which weighed more than twenty-five pounds each, with all the trimmings,
including dressing, cranberry sauce, etc. There were oysters fried, and
oyster soup, with crackers and celery. And what an array of cakes! As I
remember, there were chocolate and caramel, layer and black ones, in
short, almost every kind of cakes and pies known to the culinary art.
Then there were bushels of oranges, apples and mixed nuts, and for a
time all of us forgot about stone walls and iron bars, for what a merry
time we did have discussing that repast!
--------
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.--John 3:16.
--------
Whence came all of those good things? Why, the little man who has so
often walked a square or two further in the rain to buy one banana more
for a nickel for some poor prisoner, and who has worn out more
shoe-leather in helping unfortunate men in durance vile than any other
man in Kentucky: the Rev. Geo. L. Herr, affectionately called "The
Little Missionary," made personal calls on the wealthy and charitable
merchants in the city of Louisville, soliciting this food and dinner in
the name of humanity, and may God richly bless all those who helped him
make it such a grand success.
HENRY E. YOUTSEY.
Praise for Prison Evangelist
[Courier-Journal]
To the tributes that have been paid to the Rev. George Herr, after
filling the pulpit of the Clifton Baptist church, of Louisville, the
Rev. James A. Clark yesterday added a testimonial, in which he praised
the prison evangelist for work which he considers "little short of
wonderful."
"It gives me pleasure to add my testimonial to the many I have seen
concerning the work of the Rev. George Herr as prison evangelist," says
the Clifton Baptist church pastor. "Three times I have heard him tell
the simple gospel story of Jesus and his love. He has a message few
preachers have, and tells it with power and effect. He has a message the
world needs to hear, because it is an example of the power of God to
save to the uttermost.
--------
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.--Prov. 1:10.
--------
"Mr. Herr has had a wonderful, but costly experience, which fits him
peculiarly for the special work among prisoners. From a wealthy man,
living in a mansion, sin blindly led him to poverty, robbed him of his
money, property and friends; but God came into his life and now he
rejoices that he is a child of the King.
"George Herr is doing a work little short of wonderful. He deserves the
co-operation of the Christian brotherhood, and I take pleasure in
commending him."
Sermon in State Prison
Rev. Jos. Severance, Chaplain, says in the Courier-Journal:
One of the most remarkable meetings in the annals of the prison was held
in the chapel of the penitentiary at Frankfort, Ky., Sunday morning.
George L. Herr, of Louisville, a friend of Chaplain Severance, was
present and spoke from the fourth and twelfth verses of the 103rd Psalm.
The sermon was a strong appeal to the men for gratitude to God for the
rich provision for the redemption of the race and urging them to accept
the mercy of God and allow him to remove their sins from them "as far
as the East is from the West." The chapel was crowded to the doors, and
during the sermon that lasted for an hoar no one moved and none went
out.
--------
My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.--Psalm
73:2.
--------
At the close of the sermon the gospel invitation was given and a total
of forty-two men came forward, some to confess faith in Christ (of these
there were thirty-seven) and others to renew their vows. Hundreds asked
for prayer in their behalf. Among those who came were some of the
hardest men in the prison and more noted for insubordination and
disobedience than for piety and morality.
But the Chaplain believes that the per cent. of those who remain true is
as great among prisoners as among those outside.
Bro. Herr knows the prison work as few men do. He is a man of large
sympathy, and having had an experience of fifteen years as an evangelist
knows how to reach the hearts of the men. He has the entire confidence
of both prisoners and officials and is always given a most hearty
welcome by all.
The baptism of the thirty-seven men who made confession Sunday will be
attended to next Sunday morning. Mr. Herr will return to the baptism.
--------
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.--Matt. 25:40.
--------
Revival Stirs Up Inmates
[Courier-Journal]
The Rev. George L. Herr preached yesterday at the Frankfort penitentiary
for the Rev. Joseph Severance, who was filling another engagement.
Several hundred men and women asked for prayer, and fourteen confessed
Christ and were baptized in the prison pool in the afternoon by the
chaplain, assisted by the Rev. C. R. Hudson and the Rev. Herr, prison
evangelist.
* * * * *
The prisoners in the Frankfort penitentiary were again blessed by a
visit from Bro. Geo. L. Herr, the Louisville prison evangelist, who came
unexpectedly to us. It was doubly fortunate, for the reason that Bro.
Jos. Severance, the chaplain, was absent from the city and therefore
could not fill his appointment.
--------
He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God.--John 3:18.
--------
Bro. Herr read that most beautiful 37th Psalm, which is replete with
comfort for those who are in dire distress and in need of consolation,
placing special emphasis on those passages which teach patience and
faith in "The God who is mighty to save and strong to deliver."
Bro. Herr never fails to extend the invitation of the gospel; in fact,
that is his strong point, and is recognized by him to be the most
important part of his work as an evangelist. His labor was rewarded, as
he won eight souls for our Lord and Saviour.
The following representatives, members of the present General Assembly,
were present at the morning services: W. H. Jones, Princeton, Ky.; John
T. Shanklin, Johnson, Ky.; W. A. B. Davis, Mt. Vernon, Ky.; Albert
Butler. These gentlemen have been coming regularly, which proves that
they are interested in our welfare, and also devoted to the church
services. We are always proud of their presence, and invite all their
colleagues.
At the afternoon Christian Endeavor service, Bro. Herr made an
extemporaneous address in which he revealed the secret of his wonderful
success as a soul-winner, which the writer would call unlimited charity,
and inexhaustible brotherly love; the love that always instantly
forgives, and as quickly extends a hand to help a fallen brother rise.
The eulogy he paid his wife, whom he acknowledged to be the inspiration
to his life, was most beautiful. At this service he won five more souls
for his hire, making thirteen for the day. HENRY E. YOUTSEY.
CHAPTER EIGHT
A MAN OF HONOR
For several years I have been deeply interested in the men confined in
the prison, and in the betterment of their condition. Each time I held
service in the prison I came in contact with, and was very much
encouraged and assisted by the warden's great kindness. He did much to
improve the conditions of life within the prison walls. G. L. H.
* * * * *
[Evening Post.]
FRANKFORT, Ky., Jan. 23.--The body of Edward E. Mudd, late warden of the
Frankfort State Reformatory, who died yesterday morning, was taken this
morning to his former home at Glendale, in Hardin County, where it will
be buried this afternoon.
Yesterday afternoon the body lay in state in the prison chapel and was
viewed by 1,300 convicts.
--------
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.--Prov. 1:10.
--------
Five floral designs were sent from the penitentiary. The guards and the
deputy wardens and the clerks sent two, a few of the "trusties" sent
another, and the white prisoners and the colored prisoners each sent a
design. These latter were paid for in 5 and 10-cent contributions.
The Prison Commission, which is in session, ordered flowers sent from
Louisville, and adopted the following resolution:
"Resolved, That in the death of Edward E. Mudd, warden of the State
Reformatory at Frankfort, the State of Kentucky has lost a valuable
public official, and the prison has been deprived of an ideal executive.
"His long experience in prison work had supplemented his natural
ability, with the result that he brought to a difficult task a trained
mind and an admirable judgment. He was firm without being severe; gentle
without being weak; with a heart full of kindness for the unfortunates
under his control.
"The Board of Prison Commissioners recognized his worth; had the fullest
appreciation of his manliness, his integrity and his devotion to duty.
They sought his advice on all important matters, and in his demise they
realize that the State has sustained an irreparable loss. The sincere
sympathy of the board is hereby extended to his bereaved wife and
children."
Until a successor to Warden Mudd is appointed one of the commissioners
will be constantly in Frankfort.
--------
Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.--Jno. 8:11.
--------
CHAPTER NINE
JIM O'BRIEN: MODERN MIRACLE
By George L. Herr
Several years ago I met in the Jefferson County jail, Louisville, Ky.,
"Dad O'Brien," one of the worst criminals I have ever known. Fifty odd
years of age, forty years a thief and twenty-five years behind the bars.
The sentence in the jail was a light one--one year and a half--for
having received stolen property, but he had stolen from one to tens of
thousands. He was son of a prominent physician of Cincinnati, for twenty
years professor of anatomy in the Ohio Medical College. He began by
stealing from his mother's purse and then, when punished by his father,
would steal his father's instruments and sell them for revenge. His
father, being a very stern man, drove "Billy" from home, and the night
came on with no place to go.
--------
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life.--John 5:24.
--------
He led a low, degraded life, and was finally arrested and sentenced to
serve ten years in the Columbus penitentiary. When he was about to serve
his first sentence--which seemed to him a lifetime--a young lady, an old
schoolmate and who had been visiting him in jail, proposed marriage to
him, so she could have the right to visit him in Columbus and provide
him with the comforts of life, as far as possible. She was a girl of
means, and he was stunned by the proposal. For, he said, he had not
thought of such a thing as a wife. But he told her to come back the next
day and he would let her know. She did, and he accepted and they were
married on the eve of his leaving for the penitentiary. He only served
part of the sentence, and when released went to the home of the girl and
began life in a new way, only to fall in the old rut in a short time. He
kept up his criminal life for years.
--------
"But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them
snared in holes, are for a prey, and none delivereth: for a
spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to
this? Who will harken and hear for the time to come?"--Isaiah
42:22.
--------
The good wife died, and after her death he became one of the most
notorious bank robbers in this country. While in the county jail at
Louisville, Ky., Dad's friends were standing nobly by him. He had plenty
of money sewed in his clothes to meet his every need. I tried hard to
reach him, but he was determined not to have anything to do with a "Sky
Pilot," as he called me. The first time I spoke to him he almost spit in
my face, but that never daunted me. I was more determined to win him. I
saw he was a diamond in the rough. He had a bright mind, a man filled
with history.
While in prison in Louisville, Ky., he became interested, and determined
to quit the old life. After this determination he immediately wrote his
intentions to his old pals on the outside, and told them not to send him
any more money, for he was done with that life. They told him he was a
fool and had gone crazy, and everything else they could think of.
But he was that kind, when he made up his mind to do a thing he did it.
--------
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge.--Psalm 46:7.
--------
Then it was my opportunity for the practical side of Christianity, for I
believe in that side. His clean laundry must be supplied, extra food
that his old companions had been having sent in from the restaurants
must now be brought by the missionary from home. Many are the baskets of
food I have carried from my cottage home to this man. But the time was
coming when he was to be released and nowhere to go, and that was the
thing that seemed to trouble him most.
I said: "Never mind, 'Dad,' when you get out of this prison-house come
to my home, I'll take care of you and help you to a good life." Well,
one night, at about 8 o'clock he knocked on the door. How glad wife and
I were to see him! He often said, "How warm the fire looks and how
home-like to see you all sitting around." We gave him a good warm
supper, a good bed, the best room in the house, but that was not all he
needed. The next day was the beginning of the real battle. The
detectives were hounding him. But to keep them from rearresting him we
sent him across the river until we could plead with the officers to give
this man another chance. We believe had it not been for the great
interest taken by John R. Pflanz, the jailer, at this time for this man,
that he would have died in a cell in some far Eastern prison. He said,
"What's the use? Let me alone; there is only one thing for me and that
is to go back to the old life." We said, "'D,' we'll see you through."
--------
I know not how to go.--1 Kings 3:7.
--------
All this time we were trying to find employment for him. All this time
he was growing impatient and would say: "A great big husky fellow like
me laying around on a little man like Brother Herr." He weighed about
190 pounds, but we would encourage him by saying, "Well, Dad, you know
God's people have all things in common, and he knows you are here, and
when he sends to us he sends it for you as well."
One day when we were talking, he said: "Brother Herr, those old charges
in Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburg, Cincinnati and New York are hanging
over me and I must face them."
We said, "Well, Dad, if you have made up your mind you would rather live
for God behind the bars than to live for the devil on the outside or the
inside, God will see you through. Go and face these charges, and if you
mean business, God will take care of you."
--------
I will guide thee.--Ps. 32:8.
--------
He went first to St. Louis and told the judge on the bench that he had
quit the old life forever. They looked at him, and even those who were
his bitter enemies, said, "Give him another chance; go and be a man and
we will help you." He came back to our home from St. Louis, stayed a few
weeks and started for the other charges, encouraged by the last trip. He
went to Chicago first, and they told him the same thing there; then he
went to Cincinnati, then to Pittsburg, and they said, "Dad, if you mean
business you shall have a chance." Then he went to New York where he
and three other men had robbed a bank of $175,000. When he went in to
see the New York people they did not know him. He had been living a
Christian life for several months. Salvation changes the looks of a man,
and takes away the hard lines and softens the eye; and when he told them
who he was, they said: "My God! where did you come from and what are you
doing here?"
He told these gentlemen what had taken place in his life, and of his
determination for the future. Said one wealthy man, "Well, Dad, go on
your way and may God be with you and help you."
--------
Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.--Is. 41:10.
--------
He went on a hunt for the old friend "Hinky Dink" down in the first
ward. "Hinky Dink" saw him, paid for a week's lodging at the Mills
Hotel, and gave him money for meals each day. Finally one day "Hinky
Dink" and Dad, standing in the front of his (Hinky Dink's) saloon,
called "the workingmen's bar," where they line up by the fifties at a
time, looking in, "Hinky Dink" said, "Dad, you are worth $18 a week to
me behind that bar." Dad said, "Me? Not me for $1,800 a week. I am a
Christian, I have quit all that, never to return again." "Hinky Dink"
said: "Well, what do you want, anyhow?" Dad said: "I want to go to
Cincinnati to the Holiness camp meeting." "Hinky Dink" said, "Where?"
(this being all Greek to him), as it was not in his line, he knew.
"Dad" repeated what he had said, and "Hinky Dink" said: "Come right over
here and I'll buy you a ticket." He took him over to the railroad
office, and bought him a limited ticket to Cincinnati. Dad said, when
telling us, "He thought he was shipping me in the quickest way possible,
but it was the Lord taking care of 'Old Dad,' and sending him in
first-class style."
Again he came back to our home, stayed several weeks, then we got him
$20 worth of religious books to travel around to the camp meetings to
sell, and to tell his experience, for the people were eager to hear this
wonderful experience of God's transforming power, wherever he went. We
started him off, and he soon felt his call to preach the gospel. He was
ordained in Indianapolis in 1905, and preached up and down the land,
winning lost men and women for Jesus. His life was a miracle of what
God's grace can do. He married a fine Christian woman, who was a great
help to him in his work.
In the fall of 1908 he died a triumphant death, leaving a glorious
testimony behind.
Jim O'Brien Passes Away
The Courier-Journal republishes herewith from the Indianapolis Herald an
editorial by the Rev. George E. Bueler, pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal church, Indianapolis, Ind.:
"The Rev. William H. Frazier, alias Jim O'Brien," died at Indianapolis
on Monday, October 30, 1908.
"At an early age Frazier began associating with bad boys on the streets
of Cincinnati and of course was soon drawn into sin. At the age of 14 he
began stealing, at first on a small scale, and increasing with the years
until he became one of the most daring and successful bank robbers known
in America. He was arrested and in prison many times, but when at
liberty he drifted back into crime again. For forty years he was a
criminal; of that time twenty-three years and six months was spent
behind prison bars. Although he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars
he was released from prison the last time in Louisville with only $2.40
left. What wages for forty years in the service of Satan! While
incarcerated in the Jefferson County jail, at Louisville, Ky.,
Missionary George L. Herr found this wretched man and through many
months of persistent effort found a way to his heart. At first the
missionary was met with curses and abuses, but love conquered, and the
result was Jim's conversion, a miracle indeed, for, from that time in
January, 1903, "Dad," as he was known, lived a godly life and retrieved
for the past by telling everywhere he went his life story, showing forth
the glory of God's redeeming grace. No one knew better than Bro. Frazier
what it meant for a man to be released from prison and again face the
world. With the disgrace and odium upon him it is well nigh impossible
for him to find honest employment, for no one knowing him to be an
exconvict wants him in their employ, the temptation to return to the old
life is strong. With this in view he began making homes for such men in
large cities. While Bro. Frazier was working and starting a home in
Cincinnati he was made prison chaplain for the entire city. During the
past summer he and his wife came to Indianapolis. While here his
physical condition gave way; he knew his end was near. To those who
waited on him in his last hours he constantly affirmed his faith in God
and passed peacefully away. The funeral was conducted by the Revs.
Parker, Stevens and Bueler, with special singing by Mr. Maxwell, Mrs.
Bueler and Mrs. Nelson. All who want a more complete account of this
wonderful life should read his book, "From Crime to Christ."
CHAPTER TEN
COLUMBUS OHIO PRISON
[Ohio Penitentiary News]
The Rev. George L. Herr, prison evangelist, returned yesterday from St.
Louis, where he went in the interest of the men "behind the bars." The
Rev. Mr. Herr also had a delightful visit with his son, of St. Louis.
Mr. Herr, on his return home, received the following letter from the
Rev. D. J. Starr, D.D., chaplain at Columbus, O., penitentiary:
Dear Brother: I thank you for your letter informing me that you will
spend Sunday, March 8, with us at this prison. We intend to make good
use of you for the Master's cause. We will wish you, unless it will
weary you to do so, to speak to our Sunday-school at 8 o'clock; address
the prayer meeting at 9 o'clock; preach in chapel at 10 o'clock; attend
Female Bible class and talk at 3 p.m., and men's Bible class at 7 p.m.
* * * * *
--------
"I was in prison, and ye came unto me."--Matt. 25:36.
--------
The Courier-Journal republishes herewith from the Ohio Penitentiary News
an editorial by the Rev. D. J. Starr, D.D., chaplain at the Columbus,
O., prison:
"The Rev. George L. Herr, whose address delivered in our chapel last
Sunday morning was charmingly refreshing, is a man whose vicissitudes of
life lead through a labyrinth that would require a half century of years
to make its journey at an ordinary pace. But George L. Herr is not the
man to do anything in an ordinary way. The itinerary of his life shows
few curves--mostly acute angles. He was born in an old Kentucky family
of the city of Louisville. His ancestral stock was golden, and his
infancy was fed with a golden spoon on sugar and cream. When he was
three months old his Christian mother went to be with God. When he was
18 years old his father, Richard S. Herr, a capitalist of Louisville,
died and left George the heir of a large patrimony.
"The orphan was genial, sportive, rich and without domestic restraint.
Men seized the opportunity to take advantage of his tendencies and youth
to filch from him his wealth. He yielded, and threw on the neck of
appetite the slackened rein and became woefully dissipated. He mounted
the toboggan and went down the slide, landing in a few years in the
gulch of destitution and near the precipice of suicide.
--------
Teach me thy way, O Lord.--Ps. 86:11.
--------
"Here in destitution and despair on the day after Christmas, 1893, the
Rev. S. P. Holcombe, of Louisville, found the prodigal and led him into
the Union Gospel Mission, where he sought and came to know God as a
personal Saviour. What a change! New bottles for the new wine of the
Spirit! As language cannot picture the degradation of the prodigal,
neither can it picture the exaltation of the son restored to the Father.
George was as whole-hearted in his new life as in his old. He had beauty
for ashes and a spirit of praise instead of heaviness. After nearly five
years of the new life George L. Herr, in the city of his fall and his
recovery, was married by the Rev. Dr. Carter H. Jones, pastor of
Broadway Baptist Church, to Miss Lillie M. Joyce. George says that if a
man ever outmarried himself he's the man. He says God gave him this
priceless treasure of a Christian wife in answer to prayer. Those who
know Mrs. Herr speak of her as sweet-spirited, noble, devout, gifted in
song and speech and one in spirit with her husband in the work of saving
those who are out of the way. Their home is filled with the aroma of
grace and their united lives are spent in doing good. How wonderfully
God fulfills His ancient promise to present-day prodigals: 'As ye were a
curse, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing.'"
The Big Ohio "Pen" Week by Week
Weekly Budget of Personal, Local and Other Newsbits.
To-morrow in the Chapel.
Sunday School 8 A.M.
Prayer Meeting 9 A.M.
The Great Congregation 10 A.M.
Entry March Band
(Thomas McCaskie, Leader.)
Gloria Patri Entire Congregation
(Directed by Choirmaster Prof. J. H. Chavers.)
Invocation.
Songs By Miss Luale Bethel
"A Rose in Heaven."
"Life's Lullaby."
First Scripture Lesson.