Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-10
200 PRISONERS
JOIN IN HYMNS
w. C. 7. u. WORKERS CONDUCT
SUNDAY MEETING
STRAINS OF RELIGIOUS SONGS
FLOAT THROUGH BARS
Prison Relief Work Greatly Aided at
County Jail by Devout Band
of Practical Samari-
tans

With their faces pressed against the
iron gratings Of their cells, 200 prison.
ers confined in the old county Jail
Joined in the religious services con-
Quoted yesterday afternoon in the mar
row aisles by Mrs. Marion Z. Boyd,
county superintendent of the w. c. Il.
u, at the head of a little band of
workers. The steel-plated 'aalls of
the prison rang with Nearer My God
to Thee" and many of the old ortho-
COX hymns familiar to churchgoers,
until pedestrians in the vicinity halted
in the streets to listen. There was
something indeflnabIy pathetic to them
in these imprisoned voices raised in
song, and the little crowd without
gathered in the shadow of the barred
windows and listened.
Within the jail little golden-haired
girl III red sweater stood first on one
foot and then on the other waiting for
her father to be brought from his cell
to see her in the barred visiting
room" The youngste1 has made her
weekly visits to her father every Sun
day afternoon for six months, and
brings him little dainties put up by her
mother, who is too i'll to venture out
side the house. Papa won't be here
very long" said the little girl, for
pretty soon he is going to have his trial
and then they will Ind out that it was
aonther man who did what papa has
been held in Jail for all this time"
The services yesterday We're first
conducted in the Women's ward and in
what is known as the "boarders' din
ing hail." where the TRUSTEES and
"higher-ups" of the prison fold who
can afford to pay So a week for their
board dine. 1t is down in the dark
grated cells, however. that the mission
aries claim they do the most good and
win many converts to better lives
These men appear to enjoy the serv-
ices and welcome the weekly visit of
the w. C. T. U. party.
Visit Every Sunday
Mrs. Marion T. Boyd, who is in
charge of the little band which visits
the Jail every Sunday afternoon, has
been in prison relief work for eleven
years. She is the only person whom
Sheriff Ham mel allows to conduct re-
ligioLs services within the sacred pre-
cincts of the tanks" which are guard
ed With great care ~ the jailers for
fear poison or weapons will be snug
gled into the hands of some of the
more desperate prisoners.
In speaking of the prison relief work
yesterday Mrs. Boyd said that many
interesting and pathetic cases come
under her notice. I'VE try and accom-
plish all the good we can," said Mrs.
Boyd, land do it in a practical way
For instance, our work consists OF
bringing the prisoners who are away
from their homes in touch with their
friends or their families, and in this
way many of them are enabled to
raise funds for their defense when they
come to trial, or are more readily
placed on probation. We also ferret
out those cases where the imprison-
ment of husband or father has left a
family in destitute circumstances. In
a case like this he prisoner tells US of
his family, and we see they do net
come to want.
Il know of one man who has been in
jail for months awaiting trial on the
theft of two billiard balls. We are
aiding young man, % years old, who
has been in jail here for more than a
year and whose mother is dependent
upon him for her support. This young
fellow is nearly frantic with grief and
PAGES his cell for hours. 1 believe if
we had not reached him when we did
and given him assurance that his
mother would be cared Cor he would
have lost his mind
Mrs. Boyd states it is through the
courtesy and kindness of Sheriff Ham
mel and Jailer Gallagher and the in
terest they take in the comfort of
their prisoners that she is allowed to
accomplish what she does in relieving
their families and Fastening their
trials. Mrs. Boyd is assisted in her
work of relief by Leonard Mordaunt.
superintendent of the prison work of
the Rescue mission, las North Main
street.