The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison #

Introduction. #

An insight to lives of Leavenworth inmates. Rapes, murders, bank robberies, cat lovers.

Memorable quotes and moments. #

Inmates and marriage:

For reasons that no one at Leavenworth quite understood, inmates rarely had trouble finding women willing to correspond or visit them. Surprisingly often, these relationships led to marriage.

Silverstein:

“Can’t,” he replied. “I don’t have any hot water to use to clean it.” The guards said later that they were genuinely shocked. For six months, Silverstein had been taking cold showers because no one had turned on the hot water valve into his cell. The guards claimed that this was an accident.

Little and Bowles:

As Little told Bowles good-bye, the young inmate couldn’t help but notice that the convicted killer, one of the most dangerous inmates in the entire federal system, had tears in his eyes.

William Post:

His only regret about leaving was the cats. “I was outside in the exercise area yesterday and I saw Tiger, and they say cats forget you and don’t miss you, but I saw Tiger and he runs over, so I reached out and petted him and he purred like he was saying, ‘Hey, where you been?’ ” Shortly after he was arrested, Post had sent word to Carl Bowles and asked him to feed the cats. Bowles, who worked in the west yard near the trash dumpster where Post kept his cat supplies, had agreed. “I know Carl will take care of Tiger for me,” Post said. “He’ll be okay. I’m weaning myself from Tiger too now. I have to.”

A short time later, he was ordered to pack his personal belongings. We talked for a final time in the Hole about his life.

“If I could keep only one memory or moment in my life and that was it—all the rest would be erased—I think the one moment that I would keep is the shootout with the police in Glendale. The experience of shooting it out with that cop was absolutely, totally, the most beautiful experience in my life. I’m not crazy. It was beautiful!

The Order and BLA:

Three of the inmates taken to the Hole with Post were members of the Black Liberation Army, a sworn enemy of all whites. But necessity had made the two groups join forces, Thomas said. “They had a common bond. All of the inmates were doing heavy, heavy time, and they all wanted out.”

Norman Bucklew, bank robber:

Bucklew was taken to a cell in the St. Clair County Jail in Belleville, Missouri, but when the jailer started to open the cell door, Bucklew stopped him.

“Hey, you put me in a cell with these four niggers, and you’re gonna find cold bodies tomorrow,” Bucklew said. “I don’t cell with niggers.”
The jailer didn’t know what to do, and neither did the black inmates inside the cell. “I’m telling you, someone’s gonna be killed if I go in there, and it ain’t gonna be me,” Bucklew repeated.
He was taken to a different cell.

“Most whites fuck up right away when they come into prison, because they try to be friendly,” Bucklew said later. “Let’s say a white dude is put in a cell with maybe fifteen niggers. If he says hello or even nods to them, then he’s already doomed. You see, half of them will think he is just being polite and treating them with respect, but the other half will know he is weak and afraid, because they know that a white man isn’t even going to acknowledge them if he’s been in prison before, because whites don’t speak to niggers in prison. These niggers are going to move on that guy as soon as the hack disappears.”

The St. Louis police were able to link Bucklew to five bank robberies. He received the maximum sentence of 125 years.

On Robert L. Matthews, first black ever put in charge of the Hot House:

At the local watering hole for guards, a tiny bar called Benny’s located a few blocks from the Hot House, it was not uncommon to hear racial slurs between sips of beer and during dart games. A white guard would later recall a conversation that took place before Matthews reported to work. “There is nothing wrong with niggers,” one guard said. “In fact, I think everyone should own a few of them!” When the laughing ended, he added, “But work for a nigger warden? Holy shit, what’s the bureau coming to?”

Conclusion. #

Chapter 50 must read.