The Washington times., 1895-04-23
CONVERTED IN PRISON.


Ample Proof Exists OF the Efficacy of
Christian Work Among Conyicts-
Editor Times: Referring to the article
in this mornings issue of your valued
paper, entitled mo Religious Service in
JAIL we desire to controvert the state
ment therein which reads as follows:
Concerning the efficacy of Christian
work in prison, it is stated that the records
will show almost without exception that
the prisoners who have been pardoned as
reformed b yreligious work have almost
without exception been engaged in crime
within year"
The casual reader might be led to think
from the reading of this paragraph that
religious work among the inmates of jails
and prisons does not amount to anything,
and is therefore useless. In other words,
that while the Bible declares that He is
able to save to the uttermost all who come
unto God by Him" we should add after
the word "all, - except those who are SO
unfortunate as 10 commit sins that are
punishable by law get found out and are
placed behind the bars TO serve term or
Imprisonment
Now this is false, as is abundantly proven
by the testimony of men and women who
can be heard at the Central Union Mission
almost every night in the year-men and
women who were saved in our jail or work
house.
The cities of our land are indebted to-day
for the great rescue mission work that is
being houored by God in saving thousands
annually of the wandering sons and daugh-
ters of earth TO Jerry McAuley, river
thief in New York, who, while serving
a tcn-year sentence in Sing Sing prison, W as
converted, and after his discharge came
back TO New York and there started the
great mission work which has become
recognized and important factor among
the agencies for the suppression OF evil
and the elevation OF the masses.
That statement in your paper, Mr.. Editor,
if made in q New York journal, would
probably bring prompt and sharp denials
from men such us DR.. Greer, of st. Bar
tholomews Protestant Episcopal Church;
Dr. Parkhurst, the well-known ''reformer;"
Rev. "Steye" Merritt, the great mission
preacher ofNew York; S. II. Hadley, super
intendent of the old Jerry McAuley Water
street mission. and others These men know
that the statement is false, because they see
the results OF this kind OF work daily
Converted criminals, like other converted
people, sometimes yield to temptation and
go back into snfulness, but God can and
does grandly and gloriously save men out OF
the lails and peDitentiaries OF our land.
Asmembers OF the committee on jail work
of the Y NJ c. A. we wish TO emphatically
deny the truth of the statement made and
to assure the Christian public Of Washing
ton that during the past thirteen years the
committee has been Iaboring among the
prisoners at the United states jail we have
known OF scores of cases OF men saved from
evil and criminal lives. Saved to home, to
friends, TO society, to God and TO heaven,
and we trust that a universal appeal VIII
be made by the Christian portion OF our
community TO the judges OF the courts call
ing for resumption OF religious services
in the jail.
GEORGE w WHEELER,
VIM. H. WOMERSLEY
A L. SWARTWOUT,
ALLEN WOOD,
Committee on jail Work OF the Y NJ. c. a.
April %, 1895.