New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-16
THIRTY YEARS OF SERVICE.
SPECIAL EXERCISES AT THE KINGS
COUNTY PENITENTIARY TO-DAY.
THEY WILL COMMEMORATE TIE GOOD AND LONG
WORK OF THE PRISON CHAPLAIN. THE
REV DR. JOB BASS

rury WILL, COMMEMORATE TIE GOOD AND LONG
WORK OF THE PRISON CHAPLAIN. THE
REV DR. JOB BASS
c,so,al services will he held in the chapel of the
xinss County Pcnitentiary az 23o o'clock this
.,,ornoon in commemoration OF the thrtieth ami
versarv Of the installation OF the Rev DR. Job
pee &C chaplain Of that institution and 81 900 will
y. presented TO the venerable preacher token
~ respect and esteem for his long and faithful
..rvice The Rev Mr. Bass ordained chaplain
:, tho penitentiary in August. 1866 and his
-. heen nllcd with hundreds Of interesting Incl
dents which. 10 the outside world seem almost
Incredible
I, vss in 1856 during the cholera epidemic. thai
=. at the request Of Samuel Booth. then Mayor of
rrooklvn began his work at the pententiary. He
o-s, came TO the city In 1854. and had been con
,,sd for many years with the work Of the Fleet
S,,ee, Methodist Episcopal Church. the James
chrrch the Nostrand Avenue Church. the Embury
church and the Nathan Bangs Church. now known
,s the New York Avenue Church During the war
hs Rev Mr. Bass acted as the chaplain Of the %th
p.g,noent Of New-York Volunteers. After three
.oors of work in caring for the physical as well
as the spiritual wants Of the soldiers ne was de-
.ued for service In New Orleans. Here he bad
barge Of the Methodist Church until relieved by
~. Newman the present Bishop Newman. AFTER the
~ he became the acting chaplain in the navy
a q, Washington u c. In the year 1860 he re-
= II.
~ -, CIV Mission and Tract Society He Is
n Lroun by all philanthropic and Christian
rrors IN the city He is now eighty years Ola,
-, has full beard and heavy head OF mar OF
- whiene.s. Notwithstanding these indlc'-
.,ous of his years. however. he is man fuli OF
v,ror has a clear. strong sympa'he'c voice -nu
.'sor sneaking seems scarcely more than sixty
years old .,,,,,e,
-, rp1rs TO HELP RELEASED CONNECTS.
al "A
nv 80 ,b. unfortunate inmates of the peni-
sO'a' hut also is engaged constantly in works
y. hiIonthropic and humanitarian nature lie
rss care Of the correspondence Of some oil the
rv,cts acts as a banker for others ana III many
osss has been known 10 accept the purueh VI .''
,,nor, Of some Of the prisoners famihes' foi
tar,,es that are entirely dependent upon some OF
49, r-soners DR. Bass supplies n bountiiul dlhher
- a., Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. lie
icons close watch upon the prisoners VINO "'o -
he discharged in the near future. anu ih"h'9 P"'
ticrlar study OF their needs and helpS u'H " !"
Gin a new life Of honest toll one OF inc men III
u.boro tho chaplain Is particularly interested Is
,~.ar ho,L president from Maryland. This man
O. IN ,urr entirely devoted to his chaplain ne -
q u,t,e deaf but attends the services each SUNDAY
and sits in a chair which is near the pulpit III O'U'
that he NAV hear all that is said Nheh seen uS
reporter yesterday afternoon ana ISM life
f. FEY Bos pas said oD' u ''' w
hen DpOple ask me 10 reIdtt '-''
ences and some incidents OF ,soIi 90 f,ll If in
eaeo II hardly know where 70 begin so ldIi VI -
usor,rnatc men The average attendance al the
services at the penitentiary Is apo9' ~, u orerv
ra,ionaIitv and religious sect under the sun a
Catholic clergy man also visits me pentei" mai
10 ~ course holds services for members OF thdl
Ii,b' hui I'm my congregation. there are Yen oi
twelve Jews one Mussulman ana TWO Nn'd d1 nris
rra order and attention of my hearers are away
the best ana many b exsSressed his wish that his
sing
feelIne that marks the singing Of the convic's'
TYPES OF FEDERAL PRISONERS
The mos; interesting class of men with whom
have 10 deal are the Federal prisoners Many peo-
rlo are aware OF the fact that the GoVerhmen'
..,ds some Of It's criminals TO Crow Hill. but the
fact &c that more Federal prisoners are consigned
NC than 10 any other prison. There are AT
r-sser, 80 of them They are interesting because
So large number Of them are men VINO nave m"u
the advantages of home culture education po""
cal preferment and so fOrth-hank presloe''S anu
rnor from the Postoice and other de- artmeh's OF
,ba Government OF course there are among the
Federal prisoners horse and cattle thieves ana IL
Ncit whiskey disters but these too. are interest
e On account OF the complete lack OF all education
OF refinement in their makeup. Why, there are
several men brought here from parts of Tennessee
T.xas and the Indian Territory who never saw A
Jlbe before they entered the Kings County Penlten.
tary Men Of this class make up peculiar held or
labor but astonishing results are often obtained
Il have correspondcd with convicts IN every part
Cf this country and IN every part % Europe. In
fact | had letter recently from woman in Bull
raria who used 20 be prisoner here shouldn't
care 20 advocate q term in the pcnitentary as the
lest preliminary theological training but It is fact
that four men. who not very long ago wore striped
clothes at Crow Hill, now regularly ordained
ministers OF the Gospel
When one the inside OF prison life cannot
tut pity those who subjected TO IL, ana yet as
look at IT, the mere Confinement Is nothing IN com
parison TO the load of disgrace which the confne
rnent heaps upon man and the almost helpless OBJ
tect that Il makes of him. Many and many man
has come to upon his release and said: What
an J 10 do? And when you think It over. what
can a man In that position do? He must either 90
20 and make up good reputation out Of
whole cloth. with chance Of being discovered in
his deception. he must return 10 his old life OF
crime OF these two alternatives. the latter gen
orally holds forth the most promising opportunity
20 criminals. II Is my constant endeavor to study
the character OF these cOnVicts that when their
terms expire NAV. II possible, lead them into
useful and honest career"