Note 486 — Chapter XXIX · Ruef’s Last Refuge Fails.

To this complaint of cruelty to Ruef, The Fresno Republican made sharp answer: “A visitor,” said The Republican, “smuggled articles to Ruef—nothing more dangerous than sweet chocolate and newspaper clippings, to be sure, but still a covert violation of a necessary rule—so Ruef is deprived of visitors and letters for two months, and the automatic application of a general rule postpones his application for parole for six months. Whereat there is wailing and woe, and the San Francisco Call says that Ruef’s friends regard it as particularly unfortunate that he should be deprived of visitors just at the time when a movement for his parole is going on.

“To all: Let us be sympathetic. Only let us make it general. Ruef shall have his sweet chocolate. But all the other prisoners shall have it too. Ruef shall sneak things into prison, inside his blouse, by bribing the guards. But all the other prisoners shall have all the like privileges, though it is known that some of them would prefer dope, daggers and dynamite to sweet chocolate.”