Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-07-01
[From the Springfield Republic
Our Prisons and TnfirInaPieS,

One of the grandest gatherings we
have seen in this city for many weeks
was held in the First Presbyterian
Church on Sunday evening. Rev. DR..
Mcknight, Rev. A. B. White, Rev. DIR.
Flood, Rev. W. H. Webb, Rev. A. L.
Wilkinson and Rev. W. L. Hypes oc-
cupied the pulpit, and Mr.. Hvpes con-
Quoted the exercises, assisted by the
gentlemen named. Mr.. Hypes at the
proper time introduced Rev. A. G. By
ers, D. D., of Columbus, ex-chaelain
Of the Ohio Penitentiary, and now
Corresponding Secretary, of the Ohio
Prison Reform and Children's Aid
Society, who proceeded to make a
very interesting and powerful address.
Mr.. Byers said:
The Prison Reform Association is
not moved to it's work by any morbid
sympathy with the criminal classes.
Society owes it to the criminal as well
as to itself to see that swift and sure
punishment follows crime. This is
possibly the best determent that can
be used, anyhow we know that tardy
justice encourages hope of escape. But
while we may hope to deter to EepFess
|
BILE means to reduce it as far as possi-
BILE. To this end reformatory disci-
pline in prison should be adopted.
The sources of crime should be care,
fully considered and the most approx
ed preventive agencies employed.
I These may not be discussed in the time
: allotted to an evening discourse.
therefore come at once to consider Te
5 forms directly local in their character
: The Jail system of Ohio is Infamous
: a complete system of compulsory edu
cation, in which the mere initiate Of
: novice in crime is taken by forced as
q sociation with corrupt characters, anc
corrupting influences through the va
IL rious grades from sneak thief t,
D. housebreaker or highway robber. Gu
"A county jails are just SO many school
e of crime. Of these mean jails in ou
y State, none meaner can be found tha
= the jail of Clarke County. l have Wis
q tied your Jail often. You reach tn
Jail hall by narrow entry this ha
J in the light Of the brightest day is s
= dark as to require the light of candle
/ Of course the cells jutting off fror
this hall are enveIoped in a twofoI
darkness-iti is an impenetrable gloon
ie The hall is twenty feet long by eigh
1e feet wide; The cells are five by eigh
e. feet high. In this deep, dark, damp
OF damming dungeon found eight youn
Sc men this morning. The common ar
y swer to complaints of such things
~ that such jails are ''good enough fc
thieves" AS if the object was t
make thieves and keep men thievt
forever! But Society, not the THE
becomes in the end the sufferer.
10 Mr.. Byers then stated that at pre-
ale ent the Penitentiary, the State reforr
W. atories, the jails were all full; besid
ce. during the past winter our State b:
rec been oVerrun by idle Yagrants. T
wo Jail is little if any terror to such me
of They care for nothing nothil
N. but work
is The remedy proposed is a system
ro- District Work Houses, under contr
urt of the State, in which petty offender
misdemeanists and incorrigible '
lty grants could be put to work.
a After calling attention to the prop
ro- care of discharged prisoners, t
he speaker proceeded to the discussi
the of preventive agencies. He suggest
er as first TO be considered, homes f
ac- the homeless children, describing t
aen condition of the mendicant children
ave the street and the pauper children
H. Infirmaries. We can give no outlil
s a 1t would not be possible to trace
ass. conditions of these classes.
nay He paid a very handsome tribute
sti- Miss Fay-a sister of Deas. w
rd- Fay and S. E. Fay-of this city, VIII,
ney grand work in building up Childre
sed Home in Marietta was so graphics
tier and touchingly described in artic
.er- which recently appeared in the
ives public, and which were from the |
lid of Rev. j. H. Jenkins, now spend
Ion a few weeks in this city and supply
zed the pulpit Of the Congregatio
u in Church.