The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-02-15
Another Good Man Gone Wrong.

Editor Mirror:
Another Richmond in the field; anothe
candidate for journalistic fame has made
his debut. 1t is evident that he is no nov
ice, and has had some professional training,
as he appears in double rOle-a sort O
DIR. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde business. Hi:
opening piece is of the melodramatic order
and is entitled. 1.-The Proper Way to Re
FORM"
Dramatis persona, the Hero. and Crue
Turnkey-Hero speaks his little piece in &
true and pathetic manner and states how
i'm lis opinion genuine reform may be eff
fected. He doesn't wish it to appear il
type Oh, no. perish the thought; don't
blazon it to the world. but somehow or 9th
er along comes the ubiquitous reporter and
scoops the whole business. Cruel Turn
key confines himself exclusively to the bus
mess for which he is paid. viz: swapping OF
locks.
Curtain-Intermission The next thing
OH the program is a roaring farce entitled,
Born at Saltwater" The characters in
the after piece are. the Hero. OtficOuS PO-
liceman, an ''OldeSt Inhabitant," and a
Deserted Wait" born with whiskers. The
versatility of the hero is here shown in a
remarkable manner by the marvellous facil-
ity with which he makes his transition from
the sublime to the ridiculous. Hear him
he say: '.Have just finished reading THE
MIRROR containing usual grist of penitent
epiStleS and promises of future refOrma-
tion." 1t seems to him that it comes a lit
tie late this refOrm-''when get out" etc.
why" he says. Il reformed when the
policeman arrested me-" How very prema-
ture. He didn't have the slightest idea
what he was arrested for; but he reformed
''just the samoa great big wholesome re-
form with whiskers." How very sarcastic.
Now Shakespeare (beg pardon Mr.. Donnel-
ly,) Bacon has Richard the Third born
with teeth, but here is an ''infant phenOm-
enOn'' ushered into existence with a full
grown beard. He again tells us that he re-
formed. and wants it on record, not in type.
not tor the world; he can't see what good
it will do to have it appear in type-put it
in the prison archives or anywhere else, so
that it goes on recOrd-but in type?-never!
But i'll spite of his earnest protests the ''ir-
represSible reporter" gets in his work and
the consequence is ''another scoop"
Now, the freedom of the press is all we'll
enough, but when it deliberately invadeS
the domains of privacy. in defiance OF re-
mOnstrance. there is. in my humble opinion,
good ground for libel. He appears to have
a vague dread OF the waSte-Dasket, and in
Inmates that some OF his previous produc-
tiOnS have gone that way; verses on the
spring probably, or an ode to the ''beauti-
full" He sees no use OF waiting until we
get out to reform. OF course not. NOw's
the day. and nOw'S the hour. He tells the
boys they can nose around the galleries and
pick up an 'old reform or two" They may
be second handed, but they are better than
none at all, even if they have no hair on
them. He says he has also ''gOne dry" like
the rest of us. The "Old Inhabitant" now
comes on for brief spell and gives him a
few pointers. "OId Inhabitant'' informs
him that there are men here who have re-.
formed four times. exit Old Inhabitant.)
Hero is asronished and eXclaims: "LoOk
at that! What chance!" A brilliant idea
now occurs to him and he winds up as fol-
lows: ''If live to sniff Gods free air
again I'm going to box up nice fat reform
and label it Prison Reform; born in Still
water, and left waif at the door," Tab
leau-Grand Finale; music, dead March
from Saul" Cruel parent to thus basely
desert his own offspring who, although it
may have been prematurely born, has been
with him through all his troubles and has
grown fat and thrived. Don't box it up and
leave it on our front porch, foolish fellow!
Take the mOnstrOsity with you; there's
millions in it," as Mulberry Sellers no
doubt would inform you. Why, Sackett
& Virgins, or any other enterprsing show
men would go their pile" on it.
Now, our friends object in appearing in
the after-piece seems to have been, to place
reform in as ridiculous light as possible.
He has come and surveyed the field. and
fails to find genuine case of reformation.
He is somewhat hasty in arriving at such a
conclusion. Let him wait until he has be-
come ''acclimated" and who can tell but what
he himself may become a victim to a genrl-
inc case of the disease. He has not got the
first symptoms as yet although in his pre-