The morning call., 1892-06-12
HE WAS A TRUSTY

The Warden Of the Valetta penitentiary
was appointed to his place by virtue OF hav-
Ing been a political "hustler" of the first
magnitude. But something in the vast and
sorrowful spectacle Of human life from the
roint of view of prison warden worked
mighty change in him. His narrow, intense
soul became absorbed in the effort to re-
deem those 500 outcasts committed 20 his
charge Even his outer man underwent
subtle transformation When be had been
the political hustler referred TO he was COM
monty known as jolly good fellow, given
to standing treat at lection time, mana
and glove with ''the boys" and o. roilck-
ing turn Of mind generally. lie was Oeio"
medium height and well made, but there
beamed all over him a careless good nature,
graceful tolerance of all sorts Of iniqutty
In man or woman-always provided that the
man in the case voted the straight ticket oi
his party and the woman was IN want oI
help Bus after the man, so to speak De-
came another man, when the poiltlcai huSV-
Ter changed into the apostle OF pTisonerS'
his ewes looked as if they saw somethlne
beyond this earth; his hair and beard SUD
denly turned gray, and lie walked Ike
Iaborer carving neavy load.
He had a soft-voicei, MetbOdistical wife,
who loved him. Before the change came
She had mourued and lamented over him as
renegade bound for perditOn on account
OF his unhOly ASSOCIATION with the boys
After he became Warden, though, he looked
back to these former days with an acute
ness 0f rem0rse that only noble enthusiast
can feel. When al night his wife in sol
emuly sweet tones read chapter in tue
Bible to him he would listen humbly, and
when she finished and, kissing the book
lrr aflffn q n TrnE AAnp
den kneeled toe, while his wife made the
prayer
Il amt worthy to pray" he would say.
I've led a wicked, goddess lie. but your
life is rs White as mine was black, aud.
besides, l don't see how nah can have the
almighty impudenCe 10 make prayer be-
fore a good woman, anyhow '-fOr the War
den's wife was good woman and the War
den thought her au angel.
They had one child-a yelOw-haired five
year-old-a real snow maiden, who seemed
to have been born laughing and TO have
laughed ever since. She had never known
anything different from the SOmbeT house
OF the Warden. and the gloomy prison was
not gloomy TO her eyes. She often begged
TO be taken over to the great stone quad
Tangle, TO see the prisoners pass IN to their
meals. Her childish eyes saw nothing uu-
usual in their locked step and their striped
clothes, and the mother, being consumed
with the FIRE Of an apostle, ike the father,
one Of the humaniZIng agents 10 bear upon
these souls that they l0nged to save.
or was II lost upon the prisoners. Ia
tie great W0TkrOOms, where the men sat in
long rows, obliged 10 be silent. working sui
lenly. while guards armed TO the teeth
watched them. the Warden would some
times enter, holding his little daughter by
the hand The child would escape from her
father, and going fearessly among the
prisoners would talk 10 them and laugh
meTrily al theiI whispered TepiieS-because
1t soon became an unWTiJten law that no
man was 20 be punished for answering the
AaTden's little daughter, She had her
taY0rltes, but she was disposed TO be
friendly with all Of them. and answered
even q look with How You was ." They
made her toys and games Ia their l6iSaTe
hours, and it-waS one of her childish llu-
siOns that all the time they we're working
they were making her something pretty"
You know" said the Warden 20 his Vile,
there amt any danger iL taking her among
the poor fellows. Not one Of them would
hurt her for million of dollars. I believe"
Il know they wouldn't answered his
wife, calmly. "but even if I dIdu't know il
I'd let her 90 among 'em. Shes an instru-
ment lent Us by the Lord for their good,
and 1t Is our duty 10 let our child do all ths
good she can'-by which it will be seen
that the NardPn'S wife was as great a
fanatic as the Warden himself.
But unlike most fanatics, the Warden
was sInEuaTly practical in the performance
of his duty. Justice was his duty-mercy
bis own personal, private indulgence. He
could sentence convict to punishment with
a calm and pasSiOnless Justice that would
have done honor TO the greatest judicial Of
fee in the world, ana that he could 20 to the
prisoners cell and kueel down and pray for
him, and plead with him as if they were
brethren. More than that: besides under
standing the practical wants OF prisoners
soul, lie knew the practical needs Of his life,
and II was the Wardsn's tirei6sS eudeavOr
that no man, IN going forth a freeman,
should be driven 10 crime because Of inabil-
Ity to make living. In short. by the devO-
lion OF two lives, together with strange in
teligencs regarding that terrible part OF hu-
manlty with which the Na'etta penIteutiaTy
was uled, the Warden managed TO make his
institution model OF its mourn!ul kind.
1t was the Warden custom to oselect from
the prisoners some one Of them that be
could use as sort Of right-haBd man, and
this man was called the WaTden'S ''tTusty,"
'ITusty," for the time being, was a middle
aged man, who had a short term TO serve
Tor completely IN a small robbery. lie had
always borne good character before, and
be earned better one according 10 the
ethics prevailing II the stone quadrangle.
be was often sent into town alone on
errands, when lie would pnt of bis striped
garments for an ordinary suit of clothes
and sometimes he would be trusted with
the Narden's horse aud buggy. but he never
failed TO return. His penitenee for his
OHeE5e was loud, and his good behavior
shortened his term to little more than two
years.
On the day "Trusty's" term was up he
appeared in the morning dressed in new
dark clothes and his m0stache trimmed uD,
for IL was one Of the Warden's indulgences
that month before a man was to be re-
leased his beard might be allowed 10 grow
so as to obliteTate as far as possible the
prison marks. The Warden after breakfast
summoned "Irusty" into his small, gloomy
sltung-roOm. where little ceremony always
took place upon a prisoners release. The
W arden there gave him such money as the
prisoner had earned, and as much more as
the " arden could spare from his salary
because there was no saving from il. The
Warden and his wife had but one idea, to
spend and be spent for the prisoners. Then
he gave the eX-cOnviCt z little advice and
pleaded with him as a father might plead
With son, that tie would lead an upright
lie. Hls vile would then read the sermon
on the mount and make a prayer, kneelng
with her hand on the eX-cOnYicts shoulder,
and the little girl would give him a Bible.
Never, IN all their experience of Thieves
murderers, aud all other criminals that
tiled the Naletta peuitentiarg, had the
" arden and his wife met with anything but
gratitude and respect at this time. Most Of
the eX-cOnVicts Wept and promised pro-
fusely and some of them kept their prOmi-
ses; but when this particular "trusty" en-
tered tie room on that last morning, ha
neither wept nor promised. He simply took
the money the Warden gave him. and got up
TO 90.
Il don't want no prayers" he said. ''nor
no preachin' neither. 1 aim sorry I came
here; Pm frst-class shoemaker now and
when l came here l couldn't Go nothing
but stand behind a counter and sell nails
and old junk and sucn. | was all broke up
with bad livin', and now Pm in first-class
condition. Don't you bother about me,
Warden; my character amt no worse than
It always was; just got found out at that
last clip, but / tell you, staying in this hotel
bas just been a streak o. luck. Good morn
lug to you; Pm gOin' to behave right in the