e been heard.
An overpowering spirit seemed to pervade the room, not so much in the
words uttered as in the convictions of each man's own heart, it was an
impressive season. How was my soul relieved at this triumph over our
fears and rejoiced at the way God had evidently opened before us.

Thus the meetings commenced and that too indicating, as the first
results, the very blessing I had been hoping and praying for, a deeper
impressiveness to our Sabbath and other religious efforts. Shortly
after, we found that hearts not sensibly touched before, were being
deeply impressed, among them one of the worst cases perhaps in prison.
It was taking a new start in the right direction.

In laboring with these men now, as at all times, I felt that a great
responsibility rested on me; that this was no place for dealing softly,
petting them with insinuations that they had been more sinned against
than sinning, and that nothing was needed for them but a professed
determination to amend, with a few efforts in that direction. Duty
seemed imperative that I should labor to bring the wrong doings of each
as clearly and impressively as could be before him, how deeply he had
sinned against his own best good, his fellows and his God, enforcing the
absolute necessity of true repentance, and turning to the right through
faith in Christ; that he must make a thorough, radical work of the
matter, or it would avail nothing. Thus plainly, yet coupled with a
feeling heart, I invariably met the prisoners on these subjects. And
where no evidence could be found of a realizing sense of sins committed
and true compunction therefor, we could found no hope in the case.

13. _Pike, the Hampton murderer._ On entering, I found him in prison,
not at work, but confined to his cell according to our present law,
that, when one is condemned to execution, he shall be confined in the
State Prison one year, at the end of which the sentence shall be carried
out, unless receiving a reprieve or commutation.

By law also, the criminal has the right to choose his own spiritual
adviser, and, much to my relief, I found that Pike had arranged with my
predecessor about this before he left. Still I volunteered to the doomed
man all the aid in my power, for which he appeared highly grateful.

The plea of insanity had been used on the trial, or that the accused was
in a state of mind, when committing the offense, that rendered him
irresponsible for the crime alleged, wh