Laredo Weekly Times

WEBB COUNTY IN LIMELIGHT WITH A HUNGER STRIKE NOW

FIVE FOREIGNERS WANT TO KICK OFF WITH EMPTY TUMMIES.

Have Been Fasting Past Six Days, Though One Violated Fast and Looked Cheerful Thereafter.

While the Webb county jail is not trying to rob the London jail of its prestige since the notorious fast of McSwiney, which proved fatal, nevertheless the Webb county jail has five foreigners confined therein who were taken up by the United States Immigration Service for entering this country in violation of the immigration laws and are being held for deportation, who are trying the 'hunger strike' stunt.

These foreigners, two Italians, two Spaniards and one Polander, are on a hunger strike, and their vows to 'starve to death' rather than be compelled to return to their native lands and be forced to starve there, has been kept inviolate for the past six days by all but one, an Italian, who 'tried a nibble' of food yesterday 'just for his stomach's sake,' and seemed pleased, but even that nibble was not enough to give a canary the gout. The others looked on and deprecated the action of their fellow 'suicider,' but this fellow had acted on the suggestion of a countryman 'that if he was going to starve himself to death to at least have a bit of food in his stomach before he kicked off.'

The jail officials, augmented by the aid of fellow countrymen of the prisoners (which they should not be, but should be held in a detention camp) are trying persuasive means to get them to build up an appetite, improve their digestion and take some food. How successful they will be remains to be seen, but they are being warned that it is an awful thing to go to—heaven—on an empty stomach.