The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-17
SAVED FROM TIE GALLONS.
TO the State Prison fer Life,

:; ;ss .sss RsPssyss y..S ss,
George ID. Cary, confined in the Syracuse
Penitentiary, convicted of murder, and sem
fenced to be hung, has had his sentence COM
muted by Governor Hoffman to Imprisonment
in the Auburn Prison for life. Whom the docu-
ment was read to him he was overjoyed, dancing
about his cell and frequently exclaiming "Bully
for the Governor! He's q Democrat, and so am
l." On the same day he wrote the following
jetter:--
ONoNDAGA PENITENTIARY, Nov. II, 1870
Dear Mother-I have had good news this morn
ing. Mother, l am going to State Prison for
,ifel OH amt glad of this! know It is a
har rdword to say--l'm glad to go to State Prison
for life. But think of the gallows two weeks
from to-day OH mother, God has done this
for me- asked Him to spare me another year,
and He has! Mother, when you get In trouble
ask God to help you and He WILL as He did me.
Oh! how can thank Him for that "His loving
kindness, oh, how good" Mother, when l am
in State Prison you will come sometimes to see
me-won't you, mother? Mother, don't forget
God. Thank Him for what He has done for
me. l shall not forget Him. He Is my friend
forever-in this world and the next. Mother
God has saved your son from the gallows l
may never see you again after leave this place.
If not, we may meet in heaven. Jesus said he
would go up and prepare place for US, and
then he would come for us. You will find il In
the fourteenth chapter of St. John, the third
verse Mother, want you all to seek for it
now-so he can have 1t ready. | had rather be
here as now feel than to be out and have al
my sins upon me- as ,they were when / came
home last spring. Mother, Jesus says, s'Come
and follow me, and will save you" l look up
and say "Blessed Jesus" Then he smiles on
me. Oh, mother, you don't know how happy
am! 1t isn't because am going to the State
Prison, it is because God is with me, and Jesus
my dear Saviour Good-by, my dear mother
Your affectionate son,
GEORGE D. CARY.
On the next day Cary wrote the following let
ter to the citizens of Syracuse
ONoNDAGA COUNTY PENITENTIARY, Nov. 12,
1S70.-To the Citizens of Syracuse:- i thank
you o thousand times for the kindness you
have done for me, and saved me from the gal
lows. You have given me time to repent before
my God of all the sins l ever done. / was a
poor drunken, penniess murderer before my
God, and now have time to repent and will
make good use of it. / will not idle my time
away in sinful thought, and when | go to State
Prison, there will try to serve the rules of the
prison and my God, until he calls me away and
then hope / will be ready to meet him and all
of my kind friends that have saved me from
that dreadful fate that was before me and close
at hand. l will think of what you have done
for me on the 25th of this month. When that
hour comes, then l can say to-day would have
been my last day on earth If it had not been
for them kind hearts that felt for me and saved
me from it, OH how can l thank you all for
that kind favor you all done me, and you have
saved me from the gallows and from that ever
lasting death.
May God be with you all forever and ever.
From GEORGE ID. CARY.