The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-01-24

scraps or other matter, a loud equeal
will follow its sudden obstruction,
and some unlucky convict will be
found to be the cause thereof.
Where are the friends of my
YOUTH Had l asked this question,
echo might have answered, Here's
one of EN-" There he was, sure
enough, engaged in washing the fire
hose, and replacing it on the hose
cart. When a boy, he was always
fond of " running wild de ~masheen,"
and this was his ruling passion, and
it brought him here. He was the
heir to considerable money, whieh he
spent in q European tour. Returning,
he joined a negro minstrel troupe, and
sang, played and danced himself into
something of q reputation, under the
name of G. IL. Sanford; enlisted in
the Seventy-second Illinois, and
jumped a bounty. in spite of which
he got appointed to a position IN the
FIRE department.. and being made
treasurer of a ball committee, the
fuRds Of which were to be used Tor
the relief of a number Of widows and
orphans of firemen, he stole the
whole amount, and going to Detroit,
was arrested while spending it in the
company of thieves and courtesans.
He has a fair education, IS Of fine
presence, good address, and possesses
some genius, but little principle and
only sufficient intellect to enable him
to remember what has been taught
him by dint of hard effort.
Another inmate of this penitentiaTy
deserves a notice for the benefit OF
those who yield to the prevailing ex-
t~ravagance of the day. The son of a
venerable Presbyterian minister, he
was properly educated, as far as the
theory of morality was concerned, but
while holding to the theory, his prac-
tice was such as to demonstrate that,
to use the expression of a metbphysi-
cal friend, he believed he believed.
But in believing that he believed, he
only believed he believe. For al
though at variance with his renuncia-
ton of the works and pomps of
Satan, he practiced great extrava-
gance, and finding his income made
quate, he forgot several small papers
and when arrested plead guilty. and
was sentenced for three years. He is
one of the few who confess themselves
guilty, even now. His poor, heart
broken young wife returns to her par
ents, and his venerable father is
bowed down with grief and shame.
She can get a divorce and be free from
the curse which, perhaps, she con-
tributed to bring upon him, but the
old father who labored to train him
up in the way he should go, will bear
it down to his grave.
In the institution are three clergy
men, three physicians, and one whose
profession is forgery, who, however,
is more successful as a physician in
the prison hospital than either of the
professionals. The successful one is
Cross, the world renowned. He is a
man of fine attainments, an accom-
plished linguist, as we'll posted in law
as medicine, and has. since his incar-
ceration, written several excellent
moral essays that might have been
used as good sermons. He is above
stealing, and despises dishonesty,
except in Its most artistic form.
From observations upon the noses
and countenances generally, and from
the account of the Warden as to the
plea made by the convicts themselves,
[ have come to the conclusion that a
vast number of innocent men are in
prison, and from my every day eXpe-
rience l know that q proportiOnately
greater number of Williams are abroad.
Yours, HIRAM STEBBINs.