The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-26
A THIEVES SUPPER.
The Progress of Remarkable Reform
tory Institution.

The Progress of Remarkable RefoFma
| tory Institution.
The annual supper for the criminal
classes in connection with the ST. Giles
Mission, Little Wild street, Drury Lane
was held, in the Mission Chapel, Hon.
Sir Ford North, one of the Judges of the
| Supreme Court, in the chair. The LORD
Mayor, who received Il boisterously
warm greeting, was alsopresent. Some
two hundred men and youths of the
criminal classes were RECALLED at sub.
stantial supper in different parts of the
building. The wretched estate into
which these guests have fallen was pro.
claimed by the rags and countenances
of most of them, They were waited
upon, as on previous occasions, by Ia
dies and gentlemen interested in the
mission. After the tables had been
cleared the usual meeting was held.
Mr.. George Hatton, the General Super
intendent, read areport explaining the
| operations of the society, and appealing
for help. Mr.. Hatton stated that dur,
ing the past year 1918 men had been
discharged from prison in London, and
that of this number II, 427 accepted the
free breakfasts given earWandsworth,
Cold-bath-tields, and Holloway Prisons
on the morning of discharge. In
his report Mr., Hatton paid warm
tribute to the energies of Mr.. w.
| Wheatley, the secretary, who has
charge of the rescue and preventive de.
partment, and when later, Mr.. Hatton,
on concluding his address, presented
| gold watch to Mr.. Wheatley, as some
| slight recognition of his kindness and
as q gift from men who have by hi:
agency been saved from lives of crime.
the cheering was loud and long. The
| subscribers to this testimonial, once
thieves, We're present last night in the
meeting. Mr. Wheatly, who was evil
IDENTIFY much surprised at this part OF
the proceedings, briefly expressed his
thanks. and then proceeded to read one
or two letters from discharged prison
ers. One of them is at the present
| time in employment, and this letter
prompted Mr.. Wheatlev to give to the
men present bit of wholesome advice
namely not to be so unmanly and
mean as to sponge upon a comrade be-
cause he happens to be in work. Sir
Ford North delivered brief address to
the discharged prisoners. Prisoners
often, he said, when about to be SEN
fenced, protested that they had been
led. into crime by hunger and tempta-
ton, but he wished them to understand
that these were no excuse for crime.
No doubt it was difficult for a
al
ployment, and it was easy to relapse in
to crime, but, thanks to the efforts of
such a mission as this, there was now
no real excuse. The rescue department
of the st. Giles mission ant the Pris-
oners' Aid societies in the provinces
were doing vast amount of good. The
Government gave timely assistance to
the st. Giles mission, and no society
could be more worthy of support. Pris-
oners often appealed to the Judge to
give them one more chance, but the
Judge had not the power to give what
was asked. The chance was really
given by a society like this. Referring
to the article in Mondays Daigy NewS
entitled, Raising the Fallen" the
learned Judge remarked-with respect
to the discharged prisoner who tried to
explain to the writer that the offense
for which he was sentenced was
frolic rather than crime-that it was
no uncommon thing for prisoners to
make these apologies, but it did not
answer to advance such pleas, which
generally had no foundation. He told
them that there was no fear of their
being interfered with by the police if
they conducted themselves properlv:
and as, IN his experience, nine crimes
out OF ten We're caused by drink, he adj
vlsed them to abstain from intoxicating
liquor altogether. They must notdisotlise
from themselves that they were persons
who hasfallen down, but they had a fair
opportunity of getting up again and
walking along the straight and narrow
way. That they would do so was his
sincere wish. The Lord Mayor. in
view of printed statement showing
that 9l,OO0 was needed. suggested.
amid much applause, that an appeal
should be made to the city companies.
and promised to do what he could to
back the appeal His lordship Incl.
dentally remarked that he had that day
met the Lord Chancellor and Lord
Salisbury at the Royal Society, and
those noble lords expressed the greatest
interets in the supper and meeting.
The Lord Mayor concluded his speech
with spirited recitation of Eliza Cooks
poem relating to Bruce and the spider.
This was surprise, and it was so sue
eessful that there were some cries of
''encore' amid the round of cheers.
Captain Harvey, Governor of Worm
wood Scrubs prison, Sir H. Holland,
NJ. F., and other gentlemen also de.
IiYered addresses = Ina,1n,n Nn,ro