Part 6 (1/2)

Twenty-one years earlier, and twenty-one miles north of Carville, Annie Ruth and I had been in the saaathered around They were all LSU fans Like all LSU fans, they remeht in 1959 And like all Ole Miss fans, I brought up the 210 revenge Ole Miss took upon the Tigers in the Sugar Bowl to capture the national title

I felt like an insider as I sat around the cafeteria table with a half-dozen leprosy patients We told our stories I was more than an undercover journalist I wasin a new kind of coht have been considered outcasts by ether I was still a bit apprehensive about touching the their finances either

Ella rolled by ”Boy, you always meddlin'” That's what Ella called it when I interviewed people- notes

Ji a book,” he blurted out, even though we had all heard about it repeatedly ”Already got a title King of the Microbes- King of the Microbes- catchy, don't you think?” catchy, don't you think?”

The other patients were looking toward the door behindtoward our table

”Inmate!” he yelled at uard before He wore a different kind of uniform He stood tall in the midst of the wheelchairs and walkers As I walked toward the prison cafeteria, he said under his breath, ”I'onna write you up”

Fro the cafeterias, I listened to him chastise the patients

”You shouldn't talk to inmates,” he said

”You can't tell us what to do,” one of the patients said

”No, I can't,” theyou; these aren't choirboys They're convicts They steal They lie They're dangerous”

”Everybody makes mistakes,” Harry said Harry was shy and usually didn't say ht to be friends, especially after I had not taken his hand

As the guard walked toward the inmate cafeteria, Ella called out, ”They just childrens”

In the office, five guards peppered o to the hole?! You think your little comments on the board are clever, don't you!? How many times have I told you-you can't fraternize with patients! You want to go to the hole?! You think your little comments on the board are clever, don't you!? How many times have I told you-you can't fraternize with patients! The four guards deferred to the new guy One of theuards deferred to the new guy One of them called him ”Lieutenant”

I stood quietly until they ran out of things to say ”May I be candid?” I asked

”hell, no!” one of the guards yelled

The lieutenant sat down behind the desk ”Say what you gotta say”

”The patients talk to me,” I said ”They're nice And old I don't want to be rude I' to be kind” I failed to mention my secret, undercover identity Then I said, ”If you don't want us to fraternize, why did you put us here together?”

The guards exchanged concerned looks

”You won't be together for long,” the lieutenant said

I wanted to ask for an explanation, but if he knew I cared, he wouldn't offer any infor to be removed,” he said ”Relocated”

CHAPTER 20

I was appalled that the Bureau of Prisons would force the leprosy patients to leave their hoood place to serve a prison sentence Though I wasn't able to live at hoht hours together playing, laughing, and telling stories, without the distractions of a television or phone or obligations The weekends when Linda couldn't bring the kids, I had a long list of people willing to make the drive to Carville Mythe room And my father would drop by unexpectedly, just to catch up John Caridad, a priest from Gulfport, spent a Sunday afternoon with me A week later, an Episcopal priest froletarys and the McCrarys, spent an afternoon at the colony, as did Jack Yelnick, o

I was one of the lucky ones Many of the men in Carville, like the leprosy patients before the man froency, said his father accused hi the faain

But I did have a loving family and loyal friends Life on the inside could have been ative journalism My early success with interviews for my prisoners-in-the-leper-colony expose had the sa

When I launched e, I called it the Oxford Times Oxford Times For 105 years, the town had been served by a rather cole It was part of the elite, the establish for underdogs or the disadvantaged In e those in power

Launching a newspaper that practiced real journalis ined I felt the same excitement as Henry Luce when he started Life Life and and Time Time I knew Willia y And I understood the power that ca a media company I kept a copy of H L Mencken's quote tucked away in s to those n the press”

The inaugural editions of the Oxford Tireeted with enthusiasreeted with praise We were the first to report on publicthe powerful in the town, and report the proceedings fro stories, and we reported the fro); the Peeping To research for his romance novel; the town drunk who drove away in an ambulance to expedite his inebriated friend's arrival at the e fun I felt like I was on an important mission to make Oxford a better place to live for all its citizens And the applause was intoxicating were greeted with enthusiasreeted with praise We were the first to report on publicthe powerful in the town, and report the proceedings fro stories, and we reported the fro); the Peeping To research for his romance novel; the town drunk who drove away in an ambulance to expedite his inebriated friend's arrival at the e fun I felt like I was on an important mission to make Oxford a better place to live for all its citizens And the applause was intoxicating

My undercover Carville story got another boost when a new prison librarian started work Patty Burkett, a pretty, red-haired civilian froanized the books in a more traditional ram with the state of Louisiana, and even started a library newsletter for inraduate students to lead a weekly book club I was excited about Patty's arrival and volunteered to help out

She called ain the library On , I heard a raspy voice call out fro breezeways

”Hey,” he said ”Over here”

It was one of the leprosy patients He stood in a diarette floated around his head, and I noticed burn arettes had scarred his numb hands I'd seen him in the cafeteria They called hiray hair, slicked back with hair tonic He wasn't terribly disfigured, but he had trouble with his hands and feet He wore shoes with big Velcro strips and leaned on a walker

He motioned for me to come closer, but I didn't want to breathe in the smoke he had just exhaled He held a small piece of paper in his claw hand A prescription He held it up for me to see

”Ten dollars,” he said

”No, thanks”

”It feels good,” he said in a low conspiratorial voice

I couldn't believe a leprosy patient was trying to sellto do with drugs, and reminded him we inmates were routinely tested for narcotics