The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-08
PRISON PETS.

There are numerous instances on rec
ord of persons in ''durance vilen max
ING pets of the most unlikely of animals.
nay, even reptiles and flowers. The
instances considered noteworthy have
been generally those of persons of rank
In reality, the passion is not more to be
wondered at in the Count Picciola of
school-book notoriety, who gained over
the good-feeling of his keeper to re-
spect the pet flower which had sprung
up between the stones of the prison
yard, than is u similar feeling exhibited
by the deepest-dyed criminal of the
common Jail. In fact, it has been no.
ticed that the feeling, if anything, is
stronger in the man of few resources.
The present humanitarian system of
conducting prisons provides the edu-
Gated prisoner with many means of
killing, if not improving, his time
which al Dyago4Ig system ignored. Com
panionship is found in books of the very
best kind. In the case of the unedu-
Gated prisoner, it is very different For
many hours of the day he is
Shut oft from everything but in
tercourse with his own thoughts,
and these being, as a rule, not very
companionable, he casts about for
something to engage his attention other
than the four bare walls of his cell.
Suddenly he hears the chirp of some
impudent sparrow, enticed by few
stray bread-crumbs which the poor
wretch has spared from his allowance
and pushed through the grating of his
window. Here is something which GER
tainly bears him no ill-will; something
which, to one given to suspect, is above
suspicion. There is not the slightest
doubt about this visitor. But the I'M
suspicious feeling is not reciprocal. The
crumbs are all very well so long as they
can be reached from without the bars
The dark within is an unexplored
region. But there comes II spell of
sharp frost, may be, which whets the
appetite of the feathered visitor, or
there is something in the manner of the
would-be host which treasures him, and
the inquisitive little head is cautiously
pushed inside the bars, in order to fol-
low up a trail of crumbs iudiciously
laid by the tempter. No harm follows:
and familiarity breeds boldness. The
little fellow is surprised to find himself
quite within, tail and all, and, as
though astonished at his own audacity,
beats q hasty retreat. The next visit
finds him less modest. He advances
across the floor; then, with sidelonp
glances, makes a backward movement,
then a forward one, till he feels quite
positive that the statue-like figure in
the corner has no bellicose intentions.
AG M Df 60 81
foot or a hand. This is too much for
Mr.. Sparrow. futtering retreat
to the bars, out, and away, leaves
the lonely inmate still more lonely.
The thought of the crumbs, how
ever, steels the little feathered breast,
and by-and-by he makes another
essay. AT last he loses all fear. and
hops up quite close to the immured one
to snatch some crumbs sprinkled
from the hand in sight of the bird.
From this it is not far, as confidence is
gained, to hop on to the knee and
shoulder. What sort of bird-lopic has
been going on in the breast of this little
sparrow ? In a week or two he learns
to come at q call, and to eat his meals
from the hand of man who, very pos
sibly, is suffering Imprisonment for
kicking his wife very nearly to death,
or for some kindred crime but who
would take infinite pains to attach this
little soulless bird to himself, and resent,
with blows if necessary, any interior
ence with his pet.
What is the philosophy of the mat
ter Is it the waking up of dormant
feelings the softer, better memories of
happier days, when the love of wife and
children had not become estranged !?
Every man, even the lowest type of
criminal, loves something or somebody
1t may be a selfish. base love but it is
love, nevertheless. Who can fully
understand the anomaly presented by
the wife-kicking "Black Country" pud-
dler who feasts his fayorite bull dog
while his poorchildren go about uncared
for? Most likely the prisoner who has
been so tender with the sparrow when