The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
MRS. BOOTH DHER"BOYS"
THE UORK AMONG EI-CONVICTS
DONE At HOPE HALL

Methods by which Ex-Convicts Arc Helped.
Prayers for the recovery OF q certain sick
woman in this city are being offered daily by
$500 convicts. The woman is Maud Ballington
Booth, and the convicts are tho members of her
Volunteer Prison League. They are confined in
eight prisons in this and other States. Mrs.
Booth calls them my hoys" and tho %convicts
call her " Little Mother" For them she has
established a home which is called Hope Hall.
Its exact location is n secret; 1t is on n high hill
in the suburbs of this city overlooking the Hud-
son. Here convicts whose sentences have OK.
pired find an asylum until they are able to get
work. and those still in prison arc made to feel
that q home is awaiting them along with liberty.
Mrs. Booth was taken to the hospital where
she now lies on q Monday, and the last work
| she did was to write n New Years greeting to
the members of her Volunteer Prison League.
| Even when her very life was despaired OF. as
hundreds of touching letters were piled up by
her bedside she felt that after all the severe
physical effort. tho mental strain. md the heart
burnings were worth while.
II wish l could show you through Hope
/ Hall" said Miss Hughes. Mrs. Booths private
sfSrStf the home omen and ie its Work ~ but no that IS i'm:
possible. Mrs. Booth at the outset established
an infieYible rnle that no one should be a.
ton should never be made public. Even the
directors do not know where the home is. and
port. had so much respect for her wishes that it
refrained from publishing the address: Our
allowed to visit the home; II we allowed visit
ors there the home would BECOME an institution
and Mrs. Booths object would be defeated.
Hope Hall was opened n year ago last Au-
gust. and is entirely supported by contributions
G ia pnbfio % faiksiy T 1hhrHssn are Nn now s ioptg,a Sep %on
in the home. and the average is between that
n n=SsnSmo Snd tift fis which tMa ot il as many IN GEsr as we eS ean
Frank Mccormick and Sergeant George Muir
ray, are two of Mrs. Booths, own boys. She
Murray was what is known rs an old timer, and
IN mas th Kn0E Eastern tS lhe s p1tasse q when fSal'y he every comes nhes
downtown now on business tho police officers
suspicion. greet him with a friendly handshake.
Since the home has been governed by these two
o GsSd sinsis eo@pia %tns FROM ySu those in na the hall pe or
from the police who patrol that precinct; The
Captain Of the precinct Is on most friendly
anything at any time when we are inclined to
do SO. And this is unusual: since the attitude Of
Hope Hail is simply a stepping, stone from
not to harbor the men there, but to get them
into positions In the world. TO give them q new
s Weeks. Some Some o OF fne G. fs s3oP a wish o %s awG but Gr a .h fe%
hours; and still Others, members Of the yolun.
tee ,, Prison League, have wives and and 1T little Ioi homes onms
to us at all, Our family Is constantly shifting,
old ones going out and new ones coming in.
yates. and we have a graduates address book
so that we can keep in touch with each indi;
yidual. Already there are several hundred
You understand that we never have the
men Come Guef fso ns s hUPo p rse,i oe' Men sent aln U ap G for
petty theft, drunkenness, and like weaknesses
are not oI rssceeiyed, Mnls iy 10 # Ms Is Rs spseSSieSi 81 s Sase;
one she knows. We have no industries con.
nected with the home, for that also, would mako
| L institutional 1nt "a ~ hn MI TIM IT.
Der work. laundry work. cooking. and b%arnyard
work, for we have horses, cows and chickens.
had quite enough of that during. their prison
life. OF course, there are certain hours for
the members of tho family every morning; but
when that is done, in the afternoon all OF them
and s Sif o thei IF T tSsE Rfs GlG 70 so s aae sns ahsmsHidTf by
any one. Many of them hunt work for them
selves. After q certain hour in the evening the
panied aiV by yS an @ ofHcer. We ID do 9TH this. NJ because
wodo not trust them. but to protect them. Then.
can always account to tho police for the where.
abomts Of every man in Hope Hall.
There is n special labor department to secure
them employment. Appeals arc mostly made
to Christian business men. because Mrs. Booth
chance. 4 man up the State who heard her
speak at Chautauquaw wrote n few days ago say
ing that he would gladly give work to as man;
intelligence to be "A convict in a State prison.
Those who commit the crimes which usually
take them there have TO he pretty smart. and
we can supply everything from the common
~laborer to the, professional man. We
salosmen, md so on. But viii say for them
that even the hes, educated and most competent
ity. show a Willingness TO accept work of any
kind, even If II is to take II pick and work on the
streets"
''po these ex.conyicts generally give ~satisfac.
ton as employees !, asked the reporter.
uI ,We H h"Hs had am yeTy fST iail" Iin a sn serinia
number of months-threo, four, or FIVE, l can't
remember which-we placed ilfty:eight men.
tory, and now hold Their employment. W.
never place a man without letting the employer
nioycr and employee. A rich and influential
politician in Ibis city who Is a great personal
into his office. His other employees do not
know that, they are oX'convicts. and not long
~" Mrs. booth. The gratitude of those five II en-
Is unbonndcd. I've done nothing for them hut
give them work, and they can't seem to do
Mrs. Booth Gays herself that in all tho work
she has done in, sixteen years in this country
so grateful. or among whom she had such sat.
i~s.Aclory results from her efforts MS she has had
I'VE secure employment for many who do
not go to The. home Mt all; Only last night a
here. and We sent him and his wife out to Kan
sas. where we had secured employment for both,
I've w "gai%l i! N2o 10 of fH thc mcn " wRS come 90 si To Hope lps
Hall belong To the Volunteer Prison League
hut wc,Go not make that u condition
"Eight prisons are represented in the league
Three are IN New York, Sing sing. Auburn and
/, Clinton. The others are Mt Trenton, n. j..
Joliet, ILL.,. Charlcstown, Mass. Folsom and
San Quentin, Gal, and lately Mrs. Booth visited
Wnuunn, Wis. She forms a league in every
prison that shc visits, the members Joining vol
UNFAIRLY. The largest is in Joliet; II has more
than 400 members And the next largest are al
Sing Sing and Trenton. Each member is en-
rolled and receives Al certificate with the
rules of the league on IL 70 hang II
his cell. He also wears a button will
tho motto. Look UP and hope on hli
striped uniform. Then we send each member
the T0iHnfror Gazette every week, and tina
alone means an outlay Of $1,000 a year. no
counting tho other literature we send out
:. When the Little Mother visits n prison, aside
from the regular religious meetings. she holdi
a league meeting and visits tho members y
1 their cells. The wardens and chapiains are al
. in sympathy with her and her work, and take 1