Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-04-13
From the Ohio State Journal, Mar. 2s.1
THE OHIO PENITENTIARY.
Farewell Sermon OF Chaplin Byers.
THE BRIGHT SIDE OFPRISON LIFE.
Interesting Facts and Figures

of that institution. DR.. Byers com
menced his labOrs as Chaplain of the
Prison, Oct. 8, 1864, and since tha
date has been thoroughly identified
with all refOrmatOry movements out
side of the Penitentiary as well as in
side. looking to the improvement anC
reformation of the men under hi:
charge. His success in this way made
the occasion yesterday of unusual in.
terest to the citizens at large, and hi:
great sympathy and long association
with the inmates of the prison, made
the farewell sermon a great event in
the lives of the convicts. The choil
of the Blind Asylum participated in
all the exercises, and added much tC
the interest. The services in the Fe-
male Department was necessarily
brief, on account of the death of Mr.
Dezellum. In the hospital the choil
of blind singers sang several pieces
all of which had a. pleasant or good
effect upon the inmates. During the
session of the Sabbath School, the
prison choir aud choir from the Blind
Asylum sang piece about in the
school room, the eonvicts apparently
much enjoying this mingling of male
and female voices in contrast with
their own singing. At II o'clock. the
prisoners, over a thousand strong,
marched into the chapel. and a large
number of visitors from the city, tool
possession of the seats allotted to them
The Chaplain, after the opening
exercises, said on the present occasion
he would talk of those with whom hC
had been associated for the last five
years and a half instead of to them
would make them the subject instead
of the object of his remarks. Since
the date of his first sermon as Chap.
lain of the Prison, October 9, 1864, ..
40 persons had been received at the
prison, !, 1884 discharged, and 252 par.
doned. In the same time, 81 prison
ers had died in the prison. In ans
wering the question "whO are thesC
men that came, in these five years tC
prison." the Chaplain said outside the
penitentiary there was but one view
and this to the effect that they were
guilty and criminal men. He would
answer the question differently and
draw conclusions he wished to impres:
upon the minds of all present.
Twenty-nine per cent. of the men
received, were under p years Of age
were in fact boys ranging in age from
l3 years to p years. Twenty-Five pei
cent. were orphans, more or less early
in life, destitute of parental influence
and control. Sixty-seven per cent
were unedueated men, that is men
who could only read or who could
merely scratch their names. Four
teen per cent. did not know the letters
of the alphabet. Twenty-three pei
cent. were men who as boys had run
away from home and parents. Seven
ty-four per cent. of the 2, ,l20 were men
who never learned a trade, who as
boys and men had been more or les:
idle, and who had no useful empty
ment. Sixty per cent. were more ol
less intemperate and q per cent. WERE
habitual drunkards. Thirty-fOur pei
cent. never attended Sabbath School
g. per cent. were irregular attendants
and 5 per cent. regular attendants.
For the bad results coming to or.
phans, to boys in general, and for the
evil resulting from intemperanee, law
and society, it was argued were in 8
measure responsible. Examples were
introduced tU show that these classes
were sinned against as wellas SHINING.
This would be the case while society
the gambling hell, the broth
eI, and tie dram shop, and put no
safeguards about the boys.
OF the ,384 discharged men, very
few had returned to the prison recon-
victed felons. And where men had
been reconvicted, there were often pc
culiar circumstances against them
They were taunted by those who
should encourage, and wrong conelu-
sions were drawn by the discharged
convict. In one instance one poor
man came back because he preferred
the penitentiary to the county poor
house.
Outside the disgrace, and with the
question of punishment or misery
only in mind, many of the infirmaries
were worse than the penitentiary; and
such men, while we have such intirm-
aries, should not be too severely
The chaplain showed the life of the
boy growing up under the
influence of a good mother; of the
boy who never doubted for an hour
the truth of the Bible; or that God
would hear and answer prayer, in
contrast with the life of the wayward
boy growing up without such infiu-
ences, and asked that all wayward
bows who had been made good men by
good mothers and the Bible have SYM
Dathy for the wayward boys who had
not such advantages.
In appealing to the prisoners the
Chaplsin spoke of the sympathy of
rood men, of the love and devotion of
wives and children, of the men who
mad died Christians in prison, of the
convicts who were now
living good lives in the outside world,
md asked them to rid themselves OF
very thought and everything that
lut them out of fellowship with God
IND men. He left them, he said, with
most kindly feelings. During his
whole connection with the prison not
IN uncivil word had been spoken to
him, and but one single man had been
mpOlite. He would assure the pris-
,ners that whenever occasion offered
ne should make an effort to have the
world better understand them. There
vas a disposition on the part of the
Prison authorities to give every en-
to men who were inclin-
ID to do right, and he knew that there
vas not that destitutiOn of human
iympathy in the world which the
prisoners thought existed. He would
ay in closing: "In Gods name be
nen.n
The arguments and appeals of the
chaplain were listened to with feel
ng that found expression in the faces
# the men. References to incidents
# prison life, to the devotion Ofwives,
o death-bed scenes in the hospital,
,rought tears to the eyes and in many
ases the feeling found expression in
obs. The faces Of all, as the chaplain
aid good bye, expressed the deepest
ceiling of regret at his going.
Several of the cOnvicts handed TO
he prison authorities songs which
hey wished sung on the OCCASION
These were addressed to the chaplain,
nd were expressive Of the warmest
and greatest good wishes.
Is specimens of prison literature we
opy a few verses fIOm two of the con-
One entitled Farewell
ong of love and gratitude" eommen-
es in this way:
To-day grateful throng their gratitude to
prove, ,-,
rIaNN low