Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10

| regarding prisoners accented ahSolIJtaly
| by the court.
Pretty soon prisoner tells the court that
| his home Is in Richmond, and he promises
| to go there If let out.
Can you help this man to get home r.
asks the Judge, turning to Mr.. Massie
Yes, sir, / can. Judge. / will put him
/ on train this afternoon" is the reply.
BY order of the court he is turned over to
| Mr.. Massie.
Another prisoner is a girl. She seems
| penitent and wants to go to work some
where. Mr.. Massie says, upon being asked,
that he thinks he can place her in a home
| until work Is found for her.
Turn this woman over to Mr. Massie -
! is the courts decision.
| In short time, prisoner, charged with
being an idle person, asserts that he has
| been working for Mr. Immediately
Mr.. Massie's aid Is sought, and he is asked
to Investigate the story, ii he has not done
so already. In many cases this work is
the crucial point and 1t procures the re-
lease of many a prisoner.
Thus 1t goes from the time court be-
gins until ii adjourns, although, of course,
only small part of the cases are referred
to. Mr.. Massie in this way. He is re-
garded as official of the court. although
his compensation Is nil. Frequently, while
court is going on, he is called outside by
friends OF prisoners, who ask his help.
Furthermore, ne Is regarded as the court
physician, for he has revived many faint
ing woman or sick man, overcome with
excitement, heat or disease.
But when court adjourns, then begins the
real philanthropic work. Confronting each
prisoner in their penniless- condition, is a
term in the workhouse perhaps the first
one. The release of some prisoners is Sc
cured by money brought by friends, who
have been summoned by Mr. Massie In
other cases friends could not raise the
whole amount of the fine and Mr. Massie
is appealed to. Some prisoners are stran-
gers in the city and have 10 friends here
others, perhaps, have no friends to call
upon.
In all these cases Mr.. Massie must use
discrimination. He could not pay the fines
OF all, and would not pay the fines of
some if he could. 1t is the first offenders
who usually receive the aid of Mr.. Massie,
and others who seem to be penitent or to
merit aid receive attention. Enough fines
have been paid by the Prisoners Aid So
ciety in the years that Mr. Masse has
been doing the work to total thousands of
dollars This is not clear loss, however,
because much of this money is repaid. In
some cases the judge lowers fines to allow
Mr.. Massie to pay them; in others the en-
tire fine imposed in court is paid.
But that is not all of the court work.
Frequently court continues until the mid
die of the afternoon and the prisoners
cannot be taken to jail until after
noon, yet no provision is made by the gov
eminent for giving these unfortunates any
thing to eat in the middle of the day. A
cup of coffee and a small sandwich for
breakfast Is all Uncle Sam can afford for
them. But Mr.. Massie. unable to see the
prisoners suffer from hunger in the land
of plenty, purchases food for them. 1t is
frequent sight, about / o'clock in the
day, 10 see him walk into the court build
ing carrying thirty or forty pies.
But after the court work is finished Mr..
Massie usually has several people on his
hands. Probably there is a girl for whom
he has promised a home until she can get
work. and he takes her to Institution
in the city. Then there is the man from
Richmond from some other city; for
him railroad ticket is purchased and he
Is put on the train by his benefactor. Then
there is the man TO be taken home. A few
days ago prisoner complained that he got
drunk because his wife and the sweetest
baby in the world had gone back on him."
Mr.. Massie secured the release of this
heart-sick prisoner and led him back TO
the home There, with Mr.. Massie as the
mediator, the husband and wife were recon-
results of the work.
The afternoon is frequently buster than
the morning. The other day one prisoner,
who was sent to Jail, said that he came
here hoping to get a patent through, but
was unsuccessful, when his money gave
out. He gave some excellent references,
and these were looked up by Mr.. Massie. A
patent attorney was sought and he said
that the prisoner was prominent in the
place whence he came and of unqueStion-'
able character, and statement to that
effect was secured, which was used the
next day to secure the release of the pris-
oner. Another was found to have
good position, which he would lose IL COM
PEELED to remain in prison, and another
chance seemed desirable. These investiga-
tons frequently result In the release of
men from the jail and the workhouse.
On some trips to the workhouse Mr.. Mas
sic carries bundle of clothing. On ac-
count of the filthy condition of the cloth
ing of some prisoners 1t must be burned,
"a prOVilaS funds for
replacing this clothing. For this lapse
Mr.. Massie frequently makes up. although
the donations of clothing which he receives
do not meet the demand.
Where Is the compensation for this work?
the reader may ask. For Mr.. Massie there
is none In financial way. but In other
ways. The drying of the mothers tears,
the mending of the wife's broken heart,
the return of father to the children for
whom he la.bors-these are some of the
compensations. Thanks are given in profu-
| sion, but also much of the money-90 per
cent In fact--paid out for fines, for rail-
| road tickets ETC., is returned In some
| cases the thanks for help are made material
| by donation of money for the work
Many are the letters which Mr. Massie
has received from grateful men and women,
from fathers, mothers, relatives or friends,
returning money and extending gratitude.
Some of the compensation may be CLEAN
\ 60 from some actual ietlerS WHICH nave
| been received by the score by this philan-
thropist. Here is a letter from father
| in a foreign country. whose English, II not
accurate, is expressive:
II received today your most esteemed let
| ter of the % passato and also letter from
my son James, relating about your kind
ness to help him to be released from prison.
cannot. my dear sir. find words to ex-
press my feeling OF gratitude to you for
this noble help of yours toward the son of
a man who is totally stranger to you. 1t
shows such a nobility of heart. which ex-
cl,es esteem not only to you, but also to
the land in which men compassionate and
kind hearted like you may be found
A substantial draft accompanied the let-
ter.
Mr.. Massie is the agent of the Prisoners
Aid Department of the diocese of Wash
ington, a society formed within the Epis-
copal Church. But his work is non-sec-
tartan. He first engaged In philanthropic
work here at the time of the Spanish war,
when many young soldiers were in the city.
Several years ago in the workhouse. min
Cling with the hardened criminals, he found
seventy-five children He took up the work
of having them sent to other institutions
and in the work he was successful From
that he took up the general prisoners aid
work For one year he labored alone, with
out support. Then other persons became
in ara nd IN n nd fbo. Drf=