The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-06-25
SINGING TO CONVICTS.
YOUNG WOMEN WHO DEVOTE THEIR
TALENTS TO CHARITY.

the Outcasts of Society.
There are two young women in Brook.
Ign who have laid out for themselves q
most unusual line of duty, and who have
so modestly and quietly pursued it that
this is probably the first time their
names have ever come before the public.
These noble young women are the
Misses Mary and Lizzie Borneman, who
have consecrated their lives to work
among prisoners and the very poor of
the city. They were born in the old
part of the city lying beyond Willough-
by street and Adams, and in that vicin-
ity their lives have been spent. For the
last five years they have lived with their
parents and sisters at 36l ,Jnv street, and
are very domestic, industrious girls, car
ing for their younger sisters and aiding
their mother in a good old fashioned
way so seldom in vi,gue now.
or all the family they :wo alone are
endowed with the i1tt OF song, Mary
having Il strong, clear soprano and Liz
zie a contralto OF wonderful strength
and beauty. To them the gift seemed
to be divinely given, and they decided
even while children that it must be used
for some good end, some purpose.
For a time they sang in churches, re-
ceiving large salaries for their services,
but this seemed "a selfish use of their
beautiful voices, and aver against the
wishes of their parents they began on
Easter Sunday, ten years ago, to sing in
Raymond Street Jail at Chaplain Bass
morning services, and from that time
their talents have been devoted entirely
to this work. Every Sunday morning
at y o'clock they are admitted to the
corridor of the Jail, and every Tuesday
evening. and no prisoner who has beer
locked within those walls during the
past ten years but has been comforted
by the sound of their voices. Once in
the month always, sometimes twice,
they sing in the Kings County peniten-
tiary in the afternoon, and since the In
dustrlal home has been started they
sing there Sunday and Thursday even
ings. Aside from these services thew
sing often in concerts given for chart
table purposes.
Nor are their duties entirely confined
to singing. Often they are sent for by
some poor prisoner, and never a call
comes in vain. At any time they are
ready to go with words of comfort or
little gifts of some kind to the darkest
cell, to the most desperate prisoner.
Next to Rev. Mr.. Bass himself. these
two young women are best known and
best beloved of any persons in Brooklyn
by the outcasts of society.
"Not a few times said Miss Lizzie to
a reporter, "have we acted as brides
maids in the Jail and %penitentiary. and
signed our names as witnesses to
the marriage contracts. Quite as often,
too, have we stood as godmothers to
poor little prison born babes. We are
often sent for 20 sit beside the sick pris-
oners, and have seen deaths, too, within
the prison walls"
"Have you ever known many of the
criminals here"
"Oh, yes. The saddest duty we ever
had to perform in our lives has been to
visit some of the condemned men in
Street Jail. | shall never for
get the morning Mills was hanged. He
was convicted of wife murder, and be-
fore his death was converted to Chris
tianity through Mr.. Bass efforts. He
often wanted MS to sing for him, and to
the last we went. The little organ was
placed just outside his cell door, and
we would sing and Mr.. Bass would
ak to him. 1t seemed always to cheer
nim until the day before the execution,
when, while we were there, the clothes
ne was to wear, even to the slippers and
lose, We're brought to him, and then he
seemed stunned and was like one turned
% stone. He seemed then to fully realize
lis position, and from that moment lost
I'll OF his cheerfulness. 1t was his wish
hat we come again in the morning, and
If ourse we went and sang as long as
We were permitted to stay"
"Were you with any others at such a
ime?:"
Eyes, we We're with jefferson before
hat.
I'VE were afraid to go near McElvaine's
ell. He was SO coarse and brutal that
lis language was not fit for us to hear.
lie is the only prisoner we have met who
as mot behaved like a gentleman in our
When we We're visiting Mills,
very day Kramer, the burglar, occu-
he'd III adjoining cell and used to hang
blanket up to his door that he might
lot see us, and we were very careful
to look toward his cell. One day,
lowever, Mills told us that Kramer
to speak to us, and we noticed
hen that there was no screen at the bars
+ his cell. He asked us to sing some
hymn of his, and from that time
eemed very friendly. He afterward was
entenced to two years and a half in the
and while there sent for us
0 come to see him. He was q desperate
IAN, and had broken out of every prison '
a which lie had ever been confined and
ad won for himself the sobriquet of '
Bolts and Bars"
Few young women truly have wit
essed such scenes rs have these young {
missionaries. and their home is {
Hal xvy.tl, l,Etl- .,ft, tol-a,- I