The Nation Behind Prison Bars Part 19

Hundreds of Letters

Below appear but a few of the Hundreds of Letters we have received from those Helped by Our Work

If you have asked the question, "Does it pay to labor among the fallen ones in prison--are the results from this work permanent in character?"

let the answer be found in these letters. They come from writers'

spontaneous offerings of grat.i.tude, who have been restored to society as useful respected citizens:

My Dearest Friend: It is very gratifying to find myself alone long enough to pen you a few lines.

Arrived at 6:05 p.m. Well, I cannot tell you how very pleased everyone was to see me. Went in at once to see the president of a concern and told him everything. He was entirely satisfied and told me to commence work in the morning, which I did. They all have used me fine, and I would never know I had been away for no one mentions it. Brother, I think of you fifty times a day, of the unselfish, never fatiguing interest you manifested in my behalf, of the hundred and one favors, and when I think that was only a single factor in your work, I cannot but wonder how you stand the strain.

Cannot tell you how much I prize liberty, and I owe having it, to a great extent, to your dear self. I a.s.sure you your efforts and prayers of yourself and wife for me done wonders. I have fully resolved to be a good man.

Brother Herr, I am going to close, for I am going to write to you every few days, as I consider you as dear as an own brother. Give my sincere regards to any inquiring friends. My heartiest to your dear wife, and may G.o.d bless you both. I do.

I am affectionately yours, W.

A TRIBUTE FROM JOS. M. O'HARA.

The success that has attended the efforts of this truly pious and angelic woman in her n.o.ble and heroic work of rescuing sinful men and women from the vortex of ruin and perdition is marvelous; and her labor among the prisoners of the county jail is not less remarkable. Mrs.

Herr, unlike many religious workers, realizes that before attempting to moralize with a prisoner, his confidence must first be gained, and to accomplish this she invariably succeeds in dispelling that false and erroneous opinion so prevalent among criminals, that they are held in contempt by society and are considered undeserving of sympathy and a.s.sistance; then, by kind and encouraging words and gentle deed, instills, not by the dry and laborious way of the brain, but into the heart, the story of the kind and loving Saviour.

Like her contemporary, Mrs. Ballington Booth, Mrs. Herr possesses that divinely urgent and persistent, yet gentle and sympathetic spirit that can persuade where others cannot convince; that can subdue where others cannot conquer.

The writer of this article through her kind and encouraging words, has been led from the error of his way, and to take up again the thread laid down in early years; has realized that though the fruitage of the tragic and pathetic life that ended in the ignominious death of Him who was the grandest character, the most sublime ideal and the highest type of humanity the world has ever seen--Jesus of Nazareth--we can, if we come with faith and hope, be cleansed from our sins and iniquities. May the Omnipotent G.o.d, who holds the destiny of nations, pour out his blessings upon this saintly woman and her n.o.ble hearted husband and guide them through long and honored days, and when the "shadows of even" gather and the sun of life is setting, show them in the darkness of the end, "words of light we never saw by day."

JOS. M. O'HARA.

FIs.h.i.+NG FOR MEN.

Dear Brother Herr: We, as prisoners in the Jefferson County Jail, desire, for your encouragement, and because it is the spontaneous expression of our hearts, to thank you for your continued, untiring and unselfish devotion to our interests, spiritual and temporal. We desire in this manner to show you and the public that we thoroughly appreciate the efforts of those who try to draw us from the broad road of vice and crime into the narrow path of virtue where we are satisfied alone peace and happiness can be found. Many persons, Bro. Herr, who have attempted the task of rescuing the fallen have become discouraged and given up the work because they could see no good resulting from their efforts. Those persons had not the faith to continue their work and leave results with G.o.d. A prisoner who was an inmate of this jail several years ago recently found himself again an inmate, and expressed surprise at the changed tone, as it were, of the jail, and he laughingly asked if the world was getting better, for he said the men now in jail were more refined in their conversation, more unselfish in their actions toward each other, and of a higher moral tone generally. What this man said is undoubtedly true, and it is the result of the efforts of yourself and other Christian workers who do not become weary in well-doing. But it is you, Brother Herr, whom we especially desire to thank, because you are with us daily and no day pa.s.ses that you do not perform some act of kindness for some one of our number, who, but for you, would have no friend. That perfect man, Jesus of Nazareth, has said, "by their fruits ye shall know them," and it is by this standard we as prisoners have measured you and have not found you wanting. You have gained our confidence and we have proved your sincerity and we love you, Brother Herr, because you daily prove your love for us. Prisoners are naturally inclined to suspect the sincerity of those who profess an interest in their welfare, but when once you gain their confidence they are teachable.

A London lawyer who wrote the tragedy "Ion" makes one of his characters say, "It is but a little thing to speak a word of kindness which by daily use has almost lost its sense, but on the ear of him who thought to die unmourned will fall like sweetest music." Many are the words of kindness which daily fall from your lips, by which we are soothed and blessed, and we firmly believe that they do not fall upon stony ground and that the good G.o.d will reward you in his own good time with a bountiful harvest of redeemed lives.

Your grateful friends, JAMES L. DORAN HARRY GRAVEN JOHN CARTER JOS. M. O'HARA JULIUS PHILLIPS Committee of Prisoners of Jefferson County Jail.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY--MAIN BUILDING

Branch of this Library in the County Jail.]

Branch Library in the Jail

[Courier-Journal]

Prison libraries are nearly always more or less poor, indefinite sort of affairs, with a questionable lot of reading matter, mostly paper-backs and second-hand magazines, forming its contents. But the Jefferson county jail has marked a departure from the routine of prison life in the establishment of a library station for its inmates.

This little inst.i.tution is a remarkable affair. Mrs. Chester Mayer is responsible for its organization. Mrs. Mayer is a member of the visiting board at the county jail, and noticing the absence of good reading matter, the continual idling of prisoners, she took up the matter with Jailer John R. Pflanz, who approved the idea of a library station. Then she approached her husband, Dr. Mayer, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Louisville Free Public Library.

When George T. Settle, the recently elected librarian, was approached, he gave his hearty consent. One hundred volumes were sent immediately for the men's department and fifty for the women prisoners. The books were selected by Miss Annie V. Pollard, former acting librarian, who gave considerable time to a study of the most desirable literature. The books sent were non-denominational, nonpolitical, and mostly fiction, works of the popular authors, but nothing too heavy for the mental appet.i.te of the inmates. The books were taken from the open-shelf room.

As these books are used they are changed. Since the establishment of the jail library station the circulation has reached 2,000 books. Of course, the same book is read by nearly all the regular borrowers.

An interesting sight is presented when the prisoners are at liberty in the open places at the jail. About 75 per cent. of the prisoners can read. The other 25 per cent. gather about an appointed reader, who reads aloud.

How much better is this for those unfortunates than idling their time, brooding, planning evil deeds, perhaps, or thinking criminal thoughts!

The Rev. George L. Herr, prison evangelist, is in charge of the work and he and Jailer Pflanz have made it a success.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CURTIS JETT

How he found G.o.d, he tells you in his own words. G.o.d bless Curt, and give him the desires of his heart, is the prayer of the Author.]

CHANGE COMES IN CURT JETT.

[Courier-Journal]

Frankfort, Ky., March 14.--(Special.)--Although he is serving two life sentences for murder, Curt Jett, "the wild dog of the mountains," has not yet abandoned hope of getting a pardon and being given another chance to show that his reformation has been sincere and final. He says that G.o.d has pardoned him for his crimes and he thinks the Governor ought to.

"The best thing ever happened to me was when I was sent to the penitentiary," said Jett last night in his cell in the prison here as he was talking to some newspaper men, who were inside the cellhouse for another purpose than talking to Jett. "I realize that I never would have been reformed but for being put in here," continued Jett. "I only wish that they would give me another chance to show that I really have changed my ways."

License To Teach Sunday-School.

Jett showed the newspaper men who had stopped to talk to him, when they saw him lying on his cot reading, a certificate from the International Sunday-school League ent.i.tling him to teach in a Sunday-school. He was prouder of that than he ever was of his ability to shoot and he showed it with great pride. Jett recently wrote out his religious experiences for the Rev. Geo. L. Herr, the prison evangelist, and last night Jett said he would give the story to the newspapers if Col. E. E. Mudd, the prison warden, had no objections. Col. Mudd was with the newspaper men and readily consented to Jett giving out the story. He had written it with a pencil and gave it to the newspaper men, desiring that it be published.

Jett's cell is covered with pictures, most of them selected with care as to their beauty, and he has shown taste in arranging them. One of the newspaper men remarked on the decorations in the cell last night and Jett said:

"Yes, it cheers this cell up a little and makes it brighter."