Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1912-04-09
Dr.. Louis ]. Bernhard
Speaks Here
Remarkable Ex-Convict and PHI
Ianthropic Worker Addressed
Meeting at the Central
Christian Church
Last Night.

tlstt Ia We l'NAhA'
men and those who were rot Out
20 hear DR.. Louis j. Bernhardt last
nisht at the Central Christian
church
DR.. Bernhardt is a remarkable
snan. He spoke Of his history, not
boastfuly for ne would hide ii from
himself if he could, but because he
had to, in order to show the author,
ity with which he spoke. His mes
SAGE was a survey of social con
dilions, of our penal system, and o
pIca to help make men, not GRIMM
ais out of offenders of the law.
Mr. Bernhardt is a native Geor-
oian. born and reared in of the best
homes in the state, educated at the
the university at Athens, and left
an independent fortune by MS
father. But in the social life al
Athens he learned to play cards IN
one of the best homes. He acquired
thefpassion of a gambler, squander-
ed the fortune his father left him
and within three years after leaving
college had robbed the Southern
Express Company in whose employ
he was. and was sentenced to prison.
Mr.. Bernhardt paused here and sald
that he.had never known III his e%-
perience of thirty years amid crim-
inals and crime, one person VINO
started to become gambler OF
drlrnkard through the 9amin6-hail
or the saloon. Ii had always been
the social game or glass that start
ed them to ruin
Mr. Bernhardt reviewed his eX-
periences while in jail and prison,
pleading forsbetter conditions IT.. there
to|make men, better. sanltary5 CON
ditions and better overseers. He
dwealt at length upon the poor
chance a prisoner has, when dis
charged, to make a man of himself;
showing how heais learned to work
ia prison, if he has never worked
before, and yet now cannot get.work
outside ndreturns to crime instead.
MIR. Bernhard told of his own hon
est resolves, of his attempt ito get
employment, of hisl loathine the
prison life, the lacklof :liberty, and
the lash, and yet of his going 1back
into crime becausssshe couldn't get
a chance to-.work. SNothing Bin all
he said tended.to disregard ssof law,
or was meant to play on mems feel
ines. 0aly out of his own expert
ence he spoke of practical needs.
He told Of attempt aftersattempt
TO get work iinlvarious states;sof re-
turn after return to .crimeaa because
he could not; of sentence after SEN
tence; and finally of going sto New
York City in 19O6lin search of work
after he had servedkhis... last SEN
tence; but was taken up by the po-
lice identified. and ordere,i to leave
the city within "a hours. He felt that
no chance was left for him and was
on his way to the.river to commit
suicide when hesheard music in the
Water Street mission and turned in,
That day he was converted; two
DAYS later he got work; within five
months he was called!to Newl.Hs-
ven Conn. to conduct rescue work;
and for five years he worked in
that city, largely among the student
body. His return to Georgia ;has
been in the interest. of prison reform
in this state.
FIVE Times He PLEADS For:
|. Probation or suspended sseE-
tence for young prisoners, first Of
Tenders, or those pleading guilty.
In Connecticut in. four years, Mr..
Bernhardt said Eonly ssthree out of
1896 prisoners had failed to make
good ON this plan.
2. Better sanitary conditions in
Iails and better overseers.
3. A matron for eachleroup of
woman prisoners He saidsthat the
treatment of women1prisoners by
male attendantsj..in the State of
Georgia was.sthe mostsghellish out
r ,ee in the world, worse than the
Russian prison system.
Juvenile courts and .refCrma-