The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-01-11
Convict Honor.
Editor Mirror:

Convict Honor.
Editor Mirror:
Speaking of the veracty of convicts as
class, l must agree with the gentleman,
Mr.. Seward. interviewed On the subject; but
then, we must excuse them on the ground
that they are only human and in no wise
different from the balance of the race. The
George Washington hatchet and cherry-tree
epoch is past and gone. and is an extreme
youth of the present day would have done
likewise under similar circumstances? Now
it would have been Father, l didn't do it;
it was Johnny Jones'" do not doubt the
cherry-tree story 1t is so easy to believe,
when we consider the small number of G.
WIS we have had. l know there is truth
in the world, but not more out of prison
than in prison. comparatively. Place every
man in this prison in the social class in
which he formerly moved and you will find
him as truthful as his class. Not more so;
neither any less so. Some would be nOtOri-
Gus liars, some would lie occasionally. and
some not at all; but none would differ from
their class l believe l understand why
cOnvicts are looked upon as so many liars.
1t is because they will lie to any extent to
prove their innocence of the crime they are
charged with having committed and after
they are sent to prison they will lie about
their case in order to gain sympathy of phil
anthrOpists. through whom they may get
pardoned Who can blame them for lying
in this case, when they are simply following
the first law of ture-self-preServatiOn?
When a man is brought up for trial and he
thinks that by lying he can save himself
from serving number of years in the pen
itentiary. he would be worse than a fool
were he to admit his guilt. Do you not
think so? Il am writing this for the peru
sal of people of this world and not those
who live in the stars. The gOody-goody peO-
pie will say he would have done right to
admit his guilt: but in their minds they
would say he would have been fool had he
done so. The human race is the same
wherever it is found, and the natural ten
dency of the human race is to lie, where
selfinterest is at stake; if not to lie. to at
least prevaricate. Perhaps some will say,
"This fellow is a satirist or crank, and
probably a msanthrOpiSt." A ''Satirist?"
Well, perhaps yes; but only according to my
definition Of the word satire, i. e., unpaat-
able truth. A ''crank?" Well, only so far
as every man is ''crank" who has hobby;
mine is the study OF human nature. A
''misanthropist?" Not at all. Ten min
utes' conversation with any one thinking so.
and | think they will never apply the ap-
pellation to me again. | have mixed in all
kinds Of society, from the class to be found
at presidential receptions at Wash"..tiOn,
to the class that hauntS the slums of the
Five Points of New York. and l find the
natural tendency Of the human race to lie,
where self-interest is concerned. the same
in all classes. | do not guess at this; ]
know it from observation. A man of ordi-
nary discernment can detect liar at once,
and | assure you [ have seen a large num-
Der who never wore stripes. l do not advO-
cate lving-far from it-but my natural
dulInesS of comprehension Il suppose) will
not allow me to see the difference between
prisoners and freemen. / hope no one will
miscOnstrue what l have written. No
doubt there are many here who could treat
the subject more ably than |, but was not
sure any one would appear and felt it in
cumbent to uphold the shred of honor re-
naming to class of which | have unwil-
llngly become member. Yours :rnthfuliy,
JAM +, 1888. p3,CFkIX.