women,"
"those low women."

As before stated, they were ladies with the best of characters,--earnest
Christian workers, invited to the interviews by the mother and warden,
and always having them in the presence of the latter. These visits were
for a most praiseworthy purpose. If it is ever right for a high-minded,
upright, Christian lady to call on the fallen for the purpose of helping
them rise from their degraded state, those ladies are to be commended
for the efforts they made in behalf of those prisoners.

But these men were forced to suffer no little abuse in relation to those
visits,--not by fellow prisoners, understand. They were taunted in the
most vulgar, low, indecent language. One day it went so far with one,
that he became aroused beyond endurance, and replied, "You know that is
a ---- ---- lie," filling the blanks with two most profane words as
qualifying "lie." On my next round he told me his trouble, what he had
said, how he was being assailed, and that he probably must relinquish
all idea of being any better. I replied, "Don't you understand what all
this is for? It is the work of Satan, for your destruction. They would
excite you to anger and turn you to your old life of profanity and
wickedness; if possible, sink you as low as ever. You have but one
course to pursue, and that is, to pay no attention to them. Let them say
what they may, give it no more notice than the idle wind. Be sure and
not suffer yourself to become irritated, or say a word in return, and
they will probably leave you. But if not, endure it patiently, and pray
God to forgive what you have done amiss and keep you in the future." In
following this course, he succeeded better.

13. _Alleged prison conspiracy._ The next one who left made no complaint
of the living, he had been sick and received all the food he desired,
but he asserted that trouble was brewing at the prison; that they were
planning to kill the warden. I made light of the idea as something of
his own conjuring up, that the prisoners would not undertake such a
matter. Finally he said, "Mark my words, Chaplain, there will be blood
shed over there within a month." This man was a singular genius, and I
thought he might wish to start such a story to nettle the warden.
Besides, they were as vigilant as possible at the prison, and the
inmates would find them alert, should they attempt to rise. From all
considerations, I thought it not worth while to speak of the case to