Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-03-14
FRIEND Of CONV|CTS
New York Sales Agent Long Ac"'
tive in Prison Reform.
Frederick n. Mills Transferred Men
From Jals to Responsible Jobs In
Banks and Spent Much Time
Aiding Unfortunates.

New York.-in 1881 a Chicago mer-
chant took a young man to the flrSt
National bank in that city and intro
duced him to the president, Lyman
J. Gage, afterward secretary o. the
treasury, as Frederick Mills, ch''
clerk Of the state reformatcry at
Elmira, N. Y.
Il want to get a position In your
bank for a friend of mine, Mr.. Gage
said young Mills. He is a nlan NJ
experience and ability and has lie
best of references from the Bank OF
North America in Montreal, where he
was employed for several years."
Where Is he now?" Mr.. Gage In
quired.
He is in the Elmira reformatory'
replied the young man. He has just
finished his term there and is waiting
to get job in order to be allowed to
leave"
The bank president stared hard at
his visitor for moment and, discover
ing from his manner that he was seri-
Gus, resisted an inclination to become
angry, but laughed long and loud in
stead.
Did you come cut here with the
impression that the Chicago banks -
lect their clerks from the refor.'&-
tories?" he asked
Thirty years ago, before the ne"
penology was born Of science 3"i
philanthropy, the idea of giving an x
convict employment seemed prepos'
ferrous to the average man Of business
Young Mills, however, was not to be
rebuffed He related to Mr.. Gage the
story Of the coming of the Montreal
bank clerk to New York to better his
fortunes and of his yielding to temp
tntion in the metropolis; he TOLD OF the
opportunities he had for studying the
others character in the reformatory
office and he asserted his opinion t''at
here was a chance for the bank presi-
dent to save human life from wreck.
Mr.. Gage argued the matter with
Mr.. Mills for half an hour and dis
cussed it with him for an equal period
and at the end Of an hour promised
that the Elmira graduate should have
a place in the bank. The man rose
to the position of head bookkeeper In
the First National bank of Chicago
and was a trusted employe until his
health gave out a few years ago.
President Gage then sent m to a
health resort in California and took
care of him until his death.
This incident is only one Of many Of
the same nature that explain why it Is
that Frederick Hamlin Mills, who Of
fered his resignation as sales 2~ent Of
the prison department of the state
recently In order to promote harmony
between Superintendent Of Prisons
Scott an. Governor SulZer, is a man Of
many friends. These friends range
f. nc the penolosists and students OF
criminology Of America and the rest
of the world, the prison officials {. the
United States and wide church and
social circles. to scores of ex-convicts
who are today earning an honest
livelihood through Mr.. Mills instru-
mentality and to men T.. the prisons
who look to him for assistance on
their release.
1t was his success with the first two
ex-convicts for whom he obtained EN-.
ployment that led Mr.. Mills to keep
up the work. AS an illustration Of the
possibilities Of reform among men
punished for crime. Mr.. Mills relates
an experience in Chicago few years
ago. On this occasion he was asked
to dine with five one time convicts he
had befriended, three Of them from
the Elmira reformatory. One Of the
five was Jarvis, then head bookkeeper
of the First National bank; another
was private secretary to the general
manager Of one the most famous rail.
roads in the country; a third was
vice-president of a big coal company,
and the others were the chief cashier
of a manufacturing company and
theatrical manager.