The Osceola times., 1881-11-19
A Trip To Little Rock.

State Capital, lost no time in getting
himself into "biled shirt" and a
pair of bran new trousers, and en-
barked on the good steamer Coaho-
ma, and next morning found himself
in the taxing district of Memphis,
and repairing to the famous hotel
kept by that prince of caterers, John
Castor, and Immediately proceeded
to fill mp the inner man in that man
ner which is so characteristic of an
Arkansawyer of wealth. After a
day spent in Memphis, he took the
train for Little Rock, on the NJ & l.
II. r Il, and after a tedious transfer
across the river, we struck out for
Little Rock.
| have often heard of going to
"heaven on fowery beds of ease y
but the man who takes the NJ. & l..
r. r. r. will never think he is going
to Little Rock on any such beds, un-
less he can imagine " flowery bed
with half dozen, men underneath
punching it with fence rails. ! was
a mere shadow of my former self
when / arrived at the beautiful Cap
ital of our state. ! have registered
a solemn vow, that when next visit
the Rock to go in yo editors buggy,
or walk. We arrived in Little Rock
at four in the morning, and proceed
ed to the Capital hotel, and in the
morning after hearty breakfast, in
company with Mr.. Robert Dean, our
efficient deputy sheriff, we made a
visit to the State Penitentiary, and
making ourselves known, were es-
corted over the entire premises by "a
most courteous young gentleman,
whose name we do not remember
After an inspection of the various
cells and cook room, chapel and din
ing room, we were shown to the hos
pital, where we found some seventy
convicts, in neat, clean beds. While
there we were shown two of the
young men who were recently sent
to the penitentiary for term of sew
enty years each. Your readers will
remember that a short time AGO three
mere boys robbed train on the st.
Louis. Iron Mountain 6 Southern
r. r., near Hope, and were convict
ed of robbery, there being fourteen
indictments against them, and they
received sentence Of five years on
each bill. They were mere lads, the
oldest being only twonp-thrce years
of age. The eldest died of homo
sickness a few days ago, aud the
guard who showed us over The instr
tuition told us that the other two
were fast sinking under the weight
of their heavy sentence, and could
not live two months longer. ! notic-
ed the poor boys lying on their cots,
with flushed faces and thrubbing
temples, dying for sight of home
and mother, and though | knew they
had done wrong, could scarcely
restrain my tears as | thought of the
poor old mother away out in Texas,
waiting, watching for her boys, who
would never again in life meet them;
and call it maudling sentinentality
if you will, | almost felt that if these
poor boys could be quietly translat-
ed to their country home, SO that no
one could know it, that the punish
ment they had undergone would be
sufficient to cause them to lead lives
of fiectitude hereafter. But of course
this cannot be, and they must pay
the penalty Of their crime. 1t GER
tainly seems to me to be out of pro-
portion to their sin. One of them
said he had been brought to this con
dition by reading dime novels. Let
our boys who read this ponder on
what this poor miserable boy says,
and seek something more solid and
substantial for their mental food; and
let our Judges and jurors, who send
cold-blooded murderers TO the peni-
Tertiary for few years, reflect be-
fore they send mere boys to the same
place, for term twice the average
duration Of a human life. The north
ern press demanded that we make an
example of these boys, and in humble
obedience to the demand, our south
ern press answered this call, and a
"court Of Justice" was found that
was equally suhseryiout TO that de-
mand; when If these boys had been
sant nn for ten Yaaa e.ah. theY