Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-09-24

tllteen years ago the fields and halls and
streets and lanes of our beautiful city which to
US are so familiar, were the happy playground
Of bright-eyed merry boy, such as may be
seen now any day in our daily walks. He
was msehicvous but not bad boy. There
were scores of rich boys who naturally were
worse than he, but one OF his misf)r,uncs was
to be
THE CHILD OF Pooh FATHER,
and it was his greater misfortune that his
father cared little for his moral welfare. SO
George, for this is our boy name, grew upwith
less keen sense of moral uprightness than
his friends wished for him, but worse than all
else, he acquired love for strong drink, or
to speak more accurately, for he says now he
never liked it, he acquired the habit of using
liquor. He went to war, and served honorably
there. After the war he came back 10 our
midst, and shortly after left here, going with
er the writer knew not. Last week visited
the prison of a State not far from US, ana
learned that the sunny faced boy had grown
into that saddest class Of humanity,
n STATE PRISON Convict.
As he had been one ofmy boy acquain.ances,
asked the keeper what was his offence He
replied that for burning a schoolhouse Gin the
| night as understood him. he was sentenced
to imprisonment for life. Permission was
then given me to see lin and converse with
him. l learned from bin that Tor almost
eight years he has been shut within the drearv
walls Of the prison. He said
IL AscRIBE ALL MY TroUBLE TO LIQUOR.
III could be released, / am sure that having
been so long without II. should ncva. touch
it again. would try to earn an honest living
and 10 help my mother who is now oli and
needy. You have no ida of the m3notony
and drearness Of this life" could not help
rejecting hor grossly society had cheated
this young man. He had a clam upon it t5r
moral instruction. In the place o. this bread,
society gave him stone. 1t taught hlm that
to dri0k moderately was no sin, was rot even
disreputable. And thus taught the poor f,l-
low drank, and in one of his drunken orgies
from pure mischief and with no malice or
i'll Will whatever, lie committed crime for
which society says he shall be
FOREVER DEPRIVED OF His LIBERTY.
So he walks the dismal corridor, or sits soy
rowiul IN his cell, utterly despairing except
for tie dim, dim hope Of executive clemtncy.
Young men, who dare to drink occasionally,
see the legitimate end toward which you are
tendag. George has never been worse or
committed worse crime against society jAan
many of you who 20 unpunished He has
teen detected while YOU nave nos Who
shall say that he is as guilty in G1.' sigh: for
lis n.l>chierous crime. as the man VINO deals
out misery and death at ten cent. glass
Shall not the example o: this poor young man
deter some one from the habit Of liquor
drinking: In all these years George has
NEyER SEEN THE FACE OF \ RELATIVE,
nor had any one fer two years called to see
him when saw lin. lie has no friend. 70
Interfere for him, can summon to his all no
powerful Influence, and so he will probably
live out his helpless, hopeless life in the
dreadful prison. Stokes can shoot his victim
dead; Walweith can take his fathers life in
cool determination, and few years are am
pie, so the law says, for the expiation Of their
crime; but this unfortunate man for an act of
pure mischief which resulted in ard was de-
signed to result in no loss of life is doomed
to living death do not palliate his crime :;
do say that such glazing inequalities in the