The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-02-13
GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE.


absorbing topic of Saltwater conversation.
Much that is said in our favor is true and
much that is said against us is likewise true.
We are neither wholly good nor wholly bad;
but as a rule we are in one sense or another
bad. We do not pose as goody goOdy fell
lows nor as martyrs. and we do not thank
any one for making us ridiculous by holding
us up before the public as such. A very
few claim to be innocent; many claim to
have been unjustly dealt with either in the
way of extreme sentence or unfair treat
ment by the prosecutions; but the great ma
jOrity take their medicine and say nothing.
They do not court sympathy neither do they
complain. They come, serve out their sen.
tence and depart, some to renew a crooked
career. some to begin life on new basis,
and all are soon lost sight of in the turmoil
of the busy world. 1t is standing joke
that all convicts are innocent; but it is not
a fact that even small proportion of them
make any such claim when questioned by
persons who have any claim on their con-
idence. People come into the prison and
go up to a convict, and about the third
question they ask IS, Are you guilty?" and
the answer is nearly always mo" These
same persons, were some stranger to come
to their homes and ask them if they had a
skeleton in their closet, would say NO.
and order the impudent intruder to walk.
We are human beings and all that may be
done to separate us from the common herd
OF grOtesque garments will not do
it, and we certainly will not do it ourselves
to accommodate those who are nothing good
or great save as they can make it appear
selves. We know what we are and just
what our relative position is in the human
family. We know the difference between
free man and convict, an honest man
and criminal, better than our opposites do
for they have seen only one side of the pic
ture. while we have seen both sides. We
Go not compare ourselves with the best peO-
pie nor do we wish them to consider them
consider ourselves just as good as the thou
sands upon thousands of free men, called
respectable. whom we know are every bit
as dangerous rogues as we ever dared be.
conspiracy to overthrow the established or
der of things. The men who are to day doing
most to undermine public morals and en-
danger the stability of our free institutions
do not belong to the class of criminals
found in the prisons of the land. but they
are the creators of large proportion of that
class-they set the examples that fools at
tempt to emulate to their sOrrOw--they are
the common rogue's Justification. See what
the chief rogues tried to do in North Da-
kOta. Does anyone doubt the fact that
hundreds of men in high places were dis
hOnOrably connected with that lottery
scheme? Read the newspapers and you
will see that almost every day some gigantic
fraud. worked by men in high places. is be-
ing brought to light. We believe all truly
enlightened persons attribute crime to the
imperfect social conditions of the masses
and is an evil inherited from the gen.
eratOns of the past. Rev. DR.. Burrell. of
Minneapolis. says "that whenever a muir
der or other crime is committed the respon-
siblity in part rests upon the individuals
whose private or official acts make it pos
sible." We do not deny our individual re-
sponsibility for being criminals. nor do we
think that we should not be punished for
our misdeeds, but we do not think it is for
our own good or the public good that we
should be degraded and forced to a lower
level of humanity in prison than we would