The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-13
CHRISTMAS IN THE
STATE PENITENTIARY

State
Here is "a young man Who slashed and
siaShed near relative, until the head
rolled from tie body. and be has never
been seen 20 shed n tear. while al his
sac ls tho man who weeps az every
reierenre 70 tLe pity OF Cod for sin
ncr. on. yes. there IS the same. exactly
tae Same difference among these men
that is found among their brothers or.t-
side, but there is one thing that they
are very much alike iu and that IS in
inc appreciation and gratitude they feel
ana manifest for sincere kindness
shown by those who arr free MI Polk
Miller says that he never gave an cr-
trrt4lnment 10 any crowd thar showed
more real appreciation OF his trouble and
tnort than the convicts in the Texas
prntenuary This explains in part why
inc same people every year find IL pleas
amt 20 attempt % carry some cheer 20
ti"in What Captain Morgan said OF
fhe penitcntary has probably been trli.
IN every prison this year The mon Rad
more sent % them than ever before We
nave never secured SO many boxes Ono
DAY there We're ninety received and some
oi lnein MAD twenty dollars worth Of con-
tents
'Th" writer saw some or them opened
ana there could be no MISLEADING the
iact mat "a mother packed them bur
father. and "A well-to-do father. must
nave paid for some OF them Remember
that no clothes come in these boxes and
when two or three OF them put their
goods together. for n spread. you do not
oiteh see more attractive table. from
the first coarse 10 the srnoke-up.
But the most pathetic case is whore
there Is no father TO pay for the fruit
cake turkey. and cigars TO fiji a bushef
D'A, out where q small pasteboard box
.o'1s al that the widows had to send
Il
nuts, and two large well-nued apple pufgs
with n very limited amount Of copfoc
uonerles. was all that was in one 90
them. besides the tears from the broken
hearted mother that dropped I'm plentiful
ly enough. no doubt
May / transcribe from q letter &, NV.
pocket a few lines from one Of these
mothers.
Sunday. . p. NJ
NY own dearest SON. Cdearest' mark
you, she had o-ners who had never dis
sFaced her. but he was the dcaresD. Il
write 70 Gay to send this little mite. that
seems so stingy from my paw but tbe
cashier did not pay me of until mar
y clock last night. and then IL was
too late do feel so badly to-7a,,
Ihey work us so hard. twelve b,,,.re
every night Last night I roasted four
chickens. boiled three large Iohstors
baked two large pans Of beans made
forty -nine pies, besides doing tine shot
order cooking. and an my cleaning. 90
YOU sec that I am not idle. One reason
that / feel 50 badly dear. am growing
Old Remember that no one loves YOU
Ike ] DO. We must never let =. nor
). know OF our secret for YOU viii
never DO wrong again viii YOU my darl-
ing2 ] wish 7 could send you more
God Keep you until we meet.
" MOTHER
"T love you. love you love YOU.
MOTHER
This woman Is tho widow Of a doc
tor and has gone to large city TO labor
that she may help and hide tho shame
Of this erring dearest son. Boys with
such mothers will some day como 10
themselves. They are worth trying to
save
''But To return 70 tho penitentiarv.
Captain Morgan saw TO It that every
man had enough money 70 Jingle on
Christmas d. To every man in the
service OF the state. without the chance
TO earn money as the fellow prisoners
may IN the shoe factory. he gave a
dollar bill. then there was the usual
Christmas dinner. and a splendid Christ
n AS service conducted by Doctor Dad