The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-05-05


But all our cOnvicts are not like these.
There are men serving terms who have as
large hearts as any man in this land of ours.
1t has been said that man once imprisoned
loses all self. respect. and has no further
ambition to live honestly and uprightly
again. but that is not so. 1t very frequently
happens that his only ambition is to gain
his liberty and remOunt the eminence from
whence he has fallen. | remember dis
tinctly the case of convict who was serv-
ing sentence of ten years. When con-
vlcted he was the father of two daughters
in early girlhOod, and resided in one of the
largest cities in the state. During the
whole period of his imprisonment his one
desire was to gain his liberty and join his
family who had removed to city in Ver-
mont. Upon the day he gained his free
dom he took the first train for that city. At
the door he was met by his wife. She rec
OgniZed him, and was surprised to see him
there. He told her he had regained his lib
erty and had come home to spend the
remainder of his life with them, an honest
man. She would not admit him however.
She told him circumstances had changed
since the time he left them. the girls had
grown into womanhood and were highly
respected by large circle of friends. In
this new home nobody knew the history of
their father. He was dead to the world in
which they then lived. The elder girl was
engaged to be married to one of the leading
young men of the place, and the other had
bright prospects; the fathers presence
would occasion an explanation which might
lead to the real truth, the disclosure of which
would break the daughters engagement
and ruin the family forever. He could not
be admitted. 1t was better that he should
20 away, and he did, never to return
Within two months that man was serving a
life sentence. He had no home but the
prison. | remember another man who was
an inmate of one of our large prisons. He
had been convicted of being an accOmplice
of man who passed a counterfeit note.
and was sentenced to long term. He had
one of the most beautiful women for wife
that human eyes ever beheld. But she was
possessed of heart that was false. Soon
after his conviction he heard she was living
liable; for hours he would pace his cell,
swearing vengeance upon his rival. He
never blamed his wife, however, and when
in the midst of those storms of anger his
lips would pasSiOnately kiss a photograph
of her who had been unfaithful. The war
den was told of his condition, and one day
had him taken to his Office where he
tried to reason with him, but to no avail.
The man only threw himself upon a chair
and wept like a child when the subject was
introduced. Shortly after that he became
sullen and his whole manner changed; his
face had no longer the expression of sor-
row. of disappointment. but was set with a
resOlute determination of what nature none
knew, for he absolutely refused to talk.
He at length regained his liberty, and on
the evening of that day was arrested for
numbering both his wife and her paramour.
He was hanged but few years ago.
A prison is wonderful school wherein a
student of human nature may CLEAN fund
of valuable information which would re-
quire volumes to delineate. Humanity is
there in all its phases. the real wicked in
abundance. the foolish in large numbers,
the unfortunate ever present. and the innO-
cent occasionally. CIVILIZED.