The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-25
Personal Reference.

Personal Reference. Pardon me for a personal reference in closing and speaking of a boy found by me four years ago in the hands of a policeman-a boy who had been left moth- erless from his infancy, whose father had led him wrong, when he led him at all' but had finally given him up saying to me- q can do nothing with that boy. l He was spending many of his nights, when I found him, in goods boxes or sleeping under the viaducts, but often in 1 iail Here, after his arrest on that oc- l casion, I talked with him a long time, l hut made absolutely no impression up | on him. The boy had in his heart sworn l defiance against everything which stood l for law and order. He promised me- how ever, in a somewhat half-hearted way, 1 that if I got him delivered he would De a better boy This promise was given to 1 get out of prison, much more thah ltoih 1 a desire to reform.
 The speech was made next morning for his freedom The policeman smiled while | I was speaking and arose, as con l cluded, telling the court and myself what 1 that boy had done for three or four years l back For this and that theft and other offenses he had been Tn the police bar racks twenty times, and about dozen times in the stockade, for thirty days at a time. I came to my feet the second time. and spoke more emphatically. say ing. 'Your Honor, as bad as this boy IS, I am going to stick to him. l saw that boys face light up. and l saw had him, but I did not quite have the court. The judge remarked in some sort or com- | bned pleasantly and earnesthess' NhS' MT. Jackson. if I turned this boy loose' 1 vou could not get him to your office | excent with a four-horse team and uelnS him beside" Said I: Your Honor, you have done everything else with thls boy, I wish YOU would now do for hlm what General Wellington did with very trou- | blesome soldier, whom he was on the | point of executing to get him out or lhe way. because he was uncomfortable and 1 demoralizing the army, when an old merciful soldier arose, holding up the | etuh of an arm, the rest of which ne | had lost in battle, and asked the general | if he could say a word. Permission De- | inp given, he said, My lord, you say | vou have done everything you know what to do for this soldier, have you ever forgiven him? Suppose you try that and | put him on his honor to De pel,er iiian and better soldier
 Straight to the Heart. This short but powerful appeal went | straight to the heart of the great man, who turned to his prisoner saying, IVY ell,
  I will turn you loose out of pure mercy, | and trust YOU to be a better man and a better soldier The orlsoner who had grown worse and woise undas the series of punishments, was expecting no | mercy as his last offense was the mos grievous. He wept, and like Feter, went | out and wept bitterly. In few days ae | came hack and said: General, by the help of God, I'll never trouble you again. And he never did.
 | Nov" said I, your honor, you have done every thing else with this waywdrd | and motherless boy. The lash of the law | has been laid on again and again for scV- l eral years, and the boy has only grown l worse Won't you now please forglVe him and turn him over to me?' Then the judge turned to the boy and said: "John will you go with MT. Jack son and be better boy?' Yes, sir, was the boys whole-hearted reply, and John has been true to his word. 1 That boy is out of the Fulton County Industrial farm, four years in advance of the time on account of his beautiful l conduct. is now living with his fath.r. | going to school, doing there and elsewhere | splendidly and at the age of 17 is one | of the most promising boys in the whole 1 country
 | Now then. by Gods help and the help | of sympathetic persons from President | Roosevelt down, we will rally and organ | ize our forces and resources to do the same thing for at least a thousand others | over this beloved southland of ours.
 Victory Ahead.
 l I know something of the difficulties in | the way; but there will be no let up :n | this war.
 Napoleon came to the Alps. and was told they could not be crossed, but he did scale with his men those dizzy, awful
 
 conquer.
 | Yet he did come to his Waterloo. | Heaven said stop" But heaven and the sanctified intelligence of earth is on our | side. There is, thank God, no Waterloo ahead of us in this fight for captive and unfortunate childhood.
 The great lion-hearted policeman and