Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-30
AN HOUR WITH OONVICTS.
Address or Col. Sam. p. Ament 90 the
COnvtcts I'm the Penitentiary.

Address OF Col. Sam. p. Ament TO the
COnvicts I'm the Penitentiary.
To the Union and American:
1t was Writ who so graphically described,
in bis British Spy, the blind preacher whom
he heard in bis wanderings in The secluded
forests If Virginia. 1t was pleasing pic
ture he drew, and one well calculated TO
excite a moral train of plessurable emo
tons. Singularly enough, YVES invited by
8 friend to attend church in the peniten-
tisry last Sabbath. Well, said [, the good
man will have but half work there, for the
bulk of bis audience are already convicted,
and nothing remains but that he should
convert them. l soon repented of
this leyity, for l accepted the invi-
tation and attended. When the venera-
able man arose, L knew him well, but had
never heard him SPEAK. 1t was no other
than your old and reverend citizen, Col.
SAMUEL p. Amenb. His stalwart form
arose with great solen1nity, and stole my
eye from the speaker that it might rest for
q moment on the straneest audience to
whom the speaker ever spoke. 1t was in
prison costume, but remarkably clean, and
every face gaVeievidencs of serious attention,
and to my astonishment, instead of reading
outlaw and cut throat in each vissge as /
expected, not one face showed any connec-
ton between its expression and the uniform
of disgy ace the owner was compelled to
appear in. Each man listened as if every
hope of salvation depended upon not losing
O word,
After the preliminary ceremony, the
speaker quoted from Isaiah the words eHis
u. me shall be called wonderful" He
showed in a manner remarkable for force
and clearness that the prophet alluded in
this sa, ing to our Savior. He than showed
that every attribute ascribed to God had
been by the same men-seers and prophets
ascribed to Jesus Christ, and that the latter
in the beginning was with God and was
God. In this there is nothing remarkable,
but the force and power and eloquence with
which this one point vas sust ined, and
the ferVor that the conception inspired,
were splendid. The most Ignorant of his
audience knew it was 80, and having
been so successful in the founda-
ton stone of bis address the
remainder was easy, the ediice going up as
ifby magic, but every foot showing strength
and compE ,tness. He was very happy and
made is audience very happy in enlarging
on the mercy of the Redeener; of his great
love for sinners, for whose redemption he
had shed his precious blood. his descrip
ton Of be moving star, trembling as it set
tied over Bethle1em to meet the infant Wis
ion ofthe babe, WREN first it gszed upon tie
Vaulted sky was absolutely thrilling, and
strong Jnvicts shook in their places, and
many wept. The holy babe and its sur
roundings we're penciled so graphically that
the audience seemed to see, as in a
panorama, the whole scene passing before
them. The old speaker was truly eloquent
in these descriptions. His soul was 10 them,
and the sympathy awakened by bis own in
spiration swayed his gigantic form, as is
reed by the unwilling storm. He then
climbed with the Savior and the multitude
to the top of the mount, described the au-
dience and repeated a part of the Sermon
on the Mount in manner that seemed to
thrill his listeners. Enough: Col. Ament
is no ordinary man. The true fire and
power of eloquence are bis. How insight
cspt is mere ornament in the presence of
native power that carries everything before
it! ID.