The times., 1899-06-04
LETTERS TO PRISONERS.
Few Tender Episti.s mt Sing Sing,
however 1t Mny Re Elsewhere

(Frem the New York srn1
Sing Sing does not seem TO be a senti-
fnent-inspirfng name. From other prisons
come astonishing reports OF tender ro-
msnces, OF criminals who receive shoals
OF love letters from women whom they
nave never seen. Warden Sage has been
at Sing Sing between four and five wears
Dut ne says nothing of the kind has hap
pened there during that time. At least.
not to his knowledge
One letter came to the peni:entiary ad-
drssed to a Prisoner Who Receives No
Letters 1t was from young woman in
western State, and was written because
tne giri had heard Mrs. BalIington Booth
taik about prison work and OF the pleasure
IL Is TO the convicts to receive letters The
girl had written long and rather elusive
letter. which she signed with her name
preceded by Lovingly yours and a re-
quest for a reply.
Mr. Sage wrote kindly but plain letter
10 the young woman. explaining to her that
,ne average convict is not the sort of man
WIN whom girls should be correspon ding
even on the philanthropic plane. He re-
minded her that she would doubtless be
embarrassed il the convict should present
himself. as he probably would at the end
OF his term to demand a continuation of
her interest in him. He suggested that
she ask her father and her mother for
their consent before she wrote again. She
did not write again.
One convict at Sing Sing has had his ro-
nance. He is in for long sentence. cne
which is practically a life term Yet he
has been receiving regularly the most ten
der epistles from a girl who writes of what
they will do when they are married. In
this case the romance began before Sing
Sing appeared on the horizon. The two
were engaged before the man committed
the crime which landed him in the peni-
tentiary.
Most of the letters sent to the prisoners
are OF religious tenor, calling upon them
to repent and flee from the wrath to come.
AS these exhortations are genrally of an
unmistakable crank variety they do not
always find their way to the prisoners. A
good many letters of this class came at
the time OF Mrs. Places Imprisonment,
along with a good many more protesting
to the warden against the crime" of capt.
tai punishment
Vacher. the French murderer. who was
guillotined recently, received love lettrs
from women in all classes of society. Be-
fore his trial Vacher received a letter
from young miliiner announcing her will
lingness to become his wife Immediately
| If he was acquitted or to wait for him. no
matter how long his sentence might be-
She was said to be young girl and a gen.
tie, retiring creature. Several years ago
convict in an English prison received a
beautiful and expensive valentine. He
said he hadn't the remotest idea who his
anonymous admirer could be.
\ Bristol woman fell victim to the
charms of reputation of a notorious biga-
mist These charms consisted in his hav-
ing married number of women, squan-
dered their possessions. and then gone off
in search OF new victims. Somehow this
just struck the fancy of the Bristol wo-
man, who wrote long and tender letter
to the imprisoned bigamist, finally bursting
into poetry, as follows:
By some strange power thou winneth uoman's :
heart,
And love. once given. can no more depart
But though the world may hold thee base and
vile,
! shall aye love thee and on thee will smile
| Though scorned by all. for me thou'lt ever shine
And whilst live I'm ever, ever thine.
Chicago murderer, sentenced to death.
received a letter every day from a young
woman who declared her love in the most
emphatic terms. adding large assortments
OF kisses by means of the good old method
OF crosses. A ST. Louis burglar received
during his trial a basket of flowers every
day. a pretty girl giving them to him as
he sat in the dock. These outbursts of
morbid feeling are more likely to occur
| during a trial. When the prisoner is con-
victed and in the penitentiary he drops out
of notice.
| Mrs. Maybricks case. of course, has been
| different. She has received hundreds of
letters of sympathy since her conviction,
and at the time of her trial she was eel
uged with offers of marriage. This seems
another thing. though. from professions of
love for an admitted criminal. People who
have written to Mrs. Maybriek undoubted-
| ly believe her innocent. An English paper
seems to take it for granted that crimi-
mails in this country are all showered with
floral offerings. as the St. Louis burglar
was, and with love letters. as was the Chi
cago murderer. Judging from the Sing
| Sing records, the English paper is mis-
| taken.