Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-05
Courts and Detectives Responsible
for Many Ruined Life.
WHEN A POOR FELLOW SLIPS
A Judges Severity Pushes Him on and
YidOcqs Keep Him Down.
LEAVES OF A MINISTER'S EXPERIENCE
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH ]

l.
at last how 1 succumbed.''
1t was sad letter all through, written b
a young man with as fair countenance 6
you would want to look upon, who at tn
time of writing was serving out sentenc
In one OF our prisons. Thus he pours fort
his sorrows and poignant regrets: "Afte
the lapse of 20 years, what sad thing it
to find myself amid ruined houses, to 81
down in my lonely cell and say, Thus ia
life has been failure Yet to how many
this the wretched summing up at the end Q
a single score of yesrs from the time tina
reason takes the helm. Alas, that so fey
who start wrong ever succeed in finding tn
right way, life proving, even to its las
burdened years miserable failure. Am
| to be one of the few who shall succeed il
| finding the right way? Or shall go dow
with the many who know no returning"
In Prison Through q False Friend.
His story was a sad one. When
mere youth in another city he hat
been inveigled into the commission of
crime which resulted in his Imprisonment
Without the courage to face public opinion
when his sentence had been served he came
to this city in the hope of redeeming hi
character, without advising his widowed
mother and sister of his intentions. Under
an assumed name he made a brave effort tc
secure employment without success until he
at last found himself friendless and penni-
less among strangers. At that critical
moment he encountered an acquaintance
who had served with him in prison, to
whom he detailed his troubles.
His friend expressed willingness to help
him, and so placed in his hands a watch
which he requested him to pawn and retain
half the proceeds. He hurried off to pawn.
shop, disposed of the watch and was on his
way back to his companion, when a rude
hand was laid upon his shoulder and harsh
voice informed him that he was under ar
rest. After a few weeks confinement in
Jail he was arraigned for having stolen goods
in his possession and after a very brief
trial was sentenced to prison. 1t was vain
for me to intercede with the Judge who
sentenced him to have mercy on him. The
poor fellows record was laid before the
Judge stating that he had already done
time in prison, and so he gave him a severe
sentence. It was when his time in the
prison was almost out that he thus wrote to
me, and at the close OF his letter he tells
me, what I had been advising him all along,
81 have taken means to inform my mother
and sister Of my imprisonment, which /
thought would be easier for them to bear
than the anxiety which my continued
silence would cause"
A Reformation and Its Reward.
On being discharged he called to bid me
goodby, and then hurried home with the
earnest resolve to live a straightforward
life. For long time hoped to hear from
him, but no word was received, and so with
the many whom 1 had hoped to hear good
things Of but who had been caught in the
whirlpool of vice and ruined, ceased to
think about him. A year passed, and was
seashore. One night while passing along
the brilliantly lighted streets, which were
crowded with gay throng of pleasure
seekers, suddenly felt a touch upon my
shoulder, and turning around found my
self face to face with the young man whose
story have Just related. Leaning on his
arm was beautiful young lady who bore
striking resemblance to him, and whom he
introduced to me as his sister. The moment
he mentioned my name to her she ex-
claimed ooh, my brother has told mother
and me about you"
And then the two went on to tell me his
troubles, and how he had succeeded in find
ing honest employment and was at that
time enjoying brief rest kindly given him
by his employer. A happier, more hopeful
one whom the judge who sentenced him to
prison, in private conversation with me,
pronounced thief and also warned ME that
I was wasting my time in trying to do any,.
thing for him.
Justice Tempered With Mercy.
am very free to admit that the sanguine
hopes inspired by those who have been
overtaken in the commission of crime are
often, possibly in the large majority of
cases, doomed to be disappointed, yet I have
learned from long experience that the harsh
judgments which are sometimes expressed
by those whose duty it is to deal with
are occasionally demonstrated to
be cruelty unjust. My experience further
leads me to the conclusion that infinitely
more injustice is done to law-breakers BY
undue severity than by the judicious exer-, ]
else of mercy.
In the divine administration the most
prominent feature in the punishment of.l
offenders is that of mercy always, and to the
most palpably guilty. With us, crimi-
nal's word never accounts for anything,
while hound of detective, who dogs the |
discharged criminals footsteps, bars him in |
,very possible way against finding honest |
and by his persistent persecu- |
ion comPels him to seek the society of
,ome partakers in their infquities, is allowed |
% blight and blast the unfortunate wretch |
md compel him against his efforts and in
linations to remain criminal to the day Of |
lis death.
Here is another letter in my batch, from an
Unfortunate man, locomotive engineer |
gho had stopped over in our city, being
4
7as accused of stealing watch while in
tate of intoxication. A miserable old |
urnfp was the watch, not worth a dollar at
he best, but in spite of the poor fellows
and simply because he brought
o one to vouch for him he got a hard
entence. The fact was that the man was
0 utterly
Humiliated by Such a Charge
nat he preferred to endure anything rather
nan allow his friends to know of his trouble.
nd so he was consigned to felon's cell,
nough he had spotless character and
stter which now lies before me requests me
} come and see him. Through friend who
ept his ecret for him he was enabled to
ear fir, m his family regularly. His little
lild had just died, his aged mother lay
with sickness, while his wife was
reaking her heart over his strange and un-
xplained absence. l trust that the good
ord will not deal too harshly with an officer
eHo piiSou hnu my ooiA ~ ~ "n,so t,cs |
'hich we helped the poor man to send to his
ife apologizing for his absence, but studi-
nsly concealing the fact that he was serv-
lg out his sentence in prison. And what q
me we had of it when the man was out get
ng him into passably good shape and send
Ig him home to his dear ones. As after
ard learned, his identity never became
nown rs having done time In our prison,
nd by honest attention to his duties his un-
experience in this city was in q
easure forgotten.
Here is another conclusion to which
ave come. If those whose duty it is to pass
ntence upon their fellowmen had any con-
,ption of what q month or a year taken out