Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-12-23
Innocent and Guilty.

AhMOccht duH GukAty.
The oft-t0ld story of the painter
who painted an ideal picture Of ON
nocence" from the face of a beauti-
full child who sat as his model. and
in his old age had villainous-look-
ing criminal sit to him for the mod
I ell Of a picture of Guilt" as a COM
panion piece to the other, and dis
1 covered that the child and the Grim
inal were the same person, has re-
ceived some startling Illustrations in
real life a convict discharged from
the old Charleston State Prison told
/ the following remarkable history of
himsel to the warden Of that prison:
Some years ago & ntleman, his
wife and their child, boy then five
or six years old, visited the prison.
They were shown through the work
shops and prison by an officer, who
i pointed out the different objects of
interests as they passed along. The
/ gentleman was iDquiring about a
man who had recently been sent to
prison for life for murder.
"By the way, this is his ROOM"
said the officer, stopping before one
of the cells, the door of which stood
open.
The little boy, with child's Curl
osity, stepped up and looked in. His
father came up behind the child and
playfully pushed him in and closed
the door.
The little fellow shrieked to be let
out. The door was Immediately
opened, and the child ran sobbing
into his mother s arms. She, brush
ing back the light curls from his
forehead and kissing him, said
soothingly-
mo, no; they shan't shut up my
little boy in prison"
The little boy was terribly fright
ened he turned his eyes once more
toward the dreaded cell, and for the
first time noticed on the door the
Mo-
The incident made deep impress
sion upon his mind.
Time passed. He grew to man
hood. His father and mother were
both dead. He became sailor and
a good one, rising step 10y step till
he was second in command of one
of the California steamers sailing
from New York.
But like many others, in conse-
quence of that vice which has drag
ged down so many even from high
positions, he lost his situation, came
back to Boston, sank lower and low
er, and was finally arrested for break
ing into a store. He was sentenced
to State Prison for four years.
| When received at the prison he
was taken to the bath room-the
usual custom-bathed, shaved and
clipped; clothed in the prison dress
and conducted to the room he was
to occupy.
Judge Of his horror and consterna-
ton when he found himself standing
before, and the officer unlocking the
door of the same cell, No" into
which he, when a child, had been
thrust for moment by his father.
In relating the story to me (says
Warden Haynes,) he said no one
could imagine his feelings when he
found himself an inmate of that cell.
Every incident and scene from
childhood rushed upon his mind
the exclamation of his mother, "No,
no; they shan't shut up my little
son in prison, - ran in his ears and
he threw himself upon a stool weep
ing, in utter despair and wretched~
ness.
But it is pleasant to see shining
through this strange story of cir
cumstantial retribution the truth of
the famous line. There a divini-
ty that shapes our ends" The con
Wet became a religious man while
in prison, and years after his dis
charge rose to be an officer in the
navy.