The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-02-15
Observations BY An Observer.

Editor Mirror:
May again have my say? If so. l will
ask, was not THE MIRROR to uphold truth,
condemn falshoOd, praise virtue, denounce
vice. encourage honesty and censure wrong,
in all its guises? Not only this, but that
we. the inmates, would have the privilege
of helping, through the columns of THE
MIRROR, our brother unfOrtunates known
as the criminal class, to the extent of our
power, or rather capablity, i'll raising them
from their evil ways and placing them upon
plane which would benefit them mentally,
morally, and religiously? How are we to
do this. | ask? BY hypocrisy, or by going
down to the bed rock and speaking plain
truths regardless of whose toes we may tread
OH?
We who furnished the money to start this
paper were fully aware that we were wear
ing striped clothes, and that in cOndemning
wrong doing we were cOndemning what we
ourselves were guilty of. We have all fall
en- short in our duty; none of lis are good
no. not One-but inside of our walls we
have little world similar to the great world
outside. Every prison in the United States
lists in our temperament as is found outside;
the same feelings, the same impulses, the
same natures are found in this as well as
every other prison, that are found outside.
This being the case, should there not be some
one at each prison, and i'm connection with
the prison officials whose business it should
be to make study Of the inmates and
classify them according to their moral. men
tai and physical capabilities; ascertain what
we are here for, and what led us to commit
the crime? Whether through ignorance,
poverty or accident? Whether our down.
fall was due to whisky, bad company or
surrounding circumstances, OF whether we
are professional crooks? l believe there
are men here who had no intention of COM
hitting the crime which sent them here;
that some are here through ignorance, some
through poverty. and others through bad
company and the natural consequences
whisky. There is great hope for the above
named.
The writer of this article does not believe
that whisky caused or made man pro-
feSSiOnal crook Of any sort. 1t takes q
shrewd man, with an active brain to be a
professional. Whisky depriveS one Of
shrewdness. and muddles his brain and robs
him of his powers to plan and successfully
be classified, for they spring from every path
in life; from educated and refined families,
down to the lOw-bOrn and illiterate. 1t
takes smart man lin worldly way.
mean), to become a successful crook, and
these are the hardest to reform. But every
man has a soft spot that can be reached.
The trouble is in finding it. In the first OF
those named the w. c. T. u, the c. T. A.
u, and Y. M. G.. A. have a fine field for
their work. In speaking OF professional
crooks Deputy Abe Hall once said to me,
'Their only stock in trade is deception. and
the only science they study is that of the
writing pen, jimmies, drills and lying.
They have no confidence in the honesty of
men nor in the virtue of women" IT this
be so, he doubts his God. What,succor can
a man expect who doubts all men, all wo-
men, and his God? Echo answers.
In conclusion may God help all of us.
TEXAS.