The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-09-19
- IT is NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND


vast realm of the King "Where the wicked
cease from trouble. and the weary are at
rest"
Look back through the blotted pages of
the past. and you will find that many of
the best hearted. ana greatest men of the
world have been imprisoned for years.
Even now. to day, could the prison records
of the past generations be read before the
people, society, and the aristOcracy OF the
world would tremble and be cOnvulSed with
the appalling record. 1t would strike ter
lOr into the hearts of bankers and million
aires. who would hide their heads for shame,
to think that they. the proud owners of
millions and mansions were nothing more
than eX-cOnvicto. The family skeletons of
the whole human race would dance about
the public highways in grim delight, to the
horror and disgust of the vain, puffed-up
creatures who claim the ends OF the earth.
Woe unto you, scrbes and Pharsees,
hypocrites! for ye devOur widows houses,
and for pretense make long prayers,
therefore we shall receive the greater dam
of vipers. how can We escape the damna-
tiOn of hell?" St. Matthew. xiii. These
are few of the comforting words of our
Savior Jesus Christ, according to St. Mat
thew, addressed to the putfed-up hypOcrites
of the world, who have no sympathy with
the poor and unfortunate classes of their
fellow-men. ''Think not that am come
to destroy the law or the prophets: mnOt
come to destroy but to fulfil" St. Matt. v.
Think not that l am come to send peace
OH earth. l came not to send peace, but a
sword" st. Matt x. These are words of
wisdom from Christ that should be well re-
membered and trusted in. Think not that
Christ came upon earth to abolish state
PRISONS for such was not his mission
Christ came to save the world. but not to
convert everybody for he says so himself:
Therefore speak | to them in parallels;
because they seeing see not, and hearing
they hearnot. neither do they understand
n lest at any time they should see
with their eyes, and hear with their ears
and should understand with their heart, and
should be converted. and | should heal
them" st. Matt. xiii.
May it please your honor. and gentlemen
of the jury (WithOut reference te cell NUM-
ber), ''the principle in law is. certain
amount of punishment for a certain degree
of crime" and the dose received in any
case, no matter how moderate. should be
sufficient to cure permanently. | am sorry
to say that even the most powerful remedies
prescribed by our legislators. and admins
tered by our judges in the most bitter
doses. have failed to cure in innumerable
cases. "Why-?' Because the patient
seeing. saw not. and hearing heard not the
voice of God, and SO, hath not wisdom or
understanding. If a man leaving prison at
the expiration of his sentence, cannot find
employment. and is without home or
friends, he can beg: and if he cannot thus
exist until he finds honest employment, he
can go to the city or town officials. state
his case. and be fed. Nothing but false
pride or starvation would cause man to
| choose the state prison in preference to the
pOOr-hOuSe. A child of God will be prOv-
ded for to the end. You who are about to
leave state prison need have no doubt of
success if you have perfect faith in God,
for he will sustain you against all tempta-
tions. and will not let you starve to death.
| Be faithful. patient and persevering, and
| you WILL-yOu MUST succeed.
| Secondly: Your valuable paper, to which
l am happy to be subscriber, lin the edi-
tOral referred toy would mslead some into
believing that the law is entirely and alto
gether unjust. Saying: mo thought of
leading the offender away from crime. but
plungng him deeper into the whirlpool of
crime and degradation. l again ask your
honor to file my objections to the remarks
of counsel, and have no doubt your honor
and the intelligent gentlemen of the jury,
will reconsider, and sustain me in my ap-
peal. The very first act of an officer of the
law in arresting criminal and those who
are charged with crime, is to take him
away from his sO-called friends and ac-
quaintanceS and put him in a cell or a