The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-07-15
NO. 2S9.

| by any means get away from the building, he
would be- known and seized by the first honest
man who should see him Those who were
not bare-headed wore little caps of brown
| paper on their heads Some were brading or
| plating the PUSHES and canes for the seat Of a
chair some were fitting together the frame, or
turning the rounds out by the lathe Going
into another room We found another set paint
| my the chairs which their companions had fin
ished They had done their work finely but
as we praised it, not one of them looked mp. or
| made the least sign 10 any Of his fellows. IL
Was prohibited by the rules. thought 10 my
SELF If so many children instead of grown men
were shut up together for six hours. fancy we
should see some whispering and turning Of
heads rule or no rule What say. children
Next, we went into the shoemakers shop.
Here we found all kinds of shoes and boots,
from the fairy baby-shOe and the little satin
brlde-slipper, to the heavy cowhide boot In
this room the faces Of the workers were not all
turned away from us and we could study the
different expressions of countenance. Some
looked stupid and unconcerned others evident
| ly felt ashamed To have the eye of a stranger
| rest IA single moment upon them in that place
| One-a young negrO--seemed to have a sort of
delight and pride IA showing how nimbly and
neatly he could turn of hls work. lie did not
dare to look up but he was very plainly trying
to show off
BY this time we had passed nearly around
the court. We came to the last shop-the ma
chime shop. Whizz whizz! went the wheels
little and great as We stepped over the thresh
old The room was filed with smoke and
sparks, and the workmen looked grim enough
in the lurid light 0l the furnaces. There was
glass case before rs, containing specimens of
their workmanship Many little fellow of
/
II sXpence' for II good look ut the host OF
jack knives!
There was a brightiaced boy in this room,
who, from his looks could not have been much
over twelve years of age. We asked the guide
| for what crime he had been sent there. " For
setting fire 10 "A house was his reply All poor
boy he probably little thought when he slyly
| put the brand under the house either in mischie-
vousness or revenge Tor some supposed l-treat-
> ment that he should 80 soon be found out and
Gagged in the State prison lie will not be there
many years but when he goes out, aud min
giles with the free world again he can never
make people forget that he has been a eonvid.
The disgrace will cling to him like IA stain. IL
he conducts himself we'll for number Of years,
lac will be considered respectable man by his
neighbors and acquaintance; perhaps dearly
loved by his friends. But he will always wish
to shrink from the eye OF Il strangor-will al
ways feel ~ though he still carried something
| of those parti-coored clothes about him, and
would at once be known rs II prisoner. Oh,
BOYS! be careful of the beginnings OF revenge
and lawessness. They lead to a sad end
In cells cut in the wall, near this place, were
confined two men, whose wicked passions had
made them insane, and who were too violent
| TO be trusted out OF chains One of them had
/ murdered his own beautiful little boy No
/ wonder if he had the least consciousness of
! what he had done, that he kept raying and
|. shrieking so necessarily
We now went into the kitchen, where they
> had Just finished cooking the prisoners dinner,
and were dishing it out into large tin cups. Ii
was kind of thick pudding, with piece of
bread added to each dish-full. A man walked
along the row of cells, and tossed onions into
number ofahem, to serve as seasoning.
The guide here told us that the great dinner
! bell was going to ring, and We must 60 back
:, | into the warden's Office. We asked whether
: | we could not zee the prisoners march IN. oh
; | yes" said he, "you can look through tho win
- dow
!, Now this said window had Just four panes
- of glass and when we went into the room,
:. we found it nearly filled by men, women, and
., children, more than twenty of them. We cast
- longing looks back toward the great hall from
20 which we came, knowing that We should see
:, nothing from that crowded room. We asked
a. permission to stay in the hall. The guide hest
% tated "The gentlemen may stay, he replied,
y "but cant let the ladies'
Not very gallant this seemed, certainly. But
II, we soon found that it was intended for our best
- ! good as, on n former occasion, the prisoners
q had taken advantage Of the presence of ladies
a in that place TO rush upon their officers, and
| endanger their lives
!, As soon rs the bell rang, there was rush
: 10 the little window. Twenty-Five heads some
!, with bonnets, some without pushed, jostled, aud
crowded each other most sellishly and uncere-
= moni0usly Those Of nv who would neither
push nor jostle, were obliged to turn away I'M
satisfied, and sit down, TO wait for our compan-
4 ions.
r The gentlemen came in presently, quite
amused by what they had seen The prisoners,
rs they reported 10 us, came in in separate
divisions of twelve each if rightly remem-
Der Each division was headed by one Of the
prisoners, promoted to that Office for correct
behaviour, who stamped hard with his heavy
soled shoes, in walking to keep step for the
small gang behind him. IL seems that tho
| negro whom we had seen was Mt the head OF
one division He threw back his head, lifted
his feet yard from the stones, in order to
stamp the harder, and looked so much like a
proud officer mt the head Of q band of infan-
try. that one could not keep from laughing
Each gang marched along to the end OF the
hall. where Its dishes Of dinner were turned
out by n revolving wheel. and then each pris-
oner went TO his own cell, and was locked in
by tho warden, to eat his dinner in solitude
We had seen all that could be seen, and pm
pared 10 leave Before going we inquired what
was the most common offence which had sent
mon there Theft" was the answer VIII
every child who reads this, remember this an
swer, and think, whenever tempted to lay
hands ON the mercst trihe which IL not his or
her own, This isopcning tho gate of the State
| prison. perhaps for me y For every man who
steals hundred dollars worth, stole cents
worth when he was boy; depend upon that
"Oh, what Il place to fancy brother in
said, M we looked up At the strong walls while
gliding swiftly away from them. Yet every
one Of those men has probably been nome ones
brother--ccrtainly he has been some ones son.
He was once little innocent baby and his
mother loved him, as your mother loves her
youngest darling. lie was little guiltless
boy and companions tempted him TO lie, or
steal, or swear or 10 some wickedness of that
kind lie thought nobody would find him out
aud he did the wrong thing lie forgot that
God was always looking upon him so he went
on, and there he il now, in his stone cell in
the State prison.
AFFECTING INSTANCE or ATTACHMENT IN A
DoG.-A little girl, the only and well beloved
child Of her parents. died few weeks since,
aud was inferred in the private family burying-
ground. A largo Newfoundland dog the pr-
yate companion and playmate OF the child, was