The New York herald., 1875-09-18
WASTED SYMPATHY.

CHARLES DICKENS VISIT TO CHERRY HILL
PR1soN-How HIS HEART BLED FOR AN OLD
REPRoBATE--AN EXTRACT FROM THE "AMER1-
CAN NOTES" "-RoMANcE AND REALITY-AN
OLD oFFENDER's HISTORY.
PHILADELPHIA Sept 16 1875.
When Charles Dickens visited this country thirty
years ago he Cherry Hill Prison. the Eastern Peni
tenary in this city. Although it is of tho best
conducted penal institutions in this country, and
model in every respect for good and careful
management it is regarded with almost superstitious
horror by the public generally, by reason of ex-
aggerated descriptions of the tcrrors of the solitary
confinement system which the prison is conducted.
This false impression regarding the Pententiary has
no doubt been largely influenced by'Mr Dickens ac
count of the institution 1t published In his
"American Notes." which has had of course wide cir
cuation in this country where the great novelist is so
universally read
THE OTHER SIDE.
The affecting picture which Mr. Dickens draws Of
the German prisoner (voL H., p "a, ''Amercan
Notes-t 'picture OF forlorn aflicon and distress
of mind"-for whom the great authors heart bled has
another side. This poor prisoner is still alive His
name is Charles Langheimer. He is an Hterate
German whose most remarkable personal
characteristic, except his kleptomania-which
is of chronic and incurable form
is that valuable accomplishment for which Mr.. Job
Trotter and Brother Shearman equally amous-the
ability to shed tears upon the slightest provocaon.
He is seventyhve years Of age, stout hearty old
man, with long white locks and aspect kindly
philanthropist During this long life, however his sole
object has been petty theft 1t is probable that
than half of this veteran offenders life has been
passed within the walls of prison. and
1t is apropos OF his conviction again on
Thursday last to one years imprisonment in his old
home at Cherry Hill for stealing So from t that this
hoary headed sinner becomes Of interest and have
thought the readers OF the HERALD might be interested
in knowing how the great writer had thrown
away his sympathy on the man whom he has immortal
lied with his matchless pen
THE POOR PRISONERS HISTORY
This man Langhemer has served no less than five
terms in Cherry Hill Prison alone and is entering
upon his sixth Beside this he has been imprisoned in
Baltimore, Sing Sing, in Moyamensng Prison in this
city and in other institutions Also probably in other
places
of the Eastern Penitentary:-"T German prisoner
whom Mr.. Dickens saw, this picture of forlorn afc-
tion and distress of mind this detected heart broken
wretched creature sentenced to this Penitenary
for the first time May 15, 1910, for FIVE years;
in June 2S 1852, he sent here again for
one year; February "a 1885, he was third time con-
victed here for two years; April 1861, he to
this prison again for one year, on the 18th of March,
1872 he was returned again TO Cherry Hill for two
years Thus this picture of forlorn afliiction and
distress of mind is now living hale, hearty of
seventy years oage having served out nine years of
imprisonment, under nVe dlferent sentences, this
Penitentary, with all its horrors and cruelty such as
no man has right to inlict on his fellow man. while
the author of the American Notes. notwithstanding
his associations and journeyings and his life in the
midst of pleasures and friends sleeps with David Cop
perfeld.
Mr. Vaux who Is earnest advocate of the solitary
system being the most efficient and reformatory
without being unnecessarily cruel speaking Of Dickens
criticism, says
''Mr Dickens visited at his own special request tho
Eastern Penitentiary He remarked when asking for
an opportunity to examine the institution, that
the Falls Of Niagara and your Penitentary
arc two objects l might almost say
l most wish ~ in America His visit was thor
ough. He everything in the Pententiary and all
the prisoners that he chose to visit When about to
Board that he never before saw q public insti-
tuition in which the relation of father and fam
lly were so we'll exempaed In this. Not
word of criticism objection then there made
He did not express doubt of Che success Of sep
arate confinement as system OF prison discipline.
How could he for he understood it7 On his
turn TO England his notes published from which
the extract given above is taken. Mr. Dick
! ens' recollections Of his early life, ana the
impression then made him by its as
sociations and the terrible privations he suffered
boy gave perhaps beyond his power Of detection,
the coloring 10 his description of the Penitentary.
His delineaton Of character Ia marked by the strong
contrasts which he paints in his hctions and, there
FORE his account Of his visit to the solitary prison may
be presumed To bo exaggerated unrustworthy This
case Of the German prisoner iustihes this remark"
SO much for crude and emotional criticism on an In
stitution in which punishment is considered with the
care deiberation and thoughtfuness devoted TO any
other scientific question