The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-18
I'm MEMORY OF
JENNIE CASSIDY
"Shut-ins" at the Penitentiary Re-
ceive Flowers From W. c. 7. U.
STUBBORN WOMAN YIELDS
BREAKS DOWN WHEN BOUQUET
is GIVEN HER.


at the state prison yesterday and there
was one heart 50 deeply stirred by the
event as to excite the sympathy and
compassion of many persons present,
prisoners and citizens alike
Jennie Cassidy was a Louisville, KY,
woman, who for more than twenty
years of her life was bed-ridden. When
she realized that there was no hope
for her recovery she thought OF some
way by which she. physically helpless
though she was, might be of some use
to her fellow beings. Always passion
ately fond of flowers. huge masses Of
them graced her chamber every day,
and there came a time when, like an
inspiration. it dawned upon her that
there were persons situated ia the ORA
ma of life very much like herself she
said that If flowers could be placed be
side the beds of persons in hospitals
be given to those who were mentally
disturbed, and be given to the untor-
Inmates in jails and prisons, something
might be accomplished in the way OF
Frightening their lives.
Yesterday. the anniversary of her
birth. had she lived to have witnessed
It. her belief that deep down III the
heart of every human being, no matter
how lowly or sin-stricken that person
may he. there is spot responsive TO
a kindly act given at the right time,
would have had its justification, for
there was one heart at the penltentlary
that was touched beyond the belief Of
the prison officials
Stubborn Woman Succumbs.
There is a woman confined at the
penitentiary undergoing a sentence OF
ten years. She has been there i've
years. and during that time she has
doggedly refused to accept all oVertures
of spiritual consolation. Yesterday, for
some reason which she refused TO eX-
plain she went to the prison chapel
and was a participant, passive tor a
time. of the exercises conducted By the
women of the Women's Christian lem
perance union. There came time dur
ing the exercises when young women
passed among the inmates and distrib-
uted bouquets of flowers. One of these
was handed to this woman
She gazed at it stupidity for mo-
ment. and then gathered it slowly to
her breast The next instant she wept-
and while the tears cOurSed down her
cheeks she moaned and sObbed-
It was an interesting, instructive day
for the women of the union from the
start They met at 9 O'Clock at the
Phillips Congregational church and
there made bouquets for 1S9 inmates OF
the prison. The flowers were the dOnd-
ton of the people of Salt Lake, ire
sDectfve of creed. and the work was
done under the direction of Mrs w N
Young. the superintendent of flower
mission work for this year. Later
Warden Arthur Pratt sent team for
the flowers, and at , o'clock the mem
hers of the union went to the prison
to make the distribution. In the party
were Mrs Young. Mrs +. f Shepard,
who had charge Of the programme Mrs
A G. Andrews, Mrs. ". H. TibbalS,
Miss Jennie Simons Miss Louise
Bentz. Miss Anna Baker. Miss Mary
Russer and Miss May Fleming.
Exercises in the Chapel.
At the prison work had been knocked
off for the afternoon. and shortly be
fore o'clock the inmates were as
sembIed in the chapel under guard
The exercises were Opened with solo
by Mrs. Andrews, with violin accom-
paniment by her son Maurice Then
Mrs. Shepard told the story Of Jennie
Cassidy.
When little Beatrice Banyard-she IS
only years of age-recited something
humorous the cOnvicts forgot the sad
side Of their existence and gave her n
great encore The child had to recite
two more bits of humOr before they
were appeased. Then Maurice Andrews
was encored for a violin solo, after
which Miss Leafy Montgomery gave a
reading.
This concluded the formal part Of the
entertainment. and then the flowers
We're brought forth and distributed by
the women above mentioned. With
each bouquet there was a leaf from
the scriptures appropriate for the Oc-
casion and for the condition of the
individual inmates. When each man
and woman in the chapel had received
a bouquet they all joined in singing
Let a Little Sunshine In"
Much Good Is Accomplished.
One Of the officials Of the institution.
commenting on the exercises last night,
said:
Few people in the everyday walks
of life can appreciate the amount of
good that is done in this oenitentiary
by the distribution of these flowers.
Nearly every man will keep the flowers
fresh so long as he can by the water
in his cell, and when they wither and
die he viii pun his bouquet apart and
place the flowers between the leaves
of his Bible or in some book which he
prizes highly. 1t is-not an unusual
scene during the year to witness some
prisoner remove the withered flowers
from their receptacles. gaze on them
fondIy for a few moments. and then
replace them tenderly so that not a
fragment shall be lost. No one can
tell the amount of good that may come
from the flowers given to these pTis-
Oners today
Late in the afternoon Mrs. Young
and Mrs. Shepard went to the county
fail where they gave bQUuupts tn the
forty-three inmates. These flowers all
carnations were contributed by the
Salt Lake Floral company, and with
each honnuet there was a leaf from