Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-15
SHEPHERD C0wLEY In PRISON,
A Ministers nxperienoe as . Ueavict ON
BIackWeIl's Island.

A ministers Experienoc ~ . Convict on
BIaekwoIrs Island.
Rev. Edward Cowley, who was SEN
fenced to one years imprisonment in
the penitentiary on Blackwell's Island
for lll-using and starving the children un-
der his charge in the Shepherds Fold, a
New York charitable institution, is now
undergoing his punishment. A New
York paper gives the following graphic
account of his first days experience as
a convict:
Arrived Mt the penitentiary, the party
adjourned to the inner Office, where the
prisoner was introduced to Warden
Fox. who, in response to his earnest
prayers, allowed him to wait three
quarters of an hour, in expectation of a
stay of proceedings. To the warden
Cowley said: - didn't want to come
here, and l feel terribly about coming,
but now that I'm in for it | propose to
take the bull by the horns. / shall give
up all hopes of getting out, and settle
down to work like man." The war
den shook his hand and said: "I'm
glad to hear you say that Mr.. Cowley.
When man comes here and puts on
our shoes, the best thing he can do is to
walk in them under the guidance of the
rules. Do your work well, and don't
give your keeper an opportunity to crit
icise you. That's my advice to YOU"
The warden added that if he had me-
chanical turn he might find something
to do in the blacksmith shop or the
shoe shop. Yes" said Cowley. ear
nestly, with the tears standing in his
EYES, "a / want to work as hard as l
can. TO kill time and keep from think
ing"
At 80 o'clock the ex-shepherd gave
up his hopes OF stay and resigned
himself to the hands of the prison bar
ber. His glossy iron-gray beard and
whiskers, which have been his pride
during the twenty-five years of his min
istry, were cut off short, and his chin
shaved and trimmed till it was as
smooth as a Dutch cheese. lie was
stripped of his clothing, placed in one
OF the three bath tubs ranged along the
wall, and hot water turned on till the
rooms were filled with a cloud of steam.
After a refreshing bath he dressed him
self, and, putting on clean shirt and
striped trousers, stepped upon the
scales in his bare feet and was weighed,
touching the beam Mt exactly 1877
pounds Then he mounted measuring
machine provided with n crossbar and
post marked off in inches. The cross
piece was adjusted over the shepherds
gray hairs by fellow convict, who
sang out TO the recording clerk, Five
feet two and one-half inches" which
was duly entered in the prison books as
q part of the description.
After this ceremony was completed he
Was dressed in prison garb, and then
taken to the shoe shop. Mr.. Cowley
was introduced to the foreman OF the
shop, who consigned him to the care of
an instructor, who in turn set him to
work cutting out leather for the soles of
the shoes. He was given bench in the
front row, near the middle window
and under the eye of the keeper Be-
fore going, Mr.. Ambrose enjoined the
keeper to mark for punishment any
prisoner who insulted or taunted the
new conner in any manner. After the
officers had left Mr.. Cowley found some
difficulty in cutting the soles, aud was
accordingly provided with punch, and
instructed to punch holes in the leather.
Ii was strange sight, the bare-headed,
pallid-faced man, bending down pa
tiently and resignedly to his unaccus-
toned task, handling his tools with the
clumsiness of a beginner, and yet work
ing away with the determination to do
the best he could and give his keepers
rs little cause of complaint as possible.
At 80 O'Clock the men quit work
and marched in Jock st p to dinner. Mr..
Cowley came the last but four in.tLe
shoe shop division, and found great
difficulty in keeping step with his fell
lows. At times he would almost fall
out of the line. and there was always
more or less space between him and the
man ahead Of him. He ate sparingly of
the mush and molasses set before him
and seemed glad when supper was over
and he could seek the seclusion of his
cell. In closing the door at the word of
comm and his "greenness was again
obser vable, and he was in danger of be-
ing marked for tardiness, until the con-
vict ahead of him-a stalwart, good
natured youth stepped 10 bis relief and
showed him how to close the grating.
Deputy Warden Ambrose, who person.
ally saw the shepherd safely into his
cell for the night, says the other prison
and consideration, and manifested no
disposition to exult over his fallen for
tunes. This Is the more noticeable from
the fact that a considerable number were
prisoners during Cowley's chaplaincy in
1871, when he ordered prisoners into the
dark cells for coughing during service.
The cause OF his dismissal mt that time
was his refusal to go into the smallpox
hospital to administer spiritual conso-
lation to the sick patients. The shep-
herds cell-Eo. 5 on the second tier
is barely four feet wide, with Just room
enough for him to lie down on the mar
row canvas cot which fills il. On Sun
days he will sit under he same pulpit
from which he preached to the prisoners
nine years ago. He is the first regularly
ordained white clergyman that ever
served term on the island.