The Labor enquirer., 1888-02-04

question W 'nn2tes q 9ies
Sin, prison
| :, A..w uiu you SSt ncics
3. To what particular cause or
influence do you consider your
fall from the grace of society due1
;. Whom do you consider re-
sponsible for your fall or for your
punishment and present positiona
a. What were the home infu-
ences surrounding your boyhood
life and early manhood7
The answer received from one
of the poor unfortunate victims
of our crime-breeding system con-
tains food for thought as well as
whole sermon in support of
socialism:
John Barnabas, serving his
fourth term. Barber BY trade
and sentenced in Orange County
by Judge Brown. September IS,
1882, for ten years, for burglary
in the first degree and grand lar
ceny wrote:-
Il answer respectfully and con-
sclentiously the following ques-
tions:
No..I- came here for violating
the law which every man oughtto
respect and obey if founded on
equity and l believe would be
more generally honored by the
poor if it was more merciful to
them and less partial too. But
can that ever / willie rvne
the root of evi ..gaa shs
Sir my first fall j,.ssly s,.rlD lte
to my ignofAi ,and Want ot
moral culture. was tJt ilteen
and had alwaj ocis @ign
the ignorant a cd, aol
from choice but destiny. 1t was
SO orderded by Providence, and
now l am here for burglary which
l committed to get money and
not to crafty a love of funor a
natural propensity to steal. Butt
had worked hard for somebody
two years and four months for
only a bad name and went out,
sick and disgusted with myself
and the meanness of everybody,
with four dollars and sixty cents.
| had to live b, could not make
an honest living if / had wanted
to, for ! had not strength to work.
You should give every man a rea-
sonable chance togo out we'll and
strong. A healthy man able to
make an honest living is fool to
come here. But there are such
and some fare first class. Sec
ondly sir it was not whiskey that
caused my downfall but want of
knowledge and moral sensibility.
| did not know or feel that self
respect. patriotism and morality
which are all essential to prosper
ity and happiness required that |
should be honest and industrious.
In my ignorance | supposed the
very things that destroy life and
happiness, made life glorious and
delightful. But have learned
my mistake by getting more en-
llightened. But it may be too late.
However ! know it now. Thirdly
you ask whom consider respon-
sible. cannot say whom. None
but an allwise and just God can
determine who is most response
Bile. 1t must,be shared however
between myself and others. /
am guilty of the crime now suf-
fer for and feel grateful to the
Judge who sentenced me as he
gave me the least penalty the law
would permit. But / will say be-
fore Heaven that if there had
been more clemency shown to
former sins and more equity and
mercy and less vengeance or vim
dictiveness on the part of some
who had more zeal than wisdom
to protect society. those crimes
might not have been committed.
] have long been sick Of this life
but have been forced by fate to
follow it. ! have not space to
say more. Fourthly | have al
ready spoke of my early associa-
tions, vice and ignorance. But
what do self-rightecus people say
to that7 Why such men are born
to be vicious;it is hereditary vice.
But are they right, not by Jug
full.