The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-04-04
I" BarkfS is Willins.,
Editor Mirror:


When The MIRROR was handed me.
Wednesday night. l. as usual. settled com
fortably to read it. Wondering if l should
"catch it again" my eyes fell upon an ar
ticle signed 'Tammany." CHANGING hurried
ly down the column | saw Earnest" and
lbs l took good long breath, screwed
up my courage and sailed ill.," | fear my
command of language will prove inadequate
to express the gratitude L. felt at Tam
many's'' kind words and manly course.
1T is human to err.' l courtesy" to the
axiom and plead guilty to having been
hasty. That l am truly glad to 'strike
most true 1t has worried me no little to
think that have offended a brother un:
fortunate. 1t was an error of the head and
not of the heart. l think that there is
more of the ''Josiar' in me than "46S," and
l trust that may be enabled to win the
respect of every one within these walls. 1t
has ever been my misfortune to be misundel-
stood. 1t is bad form to sing ones own
PRAISES. Uut L leel tIdt can cOllSC.
say that am not bad at heart.
"Tammany." there is one blessing / ell
joy in here. | refer to the innocent prattle
OF little children. ON Sunday afternoons.
They go running by my cell. laughing like
running water'' and PLAYING like sun
beams on the face IF the wave The sound
of child sh voice is to me as sweet as the
perfume OF half-blOwn rose waited into
existence by the graceful sweep of an
anglers wings. Could there be anything
nearer home" than to look through the
grated door and see the wide-opened eyes
OF little child looking at you and hearing
The hesitating little voice say:
Il dom to be bid man ike 200, some
day."
Heaven forbid. little man. that 'some
day" you'll be like me. for if you are | fear
that your brain and heart may not withstand
the agony.
Do you remember. "Tammany" when
those locks and bars were unknown to us?
When after school, I'VE boys" used to
gather ION the green.' or city street AS it
may have been. each lad with his bag of
marbles ready to play for keeps?" The
'knuckle dubs,'' the ..fens' and .vou're
huntchin'" meant more then than the presi-
dency. Tired of marbles. then for prison
ers base, or hide and seek" The count
ing out came first:
"Ourey, cry, hickory ance,
Ellison. Folison; Nicholas John;
Quevey quavey, English navy
Stinkum, stankum. buck.
Che, two, three. out goes he"
Or again. on Saturday afternoon, going
fShing with grOcerS cord for line
and bent pin for a hOok-"and we caught
fish. too Coming home. stopping at a
hollow stump filled with stagnant rain
water: charming away warts with that
er-falling verse Given to the world by
Mark Twain yet as familiar to every
DoY or those days as his own pug nOse:)
Spunk water. spunk water.
Barley cone and shorts;
Spunk water, spunk water,
Swaller these warts
Then you must turn round three times. -
land let the water dry itself" And after
all this. who was it waiting at home when
the dusk settled down on mother earth. and
the cricketS and the katyditls sang their
monOtones. waiting for her boy?'-wait-
to kiss him and make him wash-then after
supper to tuck him away-safely. oh. 50
Safely-lntO bed. Mother. oh. yes mother.
Had she known then that her boy would
one day be convict would she not rather
nave put him in the marrow house" and
laid him away?
How many of our mothers tonight sit
with tears binding their tired old ewes.
waiting. waiting for ''her boy'' to ONE
again? How many like "Josiar' are
thinking of the time
when the Children ust to set an sing aroun,
with us at nite?''
DO you ask, reader. what all this has to
90 with misunderstanding between two
convicts?" Well. these two convicts were
poys once. and It's the hoy" in them now
that forces back the stain of 1.-The world'
and comes honestly to the front. saving.
I'm sorry; give me your hand" / do.