He was a skilful turner, and told me that he only wanted a small lathe and some tools to commence with, and he wonld then earn a o-ood living. I felt much pleased with his deportment, and furnished him with all he wanted, and with money, with which to purchase stock; all went on well for several weeks. One evening, his daughter came to my house in tears, and begged 1113 to come to the house, for her father had abused her mother shamefully, saying, " it was impossible for them to live together." I went immediately over, saw them, expressed my surprise and regret, that, under the favorable circumstances with which they had met, that they could not banish the remembrance of the past, and look at the future, under God's blessing, as the bright sunset after a stormy day.
To be brief, he turned like the " dog to his vomit, and the sow to her wallowing in the mire," gave himself up to intoxication, and died a drunkard! Notwithstanding the prospect before him, of seeking God's blessing, and ending his days in happiness and peace. My visits to the prison, were on alternate Sabbaths; and for several months I had the same class, which consisted of six young men, neither of whom were over twenty-five years of age. It was not allowed for a teacher, to hold any conversation with a convict scholar on any other subject than that which concerned his lesson, or the application of it to the present case. But I could not resist the temptation, to digress from rule so far, as to enquire of each one his name and term of sentence.
I commenced with the one opposite to me, and in a low voice asked his name, and the above particulars. He gave me a name, whether true, or an alias, I could not tell. He belonged to a town near Worcester, Mass., and when arrested, was doing a prosperous business, had been married a year, and had one child. Said he: " I am entirely innocent of the crime alleged against me, and for which 1 am now suffering; it was for forgery. I was in company with some young men one evening, when the conversation turned on beautiful hand writing. I was asked if I could imitate that name. I did it so well, that none of the others could distinguish the original from the copied.
Next day, I was arrested on charge of forgery, tried, and sentenced for five years in the State Prison." This was the sum of his story, which might do to tell to marines, for sailors would not helieve it. I showed no signs of unbelief ahout his story, merely observing that if I were living at the expiration of his sentence, I should like to see him. I could not help noticing the cast of this young man's head, his high, and well-formed forehead, brilliant and penetrating eyes, together with a fine manly form; but, alas! what does all this amount to? he is a State Prison convict, a stigma, which time may partially cover, but is never forgotten.
The next case was a youth from the country, he was also innocent of the crime for which lie was imprisoned! What an outrage upon society, when an innocent man is arrested for an alleged crime, tried, and found guilty by twelve impartial jurymen, and then in consummation of this act of injustice, the stern judge pronounces the appalling sentence, two days solitary confinement, and five years hard labor in the State Prison! " Woe unto you also ye laivyers! for you lade men, with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. " This young man very briefly told me his story; which was, that some stolen property was found in his possession, but he coidd not tell how it came there! he had been in prison two years, and had three more to serve.
Neither did I intimate to him, that I disbelieved his story, and was sorry to find that neither of them had ingenuousness enough tc Qpenly confess their crimes and manifest some signs of repentance. But mark the contrast; the third man on the seat, who was a rough, highwaymanlooking fellow, with short wiry red hair, face full of large freckles, and a wicked looking eye. During the time that these innocent vouno-sters were telling their stories, he was reachino: forward, and attentively listening* to their statements. He was an entire stranger, probably never having seen them before meeting in the class. After the boy had got through with his story, this fellow very deliberately straightened himself up, and giving me a sort of leering look, said he, in a low voice, of course, " I wonder, sir, how it is that these two innocent chaps are allowed to sit with me.