The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-12-20

The superintendent of one of the prisons
in the northwestern part OF Germany. says
the ''Wanderer," St. Paul. communicates
to the "SOc. Corr" that among the con-
victs under his charge (about 25O) the num-
Der Of such has again largely increased, In
whom vulgarity. susceptibility and avarice
were the incentives to evil. And more in
particular he wishes to state. that whisky
still continues the instrument of sending
men. who were once industrious and good,
into prison. He quotes three instances to
illustrate his point.
Aged parents write to their only SOIL
the hope of their declining days: You
were good, you were our pride and joy
and now! Whisky has ruined you as we'll
as us; you are in prison, and your parents
long for the grave; how happy we could
have been, but you allowed whisky to con-
troll you. and in consequence have brought
shame upon yourself and your aged par
ents." - --.
dear husband, where have we landed?"
a wife wrote to her convict husband; ''how
happy we we're, and how joyed were l and
the children. when the evenings brought
you home from work. But happiness and
good standing are gone; we are become beg
gars. You are in prison, while l and the
innocent children are in the pOOrhOuse,
and when you return: no home, no bed, no
bread! o. God what misery the bottle has
brought upon US; the whisky bottle has
done it, for formerly you were good to me
and the children. But you gave no ear to
my prayers. and then when cried and be-
mOaned our condition you beat me; the chill
dren avoided you in terror. You went forth in
the evenings to the saloon. while the chill
dren and went to bed famished from hun
ger. God have mercy on me. what nights
those were. what life! Oh, our dear.
dear children!'
A formerly upright man. but now con-
vict serving here for theft, through the
chaplain. gave me the following: Formerly
worked diligently and never drank. 1
lived happily with my wife. and we did
well. had no lack of work. My wife
constantly supplied me with a flask of
coffee to serve me at my work in place of
other refreshments. But this very thing
caused all my trouble My cO-partners
ridiculed and bemocked me as being no
man and milksop. Would that had ig-
nored their ridicule! But succumbed to
it. and at last paid out the money for my
first drink of whisky. Now l was no longer
ridicued by my fellow wOrkmen. but. on
the contrary, lauded. What Use to pro-
coed; became a drinker. neglected my
work; my savings were soon dissipated;
the tears and prayers of my wife had nO
effect upon me other than irritate me. One
article of furniture after the other was dis
posed of to the secondhand dealer. until at
last l even sold the bed of my wife and
children. Nv wife died of grief and sor-
row: the children were taken from me and
given home with respectable family. l
participated in burglary in consequence of
which, am now here. Out of an honest
workingman the happy head of family.
in two years whisky has transformed me
into a convict: my wife lies in her grave,
and my dear children are becoming stran-
gers to me; they must de>pise me-"
THE PRISON MIRROR, although not a
college publication is nevertheless worthy
the perusal of all into whose hands it comes.
1t is characterized by articles of a very edi-