New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-12
"THE PRISONERS FRIENn -
HENRY c. L. DORSEY WHO DIED On
GENTLY. AND HIS WORK FOR
UNFORTUNATES
From The Hartford Courant.

was given over TO the good Of his unfornno,,
fellow-rien, TO those known the crimirs,
classes. and his charity was as broad AZ '', s
land. '
Even Mr.. Dorsey's full name vas known -
few II was Henry Chew Lewellan. He was y
native Of Kentucky. the son of a planter and :,
His taste ran 20 painting. and. although NOT A.
educated artist. he turned out fancy sigma .nS
other similar work that was in demand Tro~'
Bile with his father led him TO leave home ana
he became confidential bookkeeper for firm ~
4 Western city. While in this position to sava
a friend. he fixed" the books If the firm. va
detected and went TO State prison.
This experience developed the keynote NJ b
character He came TO believe that MANY ma
who were not bad at heart, but who had plavsd
their hands bad as he expressed IT, were (,
the jaiIs and prisons Of the country. and he
10 alleviate their distress and better their con.
ditiOn. He became known To thousands AZ N.
man who would offer bail for any who coud
convince him that ne was innocent II the crime
charged. whether a stranger or not. and he nor
sOnally investigated all cases brought to his A.
tenton.
He made an offer 70 all the states in TIA
Union to furnish annually the money for tur
key dinner for the convicts in the State prisons
Connecticut alone IF the states formally AZ.
cepted his proposition by act Of the Legislature
ana the Dorsey dinner has since been annlallv
xiv ~ az tn" State prison-for nearly twenty-five
years Mr. Dorsey turned over - the Stat
about - 800 the income of which has furnished
tn, money for the dinners or late years this
has had 20 be supplemented 20 a slight exter,
through The generosity Of the warden the nun.
Der II prisoners having increased.
Il was NJ. Dorsey's original Intention - have
The dinner given only t. the ions-t"rm men and
tn" d, serving. but this could not he carried out
As it dis riminat"i among tn" prisoners
Years ago Mr. Dorsey had several friends IN
Hartford but nearly all are gone Tom" Vail
was schooihOv with him IN Kentucky and
later they became .irm friends here. Mr.. Dor.
Sry's most steadfast friend has been Matt H
IcWins. ana H. tells many incidents in Nr
Dprsey's career that serge 10 illustrate his De.
cuariiies Mr.. Hewns said last night that hs
believed Dorsey spent some time m the South
after leaving Kentucky. At any rate il vas
years after h. left home before h. turned up in
pawtucket At that time NJ had acquired
fortune. although no one knew how. He Owned
several houses in Providence and collected no
rent At on" time h. told Mr. HrWirs that one
poor fellow. who had meyer paid rent was going
- leave him. and he didn't know whore he
going to get another. At one time when Mr.
Hewins was visiting Dorsey in PaAtucket
shabby old woman fell on her knees a D0rseys
feet I'm ~. street. crying Ou: God bless you
sir. God bless YOU II transplrei hat her sou
had been arrested for some cause MIR. Dorsey
satisfied himself ~ the young mans innocence
AMI obtained his release. II was Just after this
that the lads old mother met Dorsey in the
street and expressed her gratitud"
Mr.. Dorsey did not come 10 the Dorsey lin
ncr" last year but IT was some time before bis
friends here knew the reason They found ou.
late IN The winter. that from abundant means
Mr. Dorsey had sunk 10 the drest poverty.
one by ne his houses had gone ami dollar By
dollar his money had melted 1way-and all f9
charity. When his distress was ascertained Nj,
HrWlus wrote that he thought he could obtain
the fund he had given the state for the Dorsey
inners." Dorsey replied that he spurned the
suggestion. He said he would sell his watch
and coat before h. would take one crumb away
from he prisoners
Outside IF prisons Mr.. Dorsey's charities
numerous lie helusd 4 deaf and dumb b0y
through the school FOR The Deaf here, and other
uniortunates IN Hartford have experienced BIS
generosity
Prisoners nocked 30 his honrf in Pawtucket
Jesus Christ wouldn't turn them away and
won't was his reply 10 his critics Al one
time some prisoners escaped from the Charles
town Mass prison and were traced 20 his
house. The officers asked him II he had aided
IN their escape. lie replied that he would not 10
that although he had tried - make them CON-
Portable IIr said his wife had got up in the
middle ~ IN" night ami fried some grililecakes
FOR them. The unfortuuates from near and FAR
besuught him. ard the worthy were never turned
away. one IF his peri.liaritleS VAS the way IN
which H. carried his money He always had
new bills and they were all folded once IN four
packages Of ones. nyeS tens and hfties. and the
reccptaces we're the four nsid. pockets IN MS
coat and waistcOat
When in prison Dorsey committed nearly the
whole Bible 10 memory He had quotations 10
nj every circumstance ana person ana hs
speech and writings were literally sprinkled WIN
Bible passages. But. although blunt and broad
he never used the scriptures in any profanc
sense. lie populariZed them in peculiar ways
and used Bible expressions freely IS caicT
words and aphOrisms.
Mr.. Dorsey leaves wife in destitute circum'
stances and the last few months he had been
helped by Mr.. Hewins and others. His DEAN
WAS due 10 stomach trouble. In a recent letter
- a friend he said: MY death need not surprise
you. cannot eat piece Of steak As big As
your finger but | feel that the devil Is pnnns
me down with the Bunker Hill Monument ID
his lap" Now that death has taken him away
N Is - Mo lhat annI.l Lnn AllL -n made 10