Sketches from Press Reports.
My call being not only to the prison bound but to every creature, the
newspaper men have received their part of the Gospel message and were
often instrumental in heralding some truth to their readers whom I
have been unable to reach in person. I have often been interviewed by
reporters regarding my work for the Master and they frequently give
accounts of meetings held in the prisons, on the streets, etc., very
correctly, though sometimes in a humorous style and from that
standpoint of the onlookers or the prisoners. In this chapter I give a
few sketches from reports of my work clipped from the papers.
A LABOR OF LOVE.
A WOMAN WHO LEFT A LUXURIOUS HOME TO SERVE THE UNFORTUNATE.
MRS. WHEATON AMONG THE CRIMINALS AT THE PENITENTIARY.
SHE VISITS THE HOSPITALS, JAIL AND WORK-HOUSE--AFFECTING SCENES WHILE
SHE PREACHED.
A white-haird lady, clad in deep mourning, carrying a volume bound in
morocco, visited the penitentiary yesterday. This was Mrs. E. R.
Wheaton. In a few minutes she was delivering a sermon to the convicts.
She is a remarkable woman. Four years ago she left a luxurious home in
Ohio to preach the gospel to convicts, and since then has exhorted in
the penitentiaries of thirty-seven States. She visits hospitals and
the abodes of fallen women, also, and has ministered to the wants of
thousands of unfortunates. An _American_ reporter asked her how she
happened to be engaged in the work.
"No member of my family was ever in a prison or afflicted as are those
to whom I speak," she exclaimed; "my evangelical work did not
originate in any morbid sympathy because of personal bereavement. I
simply felt called of God to preach his word to the people, and have
entered upon it for the remainder of my life. My heart and soul are in
it, and though I am far from my dear ones I am happy."
She had been speaking to the convicts but a few minutes when the
effect of her words of exhortation was visible. At first the majority
were listless, but as she warmed to her cause they responded with
closer attention and in fifteen minutes every eye was fixed intently
upon the gentle, earnest woman, who sought to save their souls and
bring a divine light to their benighted lives. When she closed her
discourse and asked if any desired her prayers twenty hardened men of
crime, with tears in their eyes, raised their hands and three advanced
to the mourners' seat. With these she prayed and every word was
fraught with all the potent power with which the voice of woman in
prayer is capable. The three unfortunates were moved as men seldom are
and at the close of the meeting professed conversion.
Mrs. Wheaton then visited the hospital department of the penitentiary,
after which she went to the jail, work-house and city hospital and at
each place delivered a discourse. To-day she will see fallen
women.--Nashville American, Nashville, Tenn., 1887.
A PRISON EVANGELIST.
ELIZABETH R. WHEATON TALKS AT THE COUNTY JAIL.
Elizabeth R. Wheaton, the celebrated prison evangelist, visited the
Buchanan county jail yesterday, and conducted a religious service of
forty minutes' length. The evangelist pointed out the errors of her
hearers and advised them to make early amends. The evangelist assured
the audience that all they needed to be saved was faith. Wife murderer
Bulling was one of the evangelist's most attentive hearers, and the
horse thieves, burglars and other criminals were among her closest
listeners. Sheriff Spratt thinks much good will result from Evangelist
Wheaton's visit to the bastile.--St. Joe, Mo., paper, Aug. 8, 1889.
PRISON EVANGELIST.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, prison evangelist, held services in the
county jail this afternoon, lecturing and singing to the eleven
prisoners there. She told in few words and four songs the whole plan
of salvation, and it didn't take her but twenty minutes to do it. She
talked a little while and sang "I Will Tell the Wondrous Story,"
following with a few words of comment her rich contralto voice burst
into "You Must Be Born Again," followed in the same way. Then "It Pays
to Serve the Lord," and "Parting to Meet no More," closing with a
short prayer. These songs coming in the order they do, tell the whole
story and make a very pretty one.--Unidentified.
EVANGELISTIC SERVICE AT PRISON.
Elizabeth Wheaton, a noble Christian woman who has consecrated her
life to work in prisons, jails, reformatories, houses of correction,
houses of refuge and hospitals, visited our city Saturday, and after
presenting her credentials was given hearty permission to hold
services at the prison on Sunday, Father Murphy, the Catholic
chaplain, whose day it was to officiate, kindly consenting to this
arrangement. Her manner would probably not be agreeable to an ├Žsthetic
Christian audience in a fashionable, upholstered church, but she
knows how to reach the hearts of the men and boys who wear the
stripes, one of the prisoners, a Catholic, who has been behind the
bars for almost seventeen years, remarking that this was the best
service they had had there during his long term of imprisonment. No
one, be he Christian or pagan, could have listened to the service at
the prison chapel last Sunday without being convinced that there was
an opening for unselfish work among prisoners and that this lady was
pre-eminently fitted for such work. There is no mawkish sentimentality
about her, but an all absorbing zeal in the work of leading the
criminals, the erring, the lowly, the sick and the afflicted to Christ
and a better life. It is doubtful if there is an ordained minister in
the land who can do as much good in this field as this plain,
unpretentious, but thoroughly consecrated woman. She has now been
nearly five years in this work, and has visited nearly every prison in
the United States and Canada, a few in Mexico, and also the jails,
reformatories, houses of refuge and hospitals in all the prominent
cities through which she has passed. She has traveled almost 100,000
miles and has never met with an accident. Wherever she goes she is
kindly received, non-Christians in fact treat her better than those
whose sympathy and co-operation she has a right to expect. Thus does
the world ever recognize and honor earnest, conscientious and capable
laborers in the cause of God and humanity. She never allows a
collection to be taken up in her behalf, though frequently invited to
speak in churches, but accepts such offerings as may come without
solicitation. Last Sunday, while she and the citizens in the audience
were retiring from the chapel, a Swedish servant girl, whose name is
unknown to the writer, took from her scanty purse a silver dollar and
gave it to Mrs. Wheaton. If the lesson of the story of the widow's
mite be true this humble girl's gift was greater than that of the
millionaire who gives thousands of dollars toward the erection of a
magnificent church edifice.--Stillwater, Minn., Messenger, Oct. 27,
1888.
MRS. WHEATON'S ELOQUENCE.
CAUSES A SUFFERING WIFE TO FORGET HER BRUISES AND
FORGIVE HER CRUEL HUSBAND.
The case of Henry Cooper was brought up before 'Squire F. yesterday
afternoon at 2 o'clock.
Catharine Cooper stated that her husband had beat her brutally on last
Saturday afternoon and that this was not the first ill treatment she
had received at his hands.
The court room was converted into a prayer meeting and Mrs. Wheaton's
prayers presented an affecting scene; before the trial was ended Mrs.
Cooper asked to withdraw her prosecution and was willing to forgive
her cruel husband. 'Squire F. ordered the prisoner to be taken to the
workhouse to work out the cost of the suit.--Chattanooga, Tenn.,
paper.
FROM A PRISONER IN THE PRATT MINES STOCKADE, ALABAMA.
To the Chronicle:
Supposing a line or two from our prison, its surroundings, happenings,
etc., would be acceptable, prompts me to drop you this.
The monotony of prison life is such that hardly anything transpires,
that would command the notice of a news reporter, or draw an article
from a newspaper correspondent. But, Mr. Editor, we had something to
take place here last night that beats anything we ever saw or heard
of.
About the time all the convicts had finished eating the evening meal,
Captain P. J. Rogers announced that all should remain seated awhile,
to hear preaching. Now to hear preaching is no uncommon occurrence
here, Brother Rush preaches regularly for us, and occasionally other
ministers deliver discourses upon the importance of living the life of
a Christian, so when Capt. R. announced that we were about to have
preaching, no one experienced much motion of spirit. The minds of
those who gave the matter any thought were picturing in expectation, a
man, perhaps baldheaded, clad in a long priestly robe with Bible and
Hymn-book in hand, and of a solemn, or sanctimonious countenance,
others, perhaps, drew a different man in appearance, but none had
drawn the picture correctly.
Imagine our surprise when instead of a man, a woman of mature age,
clad in the usual mourning apparel worn by the ladies, armed with
Bible and Hymn-book, mounted the rostrum, and announced that she was
going to preach to us. This announcement at once produced the most
profound and reverential silence imaginable--every eye was at once
riveted upon the face of the fair preacher, whose countenance wore a
pleasant smile and indicated an affectionate and amiable disposition,
and complete surprise or amazement was vivid upon the countenance of
her entire audience. The discourse was one worthy of the attention of
all who heard it--the sufferings of Jesus in and around Jerusalem--His
temptation and trial of toil and misery--His holy life--His triumphant
death and resurrection--His grand ascension to the realms of the
blessed, were eloquently delineated. The certainty of death--the
shortness of life--the never ending of the life beyond the grave were
theories eagerly pressed for reception upon the minds of her hearers.
Taking all in all, the discourse was well delivered and spiced with
enough enthusiasm to produce good effect. But, Mr. Editor, the idea
of a woman canvassing the world in behalf of the church is simply an
incident so unusual that quite a number of us here eagerly inquire,
what has become of the men? * * * *
Elizabeth R. Wheaton, for such is the name of our distinguished
visitor, related among other things, that she was called and led by
the God of Glory to go all over the world and preach the gospel to the
lost children of men, that the prisons, saloons, dens of sin and
pollution were the places of her special care. The huts of the poor
and outcast were by her to be visited and that she did not ask for
money, that her Master had promised to provide all things for her and
did so daily.
SAW MOTHER WHEATON.
THE NOTED PRISON EVANGELIST VISITED THE COUNTY JAIL PRISONERS TODAY.
A kindly faced, white-haired old lady walked into the county jail this
morning and asked permission to address the prisoners. She was
"Mother" Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the prison evangelist, who is known
from coast to coast. As soon as her identity was made known Turnkey
Reynolds and his corps of assistants did their utmost to assist the
generous old lady. She was shown through the building, and then
allowed to enter each ward.
From 11 o'clock until long after the noon hour she remained with the
unfortunates, visiting them separately and then preaching to all.
Tears were in the eyes of many of these hardened criminals before she
had finished.
"Mother" Wheaton was met at the jail entrance and asked to explain her
system of working. "It is all done by faith," she said. "I have faith
in God, and that is sufficient. He will provide me with all that is
necessary to carry on this work."
"Under whose guidance do you work?" was asked.
"The Lord's, and His only," was the reply.
"But are you not employed by some religious sect?"
"No. I do this on my own responsibility, and for the glory of God. For
the past fifteen years this has been my life's work. I go where I
please and do as I please."
"How far have you traveled?"
"Thousands and thousands of miles. Last year I was in Europe and have
been all over America."
For the past forty years "Mother" Wheaton has been a professed
believer in Christianity. Fifteen years ago she started in the work of
visiting prisons, and has been in every place of detention in any city
of note. She is received with the utmost courtesy both by the
officials and the prisoners. Many of the latter have met her at
different places, and most all the officials are acquainted with her
and her work.--A Detroit paper.
THE PRISON EVANGELIST.
MRS. E. R. WHEATON DELIVERS AN ADDRESS AT THE PENITENTIARY CHAPEL
SUNDAY MORNING.
The service at the penitentiary chapel Sunday was made memorable by
the presence and discourse of Mrs. E. R. Wheaton, the world-known
prison evangelist. Chaplain Winget conducted the services and offered
the invocation and in a few explanatory remarks introduced Mrs.
Wheaton. Mrs. Wheaton's hair is white as silver, but she still retains
her ever-youthful appearance and sprightly step. She sang in an
indescribably sweet, but powerful, voice "Some Mother's Child." At the
conclusion of the singing Mrs. Wheaton preached a wonderful discourse.
"I was on my way to Jerusalem," said she, "and had gotten as far as
London, England, when the Lord turned me back to my own country and to
my suffering boys in prison; and I said God bless my children, my
boys, for I am their mother.
"Oh! how sad and discouraged many of you are, but if you will believe
in God and read your Bible you will be comforted. How can any man have
the heart not to believe the Bible and rest his case upon the bosom of
the good Lord who died for us? I thank God that the good old-time
religion still lives. The devil, my children, causes you all your
sufferings and sorrows. Exchange him for Jesus. He will keep you.
Forgive your enemies and submit yourself to the officers of the
prison. You must obey--it is the Lord's will. He has placed you here
for his own purpose, maybe for your soul's good and salvation. Jesus
says, 'Come to me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you
rest.' Have faith. I am so sorry when some of you do wrong for the
innocent must suffer with the guilty and society becomes stern with
you. God bless you all."--Columbus, Ohio, paper.
MRS. ELIZABETH RIDER WHEATON PREACHES TO UNFORTUNATES.
VISITS THE BRIDEWELL AND HEARS THE COMPLAINT OF
ONE OF THE CITY'S CHARGES.
"What's the use? What have I to hope for? Who cares for me? Who'll
help me? What can I do when my time expires? Everybody's hand will be
against me! A hopeless drunkard is past redemption."
Tears came to the eyes of Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton yesterday
afternoon as she heard these words fall from the lips of a dejected
prisoner at the bridewell. The prison and train evangelist whose work
for fifteen years among convicts had brought her many such questions,
which she was unable to answer to the satisfaction of the prisoners,
spoke to the wretched man in tender tones, and told him of the
consolation offered by religion.
"But," she said, turning to a reporter, "what can I do in one
conversation? It needs many. I'm going back to Chicago next week, and
I intend to devote considerable time to every prison and house of
refuge in the city. I haven't done any work in the city since the
anarchist execution."
Mrs. Wheaton's methods of evangelizing are sometimes dramatic. For
instance, Mrs. Wheaton arrived in Chicago from St. Louis on a Wabash
train early yesterday morning. Night before last, while the train was
speeding along in the darkness, the occupants of the reclining chair
car were startled.
"Look out!" cried a voice in shrill tones. "We're coming to a high
bridge. Before we reach it we pass over a curve. The rails may be all
right, the bridge may be safe; but who knows?"
The passengers turned around in their seats. They looked frightened
and appeared anxious to know whether there was really an impending
danger. They saw only a woman whose face, softened by grief, bore
lines of pain and care. She was Mrs. Wheaton.
"But the Christian is not afraid to die," she continued. "He welcomes
death as a release from care and a blessing."
Then the evangelist preached a sermon, to which all listened with
attention.
Although Mrs. Wheaton has visited every state in the Union many times
during her fifteen years of missionary work, she has been in a
sleeping car but once. Railroads give her passes. She has no
property, and, of course, can collect no money from convicts, though
occasionally she receives a contribution on trains.
"The trouble of it all," said she after her talk with the man in the
bridewell, "is not in the prisons. It is after the convicts get out.
For that, humanity is to blame. Prisoners have not much hope, and some
of them accept religion in a tentative sort of way.
"When they are released they are hounded by the police, marked by all
citizens as ostracized men, unable to get employment, and, in fact,
the second termers tell me they are reduced almost to the necessity of
choosing between starvation and stealing. Those whose conversion is
real do neither, because no man need ever starve in this country, but
the weak go under and are brought back to jail. What the world needs
is more Christian charity. We should forgive, as our Saviour did,
seventy times seven."
In addition to her charm as a speaker, Mrs. Wheaton is a singer of no
mean ability. She is not a believer in men who accept religion for the
sake of business and put on a sanctimonious air. The view that she
takes of life meets with favor among the convicts, and she sings a
song called "The Twin Ballots," which illustrates her opinion on the
temperance question. The song is about two rum votes that sanctioned
the license plan, "but one was cast by a cunning brewer and one by a
Sunday-school man."
The evangelist left last night for Pittsburg, but will return next
week. She said she wished to impress upon people the fact that
converted prisoners are not hypocrites, although the guards often
suspect insincerity and treat a converted man worse than any other,
because they think he is seeking to curry favor.--A Chicago paper.
A DISGRACEFUL PROCEEDING.
Thursday afternoon, Mrs. Elizabeth R. Wheaton, the noted prison
evangelist, accompanied by a sister, asked permission from a
policeman, which was granted, to hold a street meeting for religious
purposes.
After singing some hymns, which, from their superior rendition,
attracted a large crowd, Mrs. Wheaton, an elderly lady who has devoted
seven years of her time entirely to prison evangelical work, began an
earnest exhortation to sinners. After preaching for a few minutes
Officer C. came up and said that the mayor had ordered him to put a
stop to the proceedings.
Mrs. Wheaton said she would do her duty without fear of man and
continued for a moment longer. Then the party knelt on the snow and
began to pray for the mayor and the policeman. While they were praying
the officer came up closely followed by Mayor J., and roughly pushed
Mrs. Wheaton over. The mayor with fire in his eye as well as his
complexion, spoke in a very rude manner to the ladies, practically
endorsing the rough treatment already accorded the party.
Mrs. Wheaton showed _The Dispatch_ credentials from very high sources
and a very bulky bundle of railroad passes which gave substantial
evidence of the manner in which she and her work are regarded
elsewhere.
She has traveled over the United States and Mexico, and parts of
Europe, and it remained for a Leadville mayor to break the record and
treat her with indignity. She was very much shocked and grieved and
said she felt deeply sorry for Leadville, which she had often heard
spoken of as a wicked city.
_The Dispatch_ is free to say that Mayor J. acted without adequate
provocation and displayed an unnecessary exercise of authority. If the
services had been prolonged to any great extent he might have sent a
request to have them discontinued, but there was no occasion for any
such arbitrary exhibition of power as was made.
Far greater blockades with less meritorious objects have existed
without protest in Leadville. A medicine faker who pays a few dollars
license can yell and sing and make night hideous for hours and it is
all right, but a humble evangelical missionary, whose sincerity and
good intentions are not doubted, however persons may differ concerning
the methods, is unceremoniously made to move on. If the authorities
displayed as much zeal in suppressing vice as they do in shutting off
missionaries, Leadville would be a model city.
The prison evangelists, after having been ordered off Harrison avenue,
visited both city and county jails, where they were kindly received
and permitted by the officers to hold services among the prisoners. It
is said that this is the first religious service held in the Leadville
jails.--Leadville, Colo., Dispatch, March, 1891.
DISGRACEFUL.
Last night, when the ladies who have been conducting religious
services in the park, were preparing to close, some miscreant in human
form threw a small torpedo at them and struck Mrs. Wheaton above the
right eye. It did not produce any serious injury, but was very painful
at the time, and may terminate worse than at first supposed. This act
evidently issued from some low, depraved fiend whom the darkness of
the hour shielded from justice. The ladies departed from the city this
morning, and the exact result of the disgraceful episode cannot be
learned. As soon as it was done some man in the crowd offered $100
reward for the identification of the party who did the dastardly
trick, but of course no one knew who the miscreant was except he
himself.--Jacksonville, Ill., paper, June 26, 1887.
THE PRISON EVANGELIST.
"Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, prison evangelist, Chicago, Ill. Meet me in
heaven. No home but heaven." This is what is printed on the card of a
remarkable woman who visited the penitentiary and talked to the
convicts at 11 o'clock on Sunday. This woman has been engaged in this
work for about nine years, and she has visited nearly every prison and
jail in the United States, Canada and Mexico. She is the Moody of the
convict world. She asks for no money. She gives her services free, and
trusts to Providence for her support. "The Lord provides," she says.
She has held services in a different state or territorial prison the
past five Sundays, from Stillwater, Minn. (where Cole Younger is
confined and assists in and sometimes leads religious services), to
Salem, Oregon. Mrs. Wheaton also visits reform schools. She is one of
the chief advocates of the reformatory system being adopted in some of
the Eastern prisons whereby convicts of different classes are graded
and kept separate, wear different uniforms, etc., and are also let out
on furloughs on trial or probation. Mrs. Wheaton devotes her whole
time to prison work. She certainly accomplishes some good from all
this effort. She was a Methodist before taking up this life work, but
now holds to no sect.--Salem, Oregon, paper, Nov. 16, 1891.
A NOBLE WORK.
Among the evangelistic workers who go out among the people seeking the
low and degraded and trying to lift them up to be better men and
women, Elizabeth R. Wheaton is one of the chosen few who is well
adapted to this work. She asks no pay and receives none, but with
noble purpose and with heart and mind fully in the work which has been
given her, she travels from Maine to California and from British
Columbia to the Gulf of Mexico.
Her work is chiefly among the state prisons, county jails and reform
schools. Here she meets a class of people schooled in vice and who
have been kept face to face with the different evils all their lives;
these are the people whom she seeks to save.
Mrs. Wheaton has just returned from a successful trip through Mexico
and the South and is now on her way to Walla Walla, Portland and
British Columbia. She stopped off here to visit our penitentiary and
jail. Through the kindness of the warden she held a song service last
Sunday at the State penitentiary, and the amount of good which she did
was shown by the eager attention of the convicts, and the tear-stained
faces of some who, when the good old-fashioned hymns were sung,
thought of their far-away homes and mothers. Sunday evening she held
services at the jail and on the street, both of which were much
appreciated.--Unidentified.
GOSPEL FOR THE PRISONERS.
THE INMATES OF ATLANTA'S PRISONS HEARD PREACHING YESTERDAY.
The prisoners at police headquarters, at the jail and at the city
stockade listened to the gospel of Christ yesterday.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the famous prison evangelist, of
Washington, held services at all these places. Her talks were of the
most interesting character and evidently made deep impressions upon
her hearers.
The service at the jail was held in the morning, the one at the
stockade in the afternoon, and the one at the police station at night.
Mrs. Wheaton is perhaps the most famous evangelist of her kind in the
country. She makes a specialty of this work and follows it closely
week after week. She has preached to convicts and prisoners in every
state in the Union, frequently traveling as far as 700 miles between
Sundays in order to make an appointment. She has letters of
introduction from the governors of many states, and free passes on
railroads. She is here with the Christian Workers, but is not a
delegate.--Atlanta, Ga., paper, Nov. 14, 1893.
PRISON EVANGELISTS.
THE INMATES OF THE COUNTY JAIL TREATED TO A SERMON.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the prison evangelist, who has been
traveling over the United States for ten years past, and two sisters
from Washington, D. C., and Kansas City, arrived in the city this
morning and held religious service in the county jail. The twenty-four
inmates of the bastile were much pleased with the service.
Mrs. Wheaton and her companions held services yesterday at the
prison at Lansing, Kan., where 900 convicts are confined. Lately
they have come from the convict camp of South Carolina and Mrs.
Wheaton can tell many tales of the sufferings endured by the
prisoners there.--Unidentified.
THE NEWS AT LEAVENWORTH.
MOTHER WHEATON, PRISON EVANGELIST, VISITS THE UNITED
STATES PRISON.
Religious services at the federal penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth
yesterday were somewhat out of the usual order. Mother Wheaton, the
prison evangelist, late of Washington, D. C., now of Iowa, preached to
the convicts at the morning hour. Her address was a most effective
one and men all through the audience were moved to tears. At the close
of the service she stood at the chapel door and shook the hand of each
prisoner as he went out.
Her head is white with age, yet she has visited the prisons of the
United States and many in Europe, bearing messages of hope and cheer
to the condemned. She is not alone a woman of ready speech, but is a
sweet singer as well. Her life is dedicated to her work, and many is
the unfortunate who has cause to bless the visit of Mother Wheaton.
Mrs. T., of this city, accompanied her to the prison.--Leavenworth,
Kan., paper.
JAIL SERVICE.
The inmates of the county jail were honored yesterday by a visit from
that well known prison evangelist, Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, who was
accompanied by a Mrs. S., of Kansas. Mrs. Wheaton conducted religious
services and her talk had a deep effect upon murderer Williamson, the
old man being visibly moved.
Mrs. Wheaton has made the visiting of prisons, condemned men and
fallen women her life work, and in the course of her travels during
the past seven years has visited Europe, the British provinces, Mexico
and the United States. As an example of her earnest efforts it may be
mentioned that during the past thirteen Sundays she has visited and
held services in fourteen different state penitentiaries. Mrs. Wheaton
is a lady of striking appearance. She has a motherly countenance and a
magnetism which attracts the closest attention to what she says. Her
discourse yesterday was eloquent, yet at times plain and pointed to
severity. Mrs. Wheaton left yesterday on the afternoon train for the
Pacific coast.--Sedalia, Mo., paper, November, 1891.
PREACHED TO CONVICTS.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the noted evangelist, and Mrs. Perry,
who are engaged in preaching and working among the prisons, visited
the Virginia penitentiary yesterday and held services in each chapel.
Their exhortations and singing were of a high order and produced a
powerful effect among the prisoners. Many of them made a profession of
faith. Mrs. Wheaton has preached in most of the penitentiaries of the
United States. She has also traveled and preached in Canada and Mexico
as well as in the Old World. The ladies are being entertained by
Superintendent Lynn and will remain in the city several days.
POLICE STATION SERVICES.
MRS. ELIZABETH RIDER WHEATON TALKS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FORCE.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the evangelist, was at the police
station last night at roll call and held a short service for the
benefit of the members of the police force. She delivered an
interesting address to the officers and offered a prayer, after which
she led them in a song. The officers expressed themselves as having
been greatly benefited by the service, and the evangelist was invited
to call again.--Unidentified.
SERVICES AT THE WORKHOUSE.
"Mother" Wheaton, the prison evangelist, who was mentioned last Monday
as holding meetings in Island Park the day before, called at the
police station this morning to ask permission to talk and sing to the
prisoners confined in the workhouse. The permission was granted. The
lady has traveled extensively in her evangelistic work, making flying
trips all over the United States especially. Within the last thirty
days she has talked to prisoners at Walla Walla, Tacoma and in other
northwestern cities. While in this city she is the guest of her
sister, Mrs. Huffman, of Kenwood.--Elkhart (Ind.) Paper.
A STRANGE LIFE OF DEVOTION IN NEGLECTED FIELDS.
The prisoners in the Dade coal mines made the acquaintance yesterday
of two women--two religious tramps, if you please, using the word
literally--whose adventures in evangelizing are probably without
parallel.
They are Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the famous prison evangelist,
and her temporary assistant, Mrs. P.
Mrs. Wheaton has for ten years been preaching in prisons, convict
camps, houses of ill-fame and the like, not only in the United States,
but in Canada, Mexico and Europe. One, upon meeting her, would
naturally be very uncertain as to where one might or might not meet
next this spirit-led traveler--recognizing which uncertainty, perhaps,
she has printed upon her cards, in lieu of an earthly address:
"Meet me in heaven."
The two women visited the jail Thursday, becoming very much interested
in the case of P. S., it seems, on account of his relationship to Rev.
S. J. Mrs. Wheaton spoke of P. as a "beautiful black-eyed young
married man."
They took part in the Christian alliance meeting Friday afternoon at
51 James street, at which over thirty people were present.
They will hold special services at the coal mine convict camps to-day,
returning to Atlanta within a few days. They carry this letter--an
"open sesame" to every prison and camp in Georgia:
"Atlanta, Ga., June 30.--To the captain in charge of convict
camps in Georgia: I desire that each of you extend to these
ladies, Mrs. Wheaton and Mrs. ----, any courtesies possible
during their stay with you; that they may be given opportunities
to talk to the men and women in your charge. I will particularly
appreciate any kindness shown them. The governor also requests
that they be shown courtesies."
It is signed by George H. Jones, the principal keeper. "Courtesies,"
by the way, is spelled "curtisys" in the letter, but it's official,
and "it goes."
Return to Atlanta--that is to say they will return unless the spirit
moves Mrs. Wheaton to go on from Chattanooga to St. Louis, or
Montreal, or Berlin, or somewhere else.
Coming to Atlanta on the Richmond and Danville, Mrs. Wheaton was moved
to hold services in the smoking car. Just as the train was rolling out
of Calhoun, S. C., Mrs. Wheaton spied some convicts at work.
Convicts!
Instantly she decided to stop over. She and Mrs. P. bundled up their
wraps and packages and got off after the train had started. They knew
nobody there. They had no money--that is, "not enough to count."
Somehow or other they got transportation to and from the station, and
supper, and to other works, and arranged a meeting. It was a glorious
meeting, they say.
Mrs. Wheaton's faith--and railroad passes, she adds laughingly--have
kept her going for ten years.
She traveled 5,000 miles between one Sunday and the second Sunday
afterwards, collecting only fifty cents on the way.
The Lord will provide, she knows.
The faith that removes mountains is here in reality.
Always on the go--never stopping but a day or two in one
place--meeting men to be hanged the next day--praying with fallen
women--interceding with governors for human life--blindly following,
without regard to time or distance, the mysterious dictates of what
she calls "the Spirit."
She is so well known now throughout the United States--having been
engaged in this work for ten years--that she is rarely refused a
railroad pass. She has letters of commendation from governors and
prison authorities. * * *
Mrs. Wheaton's services in the jails and convict camps are unique,
remarkable for their fervency and impromptu character. Singing plays
an important part. * * *
Mrs. Wheaton has made many wonderful conversions in the slums and
prisons, and has seen many famous criminals in their last hours.
She is the guest in Atlanta of Mrs. J. H. Murphy, at 267 East Cain
street.--Atlanta (Ga.) Herald, July 2, 1893.
PREACHING ON THE STREETS.
Thursday evening the sound of an alto voice singing a familiar hymn on
Sandy street, near Murphy's corner, soon gathered a crowd, when a
lady, whose hair was beginning to silver with gray, mounted a box and
preached to the mixed assemblage a sermon, after which the singing was
resumed, the meeting concluding with a fervent and earnest prayer. A
reporter called at the hotel and learned that the lady was Mrs.
Elizabeth R. Wheaton, a prison evangelist. Heretofore she has had a
"sister" to travel with her. She showed the reporter stacks of letters
from the wardens of various state penitentiaries, commending her, and
praising the work she has done in this specialty. She has preserved
files of newspaper criticisms, many of which are complimentary of the
work she has done, and some from the secular press making light of her
work.
That she is in earnest no one who considers that she has given up home
and friends and roamed all over the United States, Canada, Mexico and
in part of Europe to preach to unappreciative street crowds, prison
convicts, etc., can doubt. And whatever may be said of the method, as
was illustrated on the streets here last night, there are many
reached with a sermon that have not perhaps heard one for
months.--Unidentified.
PRAYER SERVICE IN JAIL.
Through the efforts of Mrs. E. R. Wheaton, the prison evangelist, the
county jail was turned into a house of prayer last evening, and for an
hour or more the walls of the building resounded with the shouts of
prayer and praise of this earnest woman.
During the afternoon Mrs. Wheaton called on Gregory, the horsethief
and desperado, and was the first to bring to the surface in his case
any signs of remorse or sentiment of any kind. When the gray-haired
and motherly woman took the hand of the confessed thief and ex-convict
in hers and prayed for him great tears flowed down his cheeks and he
was affected as none of the other prisoners had been. Gregory said he
had known Mrs. Wheaton for fourteen years. She does not remember him,
but says it is not unlikely that he has seen her if he has been in the
several prisons in which it is said he has served time, as she has
been visiting them all off and on in her work for a great many
years.--Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nonpareil, Jan. 19, 1900.
THEIR WORK IS IN PRISONS.
Party of Evangelists Pay a Visit to the County Jail.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, the prison evangelist, was in Butte for
a short time yesterday on her way west, and between trains conducted
services in the corridor of the county jail.
In addition to being an earnest exhorter, Mrs. Wheaton, despite the
fact that she is well advanced in years, is the possessor of a fine
voice. When she sings in a prison the most hardened criminals never
fail to listen to her with great respect. During the services in the
jail yesterday clerks and court officers ceased from their duties and
with the people who had business in the building, blocked the passage
ways leading to the jail to listen to her. The other members of the
party also delivered exhortations and joined in the singing. The
farewell hymn, given in a clear soprano voice by Mrs. Wheaton, "God be
with you till we meet again," was especially sweet. Whether the
services made any lasting impression on the men behind the bars cannot
be known, but the fact remains that when they were over there was an
unusual quiet in the jail and the air seemed more wholesome. From
Butte she went to Deer Lodge to visit the penitentiary.--Butte,
Montana, paper, 1897.
STREET SERVICES.
On Wednesday and Thursday our town was visited by two lady
missionaries or preachers of the gospel. They were perfect strangers
here and claimed that their mission was to try to open the eyes of
sinful people and beg them to come to Christ. They sang, prayed and
preached upon the streets, and at the colored church, having been
refused the use of some of the white churches. We know not whom these
persons are, or from where they came, but we do know that they were
very lady-like in their conduct, and there was a terrible earnestness
about their work. They preached pure gospel in the most Christ-like
manner that it was ever our privilege to hear--down upon their knees
in the streets, surrounded by a motley multitude, begging God in a
most pleading and fervent manner to save the sinners of this place,
and singing glorious praises to Him on this beautiful day of national
thanksgiving, was a spectacle that we had never expected to witness.
Whether or not this is proper in the eyes of the world we cannot say,
but if their work is earnest as it seems, they will be rewarded in
heaven.--Unidentified.
FOR PRISONERS.
TOUCHING SCENES IN BANGOR JAIL.--GOOD DEEDS THAT
SHINE IN MORAL DARKNESS.
Never were gospel hymns--words of comfort set to hopeful music, sang
more sweetly and earnestly, or with better effect than were the songs
of a plainly dressed woman of tranquil face and gentle manner in the
echoing corridors of Bangor jail Tuesday afternoon.
This woman was Mrs. Elizabeth Rider Wheaton whose home is everywhere
in earth's saddest ways. She is a prison evangelist and her card bears
the simple admonition: "Prepare to Meet Thy God."
She came lately to Maine, and arrived in Bangor Tuesday noon from
Belfast. On the train Mrs. Wheaton talked of Christian things, and she
sang hymns to the passengers--"Throw Out the Life Line" and other
well-remembered songs--in a way that reached the hearts of all. When
she got here she went for a few minutes to a low-priced hotel, and
thence to the county jail. The officials received her kindly, and the
prisoners, who, after their dinner of soup, had gone into the work
shop, were brought in to hear some of the kindest words and most
touching songs that they had listened to for many a day.
Those innocent and comfortable Christians who have only heard hymns
sung in churches or chapels to well-dressed and presumably good
people can have no idea of the sweetly weird effect of gospel melodies
swelling in the vast and dismal spaces of a jail, while gathered
around are the very lost sheep that the shepherds of churches are
commanded to find. It is a reproachful picture from the realism of
blasted lives--a startling, chilling glimpse of the depth of
wretchedness, lighted up by a feeble ray from the goodness that yet
survives amid it all.
Some old and hardened habitues of jails mock and sneer at the voices
raised in their behalf and scoff at the hands held out to lift them
up, but most men, in jail or out, treat women like this with silent
respect. It was so in the jail Tuesday.
When the men had filed out to the broom shop again Mrs. Wheaton went
to a cell occupied by two elderly women and talked and sang to them.
The women, whose wickedness all lay in drink, seemed pleased and
affected. They thought this evangelist the kindest they had ever met.
The evangelist may hold some meetings here before she leaves. She was
much pleased with her reception in Bangor, and would like to remain a
few days. She has letters of recommendation from the governors of
several states and from the officials of numerous prisons. She belongs
to no army or organization, but travels independently, doing what good
she can.--Bangor, Me., paper.
ELIZABETH R. WHEATON.
THE NOTED PRISON EVANGELIST PAYS THE TRINIDAD JAILS A VISIT.
Elizabeth R. Wheaton, the well-known prison evangelist, arrived in the
city Monday evening and yesterday visited the county and city jails,
where she talked and prayed with the poor unfortunates confined
therein. * * * More than one poor fellow has blessed the short hour
when her motherly presence and sweetly spoken words of comfort have
made his fate seem easier to bear, while repentant tears have filled
the eyes of many a hardened criminal when listening to her pleadings.
She approaches the most degraded with a familiar motherly air, which
at once wins their most profound respect and reverence. * * *
Mrs. Wheaton expects to leave today for Pueblo where she will be
joined by a sister in the work, when they will continue their journey
together. She spoke very highly of the courteous treatment received
from the officers and of the cleanly condition of the jails.--Daily
Advertiser, Trinidad, Colo.
VISIT FROM MISSIONARIES.
Elizabeth Rider Wheaton, better known as "Mother Wheaton," the prison
evangelist, and Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor, of Tabor, Iowa, called at the
Institution Thursday afternoon on a missionary errand. Mother Wheaton
has spent fifteen years in evangelical work among the inmates of the
various prisons throughout the United States. Her friends among the
convicts are numbered by the thousands. We so rarely meet with any one
who really sympathizes with us in our misfortune that when these two
good women come inside the walls for no other purpose but to encourage
us to do better and give assurance of their love and good wishes, we
are made to feel that we are still human and may hope for a better
day. By reason of the chapel building undergoing repairs, it was
impossible for them to meet many of the boys or hold services.--A
Prison Paper.
A REMARKABLE SCENE.
A WORK OF LOVE BY AN ELDERLY LADY.--THE SCENERY OF OAK CLIFF.
Last night the moon shed its full luster slightly dimmed by thin
clouds.
The crowd stood by a negro church at the point of the hill, just above
the creek banks at their intersection. The view from the top of the
hill was enchanting.
The lady passed the crowd and stopped in the moonshine in front of the
church. Here she was joined by a party of three other ladies and two
men, whom she had preceded a little. Two of the ladies held babies in
their arms.
In a strong and beautiful alto voice a song burst forth from the lips
of the elderly lady: "I Will Tell the Wondrous Story of the Christ Who
Died for Me." Her companions joined her in the song and the refrain
echoed far and near over the hillsides: "Of the Christ who died for
me."
The inhabitants heard it.
But this is the part of Oak Cliff inhabited by negroes. In response
they swarmed out as would have done the followers to the signal of
Roderick Dhu.
Pretty soon the church was filled and a few white people were among
the audience drawn thither by the song.
The services were begun with prayer by the elderly lady, whose hair,
when she had removed her bonnet, shone silvery gray. It was nothing
out of the usual order of prayers except that it was accompanied with
unusual fervor and simplicity being adapted to the circumstances. If
any had assembled through curiosity she prayed that their hearts would
be turned.
Then came other singing and prayer by a good colored sister named
Cynthia Maria, who wore a white bonnet, and chanted her words, making
the scene a wierd one.
Then the elderly lady rendered in beautiful solo, "Oh Christ, I am
lost forever. I am to confront an angry God," from which she began her
discourse, pleading to her colored hearers to open their hearts that
night. She said she had the old time religion. This announcement was
greeted with religious laughter from the congregation. The women had
not been allowed to preach and she thought that there were souls in
perdition on this account. People said that she had no business there
last night. She had business in glory and was going to help crown
Christ the Lord of Lords. For seven years she had been a pilgrim and
had traveled from ocean to ocean and from state to state without
receiving a salary or taking up a cent. There was the same God with
her who was with Daniel in the lions' den, and who led the Children of
Israel through the Red Sea. She had seen sore trouble, but there were
few who knew it. She had the old-time religion, and that was what her
hearers needed. She forsook home and country to go and preach the
gospel to convicts and fallen women and most of her friends had
forsaken her for this. She used to be proud. She had given up pride
and given up style. She was glad that God had called the meeting. She
did not know that she was to preach there until yesterday afternoon
when someone informed her that the colored people wanted her to
preach. She had visited the county jail last Sunday and prayed and
sang with the prisoners. Some of them had forgotten about the old-time
religion and requested her to sing the song having that title.
Here the woman began that song joined by the congregation, a large
number of whom got happy. It required the efforts of several of the
colored portion of the congregation to hold down one sister who wore a
straw hat and got shouting happy and paid no attention to her
surroundings.
After a short talk by Rev. B., colored, the congregation was
dismissed.
AT THE COLORED CHURCH.
MRS. ELIZABETH R. WHEATON LECTURES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
CONVERSION--SHE SAYS THE HARDEST PEOPLE TO CONVERT ARE PREACHERS.
As a News reporter and a News special artist, guided by a friendly
star, wended their muddy way last night to the little negro church
upon the hill at Oak Cliff, they overtook two solemn looking figures
going up an incline. One of them proved to be the famous prison
evangelist, Mrs. Elizabeth R. Wheaton. This lady turned her face to
the News emissaries and inquired in a sweet silvery tone:
"Going to church, brothers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, God bless you, brothers, come on."
A few minutes later the church was reached. The penitent sister with
the white bonnet, who was inspired on the previous night and started
to shouting, had already arrived, as also had the good sister who
called on the baseball man to run from the devil. What influence
drives those simple worshipers to shouting and to imitate flying, is a
question for the psychologists. Certain it is that the little and the
great are linked together in this life and perhaps the present is
linked to the future. Quien sabe. The meeting last night was free from
shouting, but fervid with emotion. On arriving in front of the church
Mrs. Wheaton turned her face to the pale moon, which had sailed high
in the heavens, and sang "Sweet are the tidings that greet the
pilgrims' ear." As she sung she gesticulated and her gray hair shone
like silver. She had not gone beyond the third line of the said
stirring hymn before the penitents inside of the church started to
sing a hymn and then the scene was as impressive as the music was
discordant. The hymns over, Mrs. Wheaton knelt on the wet ground and
prayed while Deacon Banks did likewise inside of the church. The
interjections were so many that he was forced to use short sentences.
"Come one, come all, while it is day."
"O, yes, Lord, we come, we'se a'comin'."
"O Lord, put the move on and call us away."
"O, yes, good Lord, we come."
At this point Mrs. Wheaton entered and ascended the low pulpit from
which, for a moment, she silently surveyed the assembled multitude of
black faces. She was wreathed in smiles, looking like the sun of
righteousness shining on a dark, murky cloud of suffering humanity.
"God grant," she observed, "that nobody goes down to the lake of
fire." "God grant it, ma-a-a-m." "Oh-oh-bo-bo." "Nobody knows de
trouble I see," and any number of exclamations each giving vent to an
exclamation suited to the feelings of the penitent. The mention of
fire seemed to cause a panic among the good colored people with a
single exception. He was a dude who did not deign to sit down, but
stood near the door seemingly watching the females. Only once did he
drop on his knees and that was when he discovered the News artist in
the act of tracing his outlines on the flyleaf of a prayer book.
Mrs. Wheaton then lectured upon the importance of conversion. As she
proceeded, describing the fate of convicts and other sufferers, the
iron of the ways of the world seemed to enter her soul and she wept.
Nobody who hears her doubts her sincerity. She does not criticise the
fallen; she weeps for them. The folks in heaven do the same. Only once
last night did she criticise, and she said she did it for a benevolent
purpose, and as she did it (as indeed throughout her entire remarks)
the colored woman with the man's straw hat interlarded her remarks
with her own opinions rendered in a whanging, chanting voice. This was
how it ran: "The churches have got away from the old land marks [yes,
ma'am; deed they has, ma'am]. It is hard, hard work to reach preachers
[yes, ma'am; yes, ma'am]. The big white preachers and the colored
preachers are nearly just as bad [O Lord, yes; good Lord ye-e-s,
ma'am.] They put on plug hats, jewelry and the trickery of the devil.
If preachers would do their duty I would not have to visit the
penitentiaries. Oh, the hardest work I have is to preach to preachers.
[Dat's so, ma'am; dat's so!] How many of you are living in
lasciviousness, the sin that's hidden but that God sees? It is going
on in the churches among some of the preachers. [Ah, yes, ma'am: good
Lord! Deed'n 'tis, ma'am]. Ah! I have got to go to judgment and I will
tell you the truth. There are other sins, but I do not want to mention
them because I feel that you know all about them; but they won't be
hidden and unless you have a pure spirit and a clean heart you can
never see the face of God. Now say you will sin no more. [Several
voices in alto: A-a-a-men.] These white churches," proceeded Mrs.
Wheaton, "are a little worse than the colored churches, for there is a
little Holy Ghost left in the colored churches. Oh, how many of those
white church members are going down to hell! It grieves me to think
of it. I'm going to meet some of you in glory. After I get there the
first ones I want to see crowned are the poor convicts who have been
murdered on the scaffold after they had turned their faces to God, and
those poor convicts who have suffered, oh, you know not how much, how
much, without human sympathy."
At this point a sad-looking man volunteered a hymn, during the singing
of which much of Mrs. Wheaton's remarks were drowned. Mrs. Wheaton
resumed: "It troubles my heart to see the people drifting down, down
to hell. I feel like getting down to the foot of the cross and crying
mercy. For the attractions of this world I have no use; I have no use
for newspaper puffs. [They's no good, ma'am: yes, ma'am.]"
The way in which the penitents chimed in as Mrs. Wheaton proceeded
rendered it impossible to report her fully. The best that could be
done was to catch sentences on the fly. The stronger she appeared to
her colored listeners to seek for mercy the longer they sought it.
Their bodies were moved by their souls. Some swayed from side to side;
others placed their faces on their hands and wept; others wrung their
hands, and there was weeping and wailing.
This was the state of affairs at the conclusion of the address. Just
then Deacon Banks started a hymn and a few others drifted off into
different familiar hymns, so that the music was varied. It was a
spontaneous outburst of songs of praise from away down in the bottom
of afflicted hearts which pays no attention to the measures of music.
The singing was awful. One female screeched and no two voices were in
harmony.
At the conclusion of the hymn a deacon kneeling by a chair prayed,
striking the chair with his fists while a hundred voices accompanied
him. It was impossible to follow him throughout, but among other
things he said: "I know that hell is broad and eternity too long. Oh
King, King, Lord have mercy on us. Guide us by the still water's side
and give us new pastures. Bless this congregation in the hollow of thy
hand, amen."
Mrs. Wheaton informed the News reporter that she will not go to
Galveston.--Dallas News.
PRISON WORKER VISITS TACOMA.
"MOTHER" WHEATON CALLS AT COUNTY JAIL AND FEDERAL
PENITENTIARY.--KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD.--
TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF HER LIFE DEVOTED
TO LABOR AMONG UNFORTUNATES
OF MANY NATIONS.
"I trust in God and the railroad men."
This is the explanation of her ability to carry on her work, expressed
by "Mother" Wheaton, the prison evangelist, who has an international
reputation for her work in the penitentiaries of the United States,
Canada, Mexico and Europe. Mother Wheaton is in Tacoma carrying on her
work among prisoners, work that has taken her into every penitentiary
in the United States and Canada. For over twenty-one years she has
carried the gospel to the men in stripes and to those who wear the
broad arrow of England's displeasure, and it is Mother Wheaton's boast
that during all that time she has never asked for a contribution or
received a cent of salary.
Mother Wheaton came to Tacoma from her headquarters in Tabor, Ia.,
accompanying Miss Grace Yarrette, a young woman who is going as a
missionary to India.
MANY YEARS IN PRISON WORK.
There is no woman in the world, and perhaps no man, who has had the
prison experience of Mother Wheaton. The last twenty years of her life
have virtually been spent inside prison walls, and there is not many
in the country in which she is not a familiar figure. Long terms and
lifers all over the land know her. Frequently she inquires for some
prisoner whom death or the leniency of the law has released, whom she
has not seen or heard of for years.
Dressed in a soft gray suit, with a gray bonnet, Mother Wheaton's
appearance is distinctly motherly, and her smile the personification
of kindness and tenderness further bears out the "Mother" by which she
is known to thousands of unfortunates. She is the guest of Mrs. Ellen
M. Bates, 1211 North Prospect street. She is at work from the time she
arises in the morning until services are over in the evening. While
her principal work is in the prisons and penitentiaries she takes part
in evangelical and religious work and finds time to visit rescue homes
where her advice is eagerly sought.
MANY EXPERIENCES.
"Experiences?" Mother Wheaton exclaimed, when asked if her life had
not been productive of many events out of the ordinary run.
"Experiences, why I have had so many and such varied experiences that
they are all a jumble in my head. I have been in nearly every prison
in the land. I have consoled men who were but a few feet from the
gallows and I have held the hand of those unfortunates as they sank
into their last sleep in a cheerless prison hospital.
"I have seen sights that made my blood run cold and then I have had
the joy of seeing the word of God prevail and the most case-hardened
sinners the human mind could conceive of have reformed before me. It
has been a curious mixture of sunshine and shadows, but after
twenty-one years I think I can say that the sunshine has predominated.
I put my trust in God for my work and I trust the railroad men for
transportation, and between the two I believe I have been fairly
successful."
ONCE TAKEN FOR CARRIE NATION.
"I have spent nights in the toughest slums of New York, Chicago and
St. Louis, places where men by force of habit always carry their hand
near their hip pocket, and I have not always been welcomed. Sometimes
I have been roughly handled, yes, indeed. Why, one time I was mistaken
for Carrie Nation. Of course I don't look like Carrie Nation, and I
would never think of adopting smashing methods. I was holding services
in San Pedro, California, one night, and went into a saloon. There
were two bright looking young men standing at the bar and I asked them
to come with me. The owner of the saloon was sitting at a faro table
in the back end of the saloon, and as soon as he caught sight of me he
rushed at me and literally threw me out into the street.
"When he learned afterwards who I was he was very sorry and avowed
that he would never have treated me in that manner had he not thought
that I was Carrie Nation and that I had a hatchet to chop up his
expensive bar fixtures."
OPPOSES CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
"As sad an experience as I ever had in my life was my effort to save
the life of a young man who was condemned to hang in Colorado. I heard
of the case through the young man's mother, who was heart-broken. I
interceded with Governor Peabody and secured a reprieve for a year,
and when Governor McDonald took office he fixed the date for the
death of the young man. I tried to save him the second time, but
public sentiment demanded his death. I don't believe in capital
punishment. I have seen how a man can be punished in prison and I
don't believe in taking a life to avenge a life, for stripped of all
the specious arguments which surround capital punishment, it simmers
down to nothing more than revenge."
ESTABLISHES NEW RECORD.
"I think I established a prison visiting record upon one trip. I
visited five penitentiaries in as many states in a week. I started at
Deer Lodge, Montana; from there I went to Boise, Idaho; then to
Rawlins, Wyo.; then to Salt Lake City, and from Salt Lake City to
Lincoln, Nebraska, all of which I call pretty fast traveling. I hold
meetings on the train, in depots, at water tanks, any place I can
gather a little knot of people together, and I could tell of some
queer conversions in out of the way places, the last places in the
world where you would expect the seed to sprout and bear fruit.
"I was over to the federal prison on McNeil's Island Saturday, and
this morning I went to the county hospital. This afternoon I called at
the county jail. I will be here a day or so longer and then must start
East, as I have work to do in New York City. You see I will have to
stop at the prisons on the way back and I have to make allowances for
delays."
Mother Wheaton has become interested in Grace Russell, the young woman
in the county jail, who is addicted to the use of morphine. Mother
Wheaton will try to secure a place for her in some home.--Tacoma,
Washington, paper of July 31, 1905.
I give the following extract from a Baltimore paper published while I
was there attending the Convocation of Prayer in that city, January,
1903:
SPIRITUAL ADVISER OF FAMOUS CRIMINALS.
WORK OF "MOTHER" WHEATON IN PRISONS ALL OVER THE LAND.
For twenty years Mrs. Wheaton has been traveling throughout the United
States, Europe, Canada and Mexico, working among prisoners in hundreds
of prisons and penitentiaries. On a number of occasions she has
converted criminals under death sentence. She has preached in the
Maryland Penitentiary.
Mrs. Wheaton came to Baltimore direct from Ohio, where she had been
holding prayer in the cells of the state prison with eight men
condemned to die. She was in San Francisco a number of years ago when
Alexander Goldenson killed his sweetheart, Mamie Kelly, and after
Goldenson had been tried, convicted and sentenced to death "Mother"
Wheaton prayed with him for forty days. The day of the execution,
September 14, 1888, he was converted through her instrumentality, and
just before walking to the gallows she tied her silk handkerchief
about the condemned man's neck.
IS NOT A STRANGER.
OLD-TIMERS AT COUNTY JAIL GREET MRS. WHEATON AS LONG-TIME FRIEND.
Mrs. Elizabeth R. Wheaton, of Tabor, Ia., famous in this and other
countries as a worker among the inmates of jails and penitentiaries,
yesterday morning went to the county jail and prayed and sang hymns
with the prisoners in the tanks.
Although her time was very much circumscribed, Mrs. Wheaton shook
hands with most of the prisoners, many of whom had heard of her, and
some of whom had met her in other prisons. John King, awaiting his
transportation to Walla Walla, and one of the most admittedly
professional criminals in the jail, stated that he had met "Mother
Wheaton" several times before, both at Salem and at Walla Walla.
Both he and J. H. Le Roy, another old-timer, had many anecdotes to
tell of her kindnesses in past years.--Paper of August 9, 1905.
The above sketch was accompanied by a cut from protograph taken
by the reporter and a nicely finished photograph presented me.
From this photograph the cut was made that is inserted at the
beginning of this chapter.--E. R. W.
PRISONERS ON BENDED KNEE.
INMATES OF COUNTY JAIL BOW IN PRAYER WITH MOTHER
WHEATON.
On bended knees and with low bowed heads nine prisoners at the county
jail reverently followed a prayer addressed to the throne of grace in
their behalf yesterday by Mother Wheaton, the noted prison evangelist.
Under the remarkable influence of the woman who came among them as a
messenger of soul-saving, every rough instinct of the men was quelled
and every scoffing word hushed on their lips. No more devout prayer
meeting was ever held in a sanctuary than that which took place in the
jail corridor.
Mother Wheaton and a younger woman called upon the prisoners and sang
a song such as the men might have heard their mothers or sisters sing
in the long ago, when their feet had not strayed from youthful paths
of innocence. If there was any inclination to ridicule or make light
of the service at the start, it was entirely subdued inside of five
minutes. Mother Wheaton talked to the men and told of the work she has
been doing for twenty years among the inmates of jails and
penitentiaries. She declared that she and her assistant wanted to help
save them.
There was no hesitation whatever when Mother Wheaton asked the
prisoners to get down on their knees. One and all, the nine assumed
the attitude of humble submission to the deity and remained in that
position until their patroness had finished her petition for the
pardoning of their sins. Some of the men were seen to blink
significantly and wipe their eyes with handkerchiefs. When the prayer
was done and another hymn rendered, the men joining in, hands were
shaken all around before the visitors departed.
Mother Wheaton has been coming to the Council Bluffs jail for
several years. She was in the city on her way from Nevada to
Wisconsin.--_Council Bluffs Paper._