Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-30
PRISONERS AID SOCIETY
Meeting in Its Interest Held at First Con.
gregational Church.
Aims of the Association and Its
Operations Since Organization
Fully Set Forth.

meeting to advance the interests of the
National Prisoners Aid Society was held
| last evening at the First Congregational
Church, corner of 10th and G streets north
| west. Rev. DIR. Newman. pastor of the
| church. conducted the devotional exercises,
which consisted of singing by the choir,
| accompanied by Prof. ]. w. Bischoff on the
| organ; reading of Scriptures and prayer.
| Letters of regret at inability to be pres
| cut were read from Mr.. John D. Long
| Secretary of the Navy, and Commissioner
| Ross.
| In introducing Mr.. L. S. Emery presi-
| dent of the society. as the chairman of the
! evening DR. Newman made a brief address,
| in which he outlined the objects of the or
| &anization which, stated are organized
effort for saving the young from becoming
| criminals, caring for such as are in con-
| finement, and assisting them when dis
| charged therefrom to lead honest lives; to
| maintain and operate such homes as may
| be necessary to secure these objects and to
| raise and disburse funds for the accomplish
| ment of the purposes named.
Report of Operations.
| The feature of the exercises was a report
| of the operations of the society for the
past six months by DR.. ). H. Bradford.
| first vice president, and was in part as fol-
| lows:
| THE National Prisoners Aid Society has
| been incorporated about six months. The
method of work Is through an agent to
| keep watch of cases in police stations and
| The city courts and obtain information
| which Will prevent injustice and to MAIN
! tain system of visitation. When we say
| mat last spring there were in the work
| house more than seventy-five youths under
| eighteen years Of age, and the ntendant
| was asking the Commissioners what could
be done with and for them, and that now
| for several weeks there has hardly been
one such, and a score of boys and girls
| have been sent home to parents, who but
| for this society would have spent sixty
Or ninety days in jail or the workhouse, at
| a cost Of 33 cents each per day, you will
| see that something has been accomplished.
! This society by no means opposes the
! adequate punishment of crime, but its aim
| Is to protect the innocent. To state
| these facts connected with the criminal
| courts and police precincts as to defend
! innocence, and yet not antagonize the Off
| GERS of justice, is delicate task We hope
| to be able to tell the exact truth.
| Let me say at once that we need money
lots of it. Our agents have so far worked
without salary. All we have raised has
| been used in car fares printing and other
| essential expenses, and has mostly been
| raised and contributed by those who man
| age the work. The object of this report is
| to let the philanthropic and Christian people
| OF Washington know what the society is
| doing, ana what it aims to do, so that they
may have a hand in one of the grandest
| efforts that is being made here to help
| those who need help; and when they know
| We have no doubt about the support.
Specimen Cases.
| Let me detail few specimen cases. In
| giving this narrative I must, in great
| measure, omit names. If any one present
| wants names to verify what is said he can
| obtain them from members of the board.
| 'Onp of the early of a Nor
wegian boy whose parents do not very well
understand our language, and lived in Bal
| timOre, until a few months ago when they
| came over to Washington to live. 1t mat
terS not that the young man in question is
| soon to come into the possession of a very
| large fortune. He had gone to sea expect
| ing to thus occupy his time until the for
! tune came. The ship master found that he
| was too frail to undergo the hardshps of
| sea- and advised him to seek some land en-
| Payment. So he journeyed by water to
| Washington. arriving at the wharf after
| dark, and in going to his home passed
| through the Smithsonian grounds and his
| attention attracted to a man appar-
| emily in great distress, lying in the grass.
Going to him, he found him unable to an
| swer his questions to whether he was
| ill., and put his hands under the man S
| shoulders to lift him up. when a policeman
| called to him to take his hands out of that
| mans pockets. The boy, to his surprise
| arrested and locked up 1t was proved
| in court afterward that the man had not a
| cent in his pockets. was an old soldier
| stricken with paralysis. The young man
| was brought into court and sentenced to
| the workhouse as a suspicious character
| Our agent visited the boy, heard his
| story. believed he told the truth and Wis
| tied his home. When Mr.. Massie said
| Your boy is in this city the father could
| hardly believe him. but the old gentleman
| accompanied the agent to the police sta
| ton. There in a cell his boy.
oh. my son, what have you done?' said
| the father.
| Nothing whatever to be shut up here
| said the boy, and then told his story.
| The agent looked the matter up thor
| oughly, got letters from Baltimore people
| who knew the family, and found they were
| very refined and cultivated people, and the
| boys character all that could be asked for
| When the facts were put before the Judge
| the boy was released and delivered to his
| mother who cannot yet understand it-and
| can we?'
| The case of the elderly gentleman of
| Clarksburg, w. Va, account of whose
| arrest for carrying a revolver and his sub
| sequent death, has been given in The Star
| was next referred to-