The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-04-30
PARRISH'S LIFE
IN JAIL.
Spiritually Advises a Eel
low Prisoner.
Asked If Curious Crowds Annoy
ed Him, He Said: "Let
Them See the Show"

The Hawesville Charlton prints the
following story about the prison life
of Jemes H. Parrish:
To a man who led such q life OF
activity as did James H. Parrish, the
present condition OF confinement and
semi-seclusion must be, indeed ey-
Gle Of unbroken monotony. Interest
in the most famous prisoner Hancock
county has he'd in half q century, Is
upabated and nearly any time a NOR
bid bunch Of people, mostly from the
country, can be observed about the
cell window. Asked If this mawkish
crowd OF the curious annoyed him, Mr
Parrish appeared little embarrassed
and only replied, Let them see the
show"
Aside from reading one daily end
other reading matter. the noted pris-
oner's time Is considerably consumed
in receiving reading and answering
letters. 1t is doubtful IL there
is prisoner in the state to-day whose
madl Is so heavy, and much of his tim,
Is consumed in keeping up with bis
correspondence. His letters alone, we
are told, will average a dozen or more
day but what their contents are
Is known alone to himself, since Jailer
Phillips he's no system OF espionage
and Mr.. Parrish is free to read and
write as he Wills. His letters are all
answered by himself in person, and he
does a greet deal of writing the nee
essary material being furnished by
those near 10 him.
In the jail with Mr.. Parrish, occu-
plying the same cell but a different
bed is young Mr.. Floyd Shmate, a
government prisoner brought here by
U. S. Marshal Ament, charged with
bootlegging. He is about 20 years old,
was brought here from Sebree and is
the son of q widow. His confinement
at Owensboro, the home of the federal
court, was impossible on account of
smallpox in the jail. Young Shumate
before the incarceration Of Mr.. Par
IRISH, indicated to the jailer that ne
desired spiritual Amusement. This was
neglected for a time, but now that ne
Is the constant associate Of Mr.. Par
IRISH, he is being instructed in spir-
itual matters by that gentleman and
Is much Interested and apparently
converted, to degree at least. Rev.
Grant has held services for the two
and was accompanied to the Jail or
Sunday by at least one or more prom
inent citizens of the town. Mr.. Par
IRISH engages in prayer at nightfall,
and is in every way in good spirits,
being very careful to give jailer Phil
lips the least possible trouble. He
eats the same diet that does Shumete
and has no complaint to make. The
only request that he has ever made
Is that his biscuits be cooked more
completely than tie usual custom.
Jailer Phillips says he never hed o
more tractable prisoner that James H.
Parrish and he says. he believes he
could throw every door wide open end
tell him to stick his heed cut for Gods
pure abr and sunshine, and he would
never venture without the walls of
his prison cell.
In the meantime his wife has taken
charge of furnished rooms ct the
Hawesville house by invitation of Dr.
and Mrs Bates, with whom the fam
fly boarded during the trials but who
have since moved to Louisville. These
rooms are in less than a stones throw
of where her husband remains con-
fined awaiting the action of the ap-
pellate court. She is very frequent
visitor to his apartment and through
the kindness of Jailer Phillips is adj
mitted to see her husband almost
daily remaining sometimes as much
as two hours. Mrs. Parrish attempted
to get rooms at the jail, but the Jail
er could not spcre them. Her con-
slant attendance on and devotion TO
her distinguished prisoner-husband is
sublime and is the subject of very gen
eral comment.