One thing thought, I've lost all contact with my friends--I don't receive visits or personal mail: I'd like very much to acquire a female pen pal--could you put a small ad in your paper regarding this? I'd certainly appreciate it. It's been a few years since I have enjoyed a letter or visit, all of my correspondence consists of business letters. My family visits once or twice a year, they write just about as often. During my last 7 months of segregation I received no visits and very few letters. I don't know anyone out there and I'm lonely as hell. I'm doing 7-15 for unarmed robbery. I have a little over 3 years in, I'm 32--say 28.

If you can do that, submit an ad--fine; if not--I understand. I feel a little dumb about this request but what the hell. If anyone did write they'd have to send their first few letters registered or I won't receive them. These people are terrible when it comes to our mail. Did you send me a copy of that article? It so. I haven't received it. Of course you have my permission to do whatever you like with the contents of this letter.

Please drop me a line and let me know that you received this letter. Peace.

Will you please check the two holes in the flap of the envelope, if they open this letter (they always do) they can't possibly realign those holes. Dan Nolan