Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-07-15
A Heart-ache.


1t was the morning after Thanksgiving Day
and cold and dreary morning for such as were
not prepared to meet it. There were many suffer
ing with hunger, and cold, and poverty, who wept
almost to see the day come again.
As walked down Centre street. just below the
Tombs, wretched sight caught my eye Little
readers in the country, perhaps, do not know what
| mean by the "Tombs." 1t is very large build
ing of granite, where courts and police GERS are
held and where criminals of every kind, old and
young white and black, men and women, boys and
girls, are kept until they released or sent to the
State Prison or Penitentiary. 1t is the City Pri-
son, and is called the Egyptian Tombs," because
it is in the Egyptian style,0 and is indeed, the
tomb Of the soul.
VIII you take walk around the Tombs with
me, young friends?
''Ihis way sir" says the officer, as he turns the
large key, and the heavey bolt flies back with
loud noise. We pass through the door and along
the pavement inside till We come to another door
in large, high building, and step inside. All
along this side, on the right hand and on the other
side, there iron doors, with bars and bolts, and
and to let the keepers see the prisoners.
Now look up at the gallery. Why there are
three galleries, and all up and down these galleries
there cells, and iron doors and heavy bars and
bolts, and locks and in some of them you can see
the prisoners trying to get look at you, and won
dering whether you have come to see them Far
up, over head, is the skylight, and the blue sky,
and sunshine, and white, feecy clouds, are seen
through the windows above you, looking down
into that dismal place.
"WOud you like to see some of the prisoners,
sir?"
YES if yOu can spare time"
"I!ere Is one of them. \ boy brought in here
for stealing He has no father or mother and has
no home. lie lives any how, but it is hardly liv-
ing. lie carries bundles, gathers old iron, or
steals, if he can get chance. He is hard case
"What viii you do with him."
Send him to the house of refuge. Perhaps they
they can do something with him there He can
learn trade, and y-and- by he will be prenticed
out to farmer mechanic if he earns good char
acier. He is 10 60 there tomorrow"
Sowe go through the building, and thanking the
officer, go out again into the street
But such sight There is an officer with four
children before him, and an old man in 'front.' ame
feeble, 'od mani! Said the officer "Hurry up
boys. l don't want to be all day."
Neither did the children, poor things! The lar
gest boy was in miserable rags that hardly hung
around him, bareheaded and bearfooted. The Sc
cond was boy better dressed. The third was lit
tie girl about seven years DID, ragged like the first
boy and without shoes, stockings, or bonnet. The
youngest was 4 little fellow about FIVE years old,
who was "lost."
Lost in New York;" perhaps you say.
ooh, yes a great many children get lost, and
they are taken TO place for lost children, where
their parents and friends go to get them. But
there are thousands who lost, body and SOUL
every year in New York, although we have the
Bible, and Sunday Schools and missionaries, and
teachers. who do all they to save them.
l went along to the Office where they we're all
going and as the suffering children crying with
the cold into the door, saw comfortably dressed
little girl ahou ten years old, sitting on the step,
pul oft pair Of shoes, and new stockings which
had been given her in the office, and us she looked
up at me and laughed, she threw away the half
worn shoes, put the stockings in her pocket; and
ran f on the cold paving stones, barefooted.
Perhaps you want 10 know what that was for.
l suppose she was one Of those children who
have dishonest drunken parents, who know that
they can get such things and they send their chill
den with pitilul stories, get the clothes and food,
and they carry them home, perhaps to be sold for
money, or TO pay for liquor She did it so quick
taat | did not think what she was about, or l
would have stopped her, and taken her back into
tGe Office. All the poor are not so. Oh no; do
not think because there are some dishonest poor
people, that you must not help the poor, lest you
be deceived. Better be deceived sometimes, than
to let deserving poor people suffer.
then went in and asked about the boy and
girl. They were brother and sister Their moth
er is in the Peuitentiary for being drunken and
disorderly woman, and here were her two suffering