Protestant clergymen, Catholic priests, Rabbis, Sisters of Mercy,
missionaries and even a Theosophist preacher, visit the prison and the
hospital regularly. Saturday afternoon is a very busy time for the "sky
pilots."
One "sky pilot" comes only during the lunch hour and, walking to the
busy table, invariably asks: "Well, boys, how goes it?" He has never
been known to change his query in years--and that is the only service he
has ever done for the souls of the convicts.
A tall, thin, spectacled, Protestant missionary devotes a great deal of
his time to what he calls "saving souls from eternal damnation"; his way
of doing this mysterious thing is by leaving tracts on our beds. They
contain startling headlines, such, for instance, as this: "Be with
Jesus. He is your only pal!"
When I laughed at one of his quotations from the Bible, which I claimed
was incorrect, he retorted by saying that my spirit was full of unclean
devils. I answered by saying that I would rather be a real devil than a
false saint of his type, and he at once proved the truth of my assertion
by calling me unseemly and unchristian epithets, greatly to the
merriment of the listening convicts and the keeper. I told him to go
away from me and let me alone, but fifteen minutes later he came back
and apologized for his offensive and undignified behaviour, adding that
he had looked up the quotation in a Bible at the keeper's desk and to
his great astonishment found that he had been mistaken.
Although I am not of his faith, the Rabbi comes to speak to me every
week. He has taken a great interest in my case, and he offers his
services to get me a pardon, deploring my attitude in wasting time
behind the bars and in the vain hope that my appeal will be successful.
But he is surprised when I inform him that I do not expect to succeed in
my appeal, and that I have made up my mind not to accept any favors from
the parties who were responsible for my prosecution and imprisonment, so
that I can keep my hands free to act in case there are further
revelations.
A few weeks later another Rabbi takes his place. A kinder and gentler
soul it would be difficult to meet.
The Sisters of Mercy appear every month or so; they are loved and
venerated by the convicts. I have noticed that, unlike the other
missionaries who take care of our spiritual welfare, the Sisters never
ask a convict: "What crime did you commit?" but always: "How long must
you serve?" "Have you mother, sister, wife, or children?" "What can we
do to help them?"
The Sisters never argue, discuss or theorize about religion, but they
help the convicts in the only practical, useful and efficient ways; they
visit and appeal to judges and District Attorneys; they call on the
families of the convicts and their friends; they furnish money to needy
relatives and to the men themselves when they come penniless out of
prison.
The Protestant clergymen, the Catholic priests, the Rabbis, the
missionaries, as a rule talk only to the men of their own faith. But the
Sisters of Mercy speak to everybody, no matter to what race or faith
they may belong. They never inquire into a man's crimes; all they ask is
to be told of his troubles and worries and to be allowed to do what they
can to relieve them.
One of the Sisters is said to be responsible for the elimination of
stripes in Sing Sing.