New-York tribune., 1881-03-24
A LIFETIME IN PRISON.

THE HISTORY OF "DICKENS'S PRISONER
| A CONVICT IMMoRTALIzED IN THE AMERICAN
NOTES "a LIFETIME OF VOLUNTARY CoNFlNE-
MENT IN THE EASTERN PENIrENTIARY OF PENN
| sYLvANIA
frPoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBCNEj
| PHILADELPHIA, March 9.-FOr several years
have been an occasional Sabbath visitor at the Eastern
Penften TO assist the chaplain in conducting inc
religious services The arrangements for preaching 10
the prisoners ths institution are decidedly unique
They number at present about 1000 Visitors are not
allowed to see them converse with them' ana tue
services must be conducted b as not 10 Noia'e 'uo
prison discipline. The chaplain has managed 10 eh'.
the services OF sufficient number OF preachers anu
singers to conduct the worship every Sabbath In ne Blk
or eight places DESIGNATED Each preacher addresees
! about 200 convicts They all hear him and unitc
In the singing but they him. Before Dickens
wrote his "American Notes" he visited the Eastern
Peutentiary and his comments on the SOLITARY eyste
have prejudced many thousand persons against 'ne
Pennsylvania method of dealing with criminals Among
the that under his own 0DsefVauon was no
following. quote his words:
In another cell was German sentenced TO hve years
Imprisonment for larceny two OF when tau eApreut
every inch Of the walls and ceiling quite beautifully He
had laid the few feet Of ground behind with exqu@e @
neatess and had made little bed In the centre ,nas
looked by the BY IKE grave m eyeTythns ras % were
most extraordinary; aud yet more detected hearC
broken wretcned Creature it would difficult TO m-
aSa distress Of mind Ny heart bed for him, when
the tears his cheeks and he took one OF he
cuchng ut his cost detan him, whether there was
no hope Of his dismal sentence being commuleu .nG
spectacle really too painful TO witness never @ saw
or heard Of any kind misery that impressed me more
than the wrecnedness of thus man.
THIS was penned the great novelist In the year loa
Many changes have place during these forty years
but the wretchedness that SO Impressed" Dickens
has not vet killed the prsoner few Sabbath's ago
while conducting services in the Penitenary noceu 10
my right cell with open door. The occupant sat n iu
view of the singers and the preacher His appearance
was quite 1t surprised me that he alone OF
my audience 200 visible. inquired afterward OF
the chaplain concerning him "Oh." said he thatl Is
Charley L. the man innortazed by Dickens. Walt,
and after the others have gone VIII take you 10
his cell" accepted the Invitation. we
found the prisoner very glau 10 sec
us and quite communicative The walls of his cell were
decorated with figures various designs and presented
quite a homelike appearance. They brought to mnd
cell that pointed out to me in the year 1916 when
visited the Penentiary The Warden at that time tod
us that the room, which then empty nad Deeh orha
mented by German convict who had left the year ue
fore after serving his term Of fveyears DulnS MS
imprisonment had managed 10 collect tie dust lom
coorcd yarns and had used this IN preparing dH'feh
coors for decorating the walls The room was regarded
as a great curiosity. As entered the cell o
DIckenss prisoner" as he IA called noticed lis tcsein
blance TO the one 1 had seen 30 many years hg'
" Thai" exclaimed the old "is the hTst room mat
painted have decorated rooms In all. Eight OF
these were for myself" He then went into son""hat
tedous detail of his method OF decorating, ana spoke o
the superiority OF his and the precautions he ha
taken to paint oil the places where visitors were KeV
IN deface the ornaments. Charley seems 10 bo quite
drvout aud loves to speak OF the chrh OF ms honel
His history II written out would make strange reading
| He committed the crime Of larceny aud was niS SEN
fenced for five years the year 1889 II was hurng
1 ths time that Dickens Interviewed him TO MN lntTp
| Was not so dear Dickens imagined. lie mas oe'h
| sentenced seven times since. The last time was from
Sueaber 10 1879 for three years. lie now seventy
ign year od and wNle looks forward 10 the day OF
his release with some interest he Is fearful that he may
NOT fare as well outside he has Jared inside oI
the plsOp walls He Indulgcs the hope that aIter n'
time is up bis fruds VIII help him 10 get nome lie
talks yrI freely of his past life. In giving Im hst
sentence the Judge reminded him that IL was not niue
more severe because offence involved the character
Of an nnoccnt man Tine of going To prison Tor 50
long term years. and OF beng separatcu Iou
ms wife and yonng child, was horrible lie cohlh nol
| endure TO ibink OF II, and actually attelptea 70
| comnit suicide by plnnGing o shOemakers .n,I1 ,H
| land took this token that was not
| 10 die vet" Afterward, however, lie uelcrmheu
TO end his misery By cutting huge gashes IN MS his
The blood now came, and his HE was almost ehunct
| when the keeper found Dim Afer lew weeks ne Was
restored TO health, then news came OF me lnhucy
of In. wife Tnis caused bun TO abandon All nope OF Nv
ing outslc and he determined 10 make the Oest OF
hv rmaning 10 tie Peuitenary In the course OF ycara
he actually became accustomed tn tins SORT OF ne uhn
loved it, When his time Of cunlnrIn"nt mas ehprtn hs
hos MANAGED In some way TO get DdCk again, ana 90 ~
baa come to pass for the reater part "f t"oanu-
forty Years th, old sinner has been boarding Uh CheiJ
| HIli T" ut the expense of the Keystone state.