Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-09-21
Gales 3 shsttbes:
THE LEON MAN.

A convict pressing his cheek against the
iron bars of his cell-did you ever see that
sight Did you ever hear the dismal
clank, clank of rusty iron against moldering
wood, or the regular tramp of six hundred
men, all of them wearing the bandages of
sin and disgrace ? Did you ever feel the
cold, damp touch of the great flag stones :;
look up to the dim roof through the inters-
tees of damp stairs {; feel that all that great
space throbbed with human hearts, trem-
bled with human woe, and were not ready
to weep at the thought of the bitter tears
that had been shed beside the hard pallets?
Some say that the most of such congrega-
tion arc given over to hardness of heart.
Yes if one reads that stolid face and the
But this prisoner ,gltT ms iantrn Jaws,
his fierce, hollow, death bright eye, his
wide, whitc-seamcd forehead, the gray hair
standing back as if the hand had often
pressed it with burning, feverish impulse
what do you think bis age was
Seventy
a poor guess; not yet forty-threc. Oh,
what hard, stony face it was.
| 1.-The man has no ieeling,n said the jail
/ or; 'neither shame nor grief. lie dares
any glance he sneers at sympathy; his
! heart is flint itself. Monsters are some
! times born-I think he is one"
"But his crime -
"Wifc murder at least he caused hcl
death. She was a terrible woman, and
neglected a little child, think, so that il
died, | believe and he hated and finally
killed ler."
A history to make one shudder.
lie has never expressed remorse, and our
chaplain sees him only for forms sake ; i
is impossible to keep up an interest il
him."
And vet there were some remnants o
nobility about him. Even this man ha'
been young aud innocent at his mother
knee he had known sorrow; he did fee
rcmorse, perhaps. Who can tell?
"Let her have it, :" said the jailor, as m
little Minnie picked beautiful flower from
the forbidden ground.
Little Minnie is naughty to-day" sal
the child, with subducd look. Mamma
put Minnie in prison ~
f Such horrible revulsion passed over m
at these words. Had not children rs beau
tiful grown into-wAat? ? My very sol
, shuddered. 1t was with an effort that
! entered the gloomy halls with some friends
/ the child still prattling. And yet than
b God for that day of my eXistence.
j The stony face was there the great no
{, low eyes looked eagerly Seldom was
!, child seen in that deathly gloom.
. "Man do you want pretty flower
II cried little Minnie, holding it up. She WI
$ lifted to his level. To my astonishment
S took it /; his lip quivered.
g Man YOU want kiss p'' chirruped Il
= little birdvoice. a sob that was aimo
u terrific was the answer. He withdre
Q from sight as if he had been shot. "
: all stood translixed. y childs voice ha
l. stirred the locked-up waters of his soul, al
ID we ended our visit silently.
u The next day the warden came to n
"A house.
:. "Jenner hasn't been OFF his bed since ye
er terday,n he said 'he begs you will S
him." In less than fifteen minutes sto
n in the cell. The mans face, no longer {
"a fant, had grown death-like.
~ "Ohl thank God--thauk God ~
IL IL cried fervently; still yesterday, | thoug
r. nv heart was dead but that child-tf
Id chill'--he choked again.
"Would you like to sec her ?''
He passed his hand over his face.
. No let me die with those sweet wol
u, ringing in my ears. Oh my own lit
nv nv one-my own little darling-your wick
father will never see you-never-neyer
nd When the strong anguish had passed
er- told me the history of his life, and suc'
on history Deep pity was on my heart 10
-, before he finished
nu a The iron man was flesh again. He OF
lt6 lived three months after the defiant '
er, was broken. Deeply did he repent, hum
es- pray for mercy, and when his wasted I
ta- shone with her deyine light of forgiven'
'yS he said to me, "You may bring hero
once.n
=, So my darling frightened the DIRE
S" m- hour, and on his dying lips the hutter
DR.. kiss fell soflly-the last liie-throD
the touched him as his soul went out, leay
ieh smile behind.
lie,
ter II r.