The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-07-02
THE DAILY GAZETTE.
THE FIRST STATE PRISONER.
BY GRANT THORBURN

a s- By GBASI TnOhbUkN
landed in New York; June 1874,
by trade rough nailmaker, in the
s2nd year of my age. In October
following, | went up to the Park to
see q man hung, (the Park was out
Of town, and only go, 900 inhabitants).
With ten thousand fools, some bigger
and some smaller than myself, we all
stood watching the vibrations Of the
Irope and iron hook, during two long
hours. Then the Sheriff stood on the
seaffold and read a reprieve. con-
fess ! was very much disappointed, as
III expected to see hanging, bat no
hanging was there.
The man was Noah Gardner. He
kept a large shoe store in New York.
He committed forgery, which, at that
ttime, was death by the laws Of these
] United States. The State prison in
New York was being built at this
time: this was the first prison ever
erected in the world for reform, in.
stead of hanging. The Society Of
Friends were the chief promoters Of
this humane system. One room in
the prison was ready to receive pris-
oners. The Friends procured from
| the Governor commutation from
death to the State Prison for life.
| Being a shoemaker by trade, they
gave him stool, wax, lasts and avis
and here commenced the State Prison
shoe mandatory. Next court, six
vagabonds were sent to keep him COM
pany. and them he learned to make
shoes. | visited the prison three
years after this In one large room
sat three hundred shoemakers.
Noah was provost marshal, walk
ing through the ranks with cane in
hand, Furnishing evil doers and prais-
ing them that did well. Seven years
have passed over him, the Friends
waited on the governor. Friend"
said they, ''seven years ago You would
have hung this man; now here is q
reformed member saved to society,""
He received an unconditional par
don, and came out. The Friends,
found him store ON Pearl street,
found him money, endorsed his notes
and gave him their custom. Imme-
diately he was in thriving way
He Joined the Society Of Friends, and
said thee and thou with the best Of
them. He had wife, and children
arrived at maturity.
His journeymen were chiefly men
of families and wrought in their own
houses. One day he gave man g
pair of boots. Now friend, says he
"thee must bring home these boots ON
fourth day evening Says the man,
"You shall have them" The boots
did not come home till eth day eve
ming. Noah was wroth He gave
the man a long lecture on the evils
of disappointment and want Of pune
tuality. When be drewup to breathe,
the man replied.
'.Sir, am poor man; have a
wife and three children. the youngest
only forty eight hours old. | had to
tend to my wife and cook for my chill
dren. 1t was not in my power to fin
ish the boots sooner" Noah still con-
tinued to magnify the horrors of dis
appointment. The man grew angry;
| his Scotch blood boiled in his veins;
he struck the counter with his fist like
sledge hammer. II know" says
he, Its 4 terrible thing to be disap
pointed. l remember going up the
park to see you hung, and l never
was so disappointed in all my life,
than when | saw the reprieye!'
Now this was knock down argu-
ment, as an Irishman would say. 1t
was q case in point, as they say in
court: and q fact beyond all contro-
versy, as they sayin Congress. Noah
was dumb; he opened not his mouth.
He gave the man another pair to
make, kept him in employment, treat
ed him kindly, but, as the man said,
he never heard the word disappoint
drolp from his lips thereafter. {, s,
Noah went or prospering and 20
prosper. One day hespfrowed YAH
ous sums Of money, and obtalness 2
number of endorsements The bills
he exchanged for gold; the endorse
ments he gss shaved in Wall street.
That night he was off for parts un-
known, taking with him dear sister,
the wife of young friend, to cheer
him on the way. This story is true
to the letter, and being the first sub
iect of state prison reform, the day
dreamers ofths present time may settle
the question whether hanging or state
prison reform is the surest way of
curing consummate villain. His
family and friends never heard from
him.--Balleu's Pictorial.