Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-05

Tor no other cause thu that be had a par
tisan 70 whom he VIZ indebted for political
services, and h thu liqaidated the iudebt-
edness by the substitution Of this partisan
for Mr Coffin
ln TINS connection Iam, however pleased
70 state that from information received Mr..
Cothn's successor appears to be a humane
and intelligent official who aims e follow
in the footsteps Of his predecessor
The system and the man dovetailed
under Mr. Coffin, for he was the originator
Of the system (the humane as contradis-
tinguished from the puuitive) and he ap-
plied II with the conviction Of its JUS
tice, towards the prisoner and towards
society.
The chaplain who succeeded in securing
the confidence respect, esteem and even
affection Of the two thousand convicts to
whom he ministered served under Warden
Dyer and was the redeeming feature OF that
incompetent and deceased gentleman adj
ininistraton
The Reverend Mr. Sutton, the chaplain
referred to, was a Baptist (hard OF soft shell
] am unable to state) he was of limited
education and possessed none OF the gTaces
Of the pulpit orator whose salary is an esti-
rather than that grace from God and moral
attributes which proclaim the priest and his
calling-by the Lord Neither priest nor
preacher ever equalled this unassuming,
humble and beloved chaplain in solidify-
ing the verdict of convicts as to the practical
Christianity Of this prison SKY pilot"
heve seen the dying convict's face assume
the peaceful resignation Of a contented
1. N..N -
held his hand, and have never heard from
the lips Of the most degraded or turbulent
prisoner a single word expressive of doubt
as to the christian character of this preacher.
This cannot be said Of any other clergyman
Of the half dozen or more whom / knew as
Catholic and Protestant chaplains Of the
Ohio Peuitentiary. The good that Mr.. SUIT
ton did was and is incalculable. l have
heard the most hardened Of prisoners ex-
claim Oh! if only all preachers we're like
Sutton there would be few prisons and
fewer convicts.
To illustrate the manner in which this
unassuming country Baptist preacher held
the heartstrin,s Of these criminals have
only to recite that his sermon was never
LONG ENOUGH The men could and would
listen to him preach and miss the dinner
hour, and even their dinnersl No other
chaplain has ever been permitted to exceed
ten minutes without the prisoners shutting
their feet on the floor as an admonition to
the preacher to cease his exhOrtations.
The soulful and heartfelt sincerity of
preacher Sutton were manifest not only in
his life but in his works He visited the
sick daily in the hospital, his voice was al
ways heard urging mercy and forgiveness.
His visits we're as sunlight in the dungeon
Of the condemned, no prisoner was too
vile or depraved for his kindly smile,
cheerful word and helping hand. In fact
Mr.. Sutton was an ideal Christian in prac-
tice as in precept.
Now this official and chaplain was super
ceded by a wolf in Sleeps clothing, whose
open immortality became the talk of
the prison He was finally discharged
in disgrace for being caught in the very act
| with the wife of a convict whom he had
seduced with promises 70 secure the release
/ of her husband
It can easily be inferred that the good ef-
I fected by Mr. Sutton was more than ueutra-
/ lized by the evil of his successors life and
actions. bat when this nameless wretch
was succeeded by a clergyman named Dud
ley. who robbed the prisoners conhdinf
I money to his keeping to be transmitted to
their families, the damage was complete
aud irreparable so far as any trust or con
/ fdence of the convicts was concerned,
| either in the preacher or the christian re.
! lgion Dudley, too was discharged and
was succeeded by an insincere and political
! preacher whose minstrations for four OF
1 more years were sufficient to turn a colony
| of saints into cynical inhdels. He was never
/ permitted to preach the usual ten minute
/ limit by the prisoners and was ridiculously
/ dubbed Holy Joe" by officials and pris.
| oners alike.
The recitation of the foregoing matters
have the one object in view which inspired
the publication of these papers. They are
not set down in malice or with any view to
! the entertainment of the superficial reader
but are given that the thoughtful and the
humane may be enlightened on a subject
which ought to be dear to the hearts and
| Understandings Of honest men and women.
To be continued