The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-09-17
GENEROSITY AMONG CoNvIcTs.
A Few Incidents Showing the Character Of
Some Criminals-Not SO had a. Currently
Believed.

Few Incidents Showing the Character Of
Some Criminals-Not SO had a. Currently
London Times.l
We have all heard of honor among thieves;
but the present writer has witnessed an ex-
hibition of gen srosity on the part of con-
vict which acted on his moral nature as q re-
freshing tonic. The assizes are going on at
the town whore / write, and to-day, having
nothing better to do, 1 sauntered into court
to hear the learned summing-up of counsel
and observe the routine of court BUSH
ness generally. The charge that was being
tried was one of INSTRUMENTATION at the Spike
Island convict prison against two convicts,
called respectively James Kirk and Daniel
| BARLEY. They were charged with wounding
| q warder by the name OF John Condor. The
| prisoners pleaded not guilty and conducted
| their own case. And very well they did it
for the most part, though few questions
were asked by them, when cross-examining,
which made their cause appear worse rather
than better. Several convicts had been
| brought up on the previous evening from the
| prison to give evidence. 1t was certainly
rather unusual sight to see over a dozen men
dressed in ugly frieze-jackets, on the arms of
| which were marked their prison number,
! length of sentence, and other mysterious signs
Ito see these one after another ascending the
| stand as witnesses to be examined, not by
barristers, but by two of their brother convicts
standing in the dock. There they sat, look
| ing round the court with eager, cunning
eyes, as though they could never see enough
in the short time during which they were
allowed to leave their prison. What chance
| it was for men sentenced to five, seven and
eight years penal servitude to lay up food for
| thought that would relieve the torture of
dark cells and the silent systeml
! The witnesses one could easily see were
| genuine specimens of the criminal class.
People become very expert phrenologists
when looking at the dangerous classes" 1t
is easy to read in the faces of those who wear
prison garb and have their hair cropped,
| all sorts of deadly sin. "What murderous
| eyer we think. "There surely goes cum
ming forger." "How terribly developed is
the bump of destruction in the case of Ps.
| 15,962l" Another reflection was forcibly
suggested by this rather unique trial. 1t was
| this-that Englishmen ought indeed to be
proud of the majesty of their equal laws,
which give even to convicted men not mere
| ly justice, but the greatest amount of consid-
Grafton. These two convicts were being
prosecuted for an assault committed when
they were in prison; but had they been sons
of the queen herself dressed in broadcloth
instead of in prison frieze, they could not
| d
a courteous manner gave them all the assist
ance he could, and they were allowed to ex-
anime and cross-examine as many warders
and fellow-prisoners as they chose.
! The prisoner, BARLEY, then addressed the
| jury with considerable ability, complaining
of having been ill-treated, and appealing for
Justice Kirk also addressed the jury, but
confined himself to the evidence. The jury
without leaving the box, found Kirk guilty
of common assault and BARLEY guilty of as
| sault, occasioning actual bodily harm. His
| lordship then sentenced Kirk to be impris:
| oned for six calendar months and kept at
| hard labor, to commence at the expiration
Of his present sentence, and BARLEY, who APP
| peared to have been far the worse of the two,
| to be imprisoned for Is calendar months.
| And now the circumstance occurred, to de-
scribe which is the object of this paper. No
| sooner had the judge pronounced his sem
| tence than the voice of the prisoner, Kirk,
| was heard making most generous proposal
in reference to his companion in crime.
Kirk-Give me the same, my lord.
The judge-No; will not.
Kirk-I have been the cause of bringing
| him into it; only for me, he would not have
| done anything at all. Give him the six
months, and l will take the Is.
Judge-That 1 can not do; but as you de-
sire it, 1 will take, for you, six months off
| Bartleys sentence, and only give him II.
| There was considerable applause in court
| at this settlement of affairs between his lord
| ship. on the bench and one of the prisoners at
the bar. And no wonder, for it is seldom
| that judge is called upon to refuse to pris-
oner a longer term Of punishment than jus
| tice demands, at the self-sacrifcing sugges-
ton of the prisoner himself. 1t would in
deed have been difficult to refuse our mite of
Cd 70, RI
saying in an impulsive manner: IL have
been the cause of bringing him into it; only
for me, he would not have done anything at
all. Give him the six months, and l will
take the 18' "There is" according to Shak-
! spere, ssome soul of goodness in things evil,
would men observingly distil it out" and
| here thought, as l heard Kirk plead for
his friend against himself, is manifest ex-
ample of the principle. Prisoner Kirk was
in the eyes of ordinary people villain of
the blacklist hue, and yet he proved himself
capable of an act of generosity concerning
which most of us unconvicted persons in
court would have thought twice before doing.
Pharisaic self-righteousness can with diff
Guilty believe anything good of those who
have had the misfortune of being caught
and imprisoned. On the other hand, per-
son who is guilty of even hateful vices need
never despair of being considered 'respecta-
ble," if only he be cunning enough to escape
detection, or rich enough to purchase inn
munity.
The incident, that has been related as it
was lately heard by the present writer,
proves that convict is not of necessity
wholly bad. It illustrates the fact, that in
the case of even the worst and most danger
GUS characters there are latent sparks OF
goodness which only require the breath OF
sympathy and confidence to fan into ger
erous glow.
I'll no say Williams .;
The real, hardened wicked,
VIVA hae check but human law,
| Are TO . few restricted.
Those who have allowed themselves to be
Influenced by the spirit ofhim who was called
the SINNERS Friend"-these "nragnets fol
81 la1.n IL