ining in prison for a long time, give way, and they become raving
maniacs. One day a prisoner left his room, and crawling out on his hands
and knees into the entry, sat down on a pile of coal and commenced to
sing. He had a melodious voice, and these were the words, the first
stanza of that beautiful hymn:

"Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly."

After he had completed the first stanza two of the officers came to him
and directed him to go back into the room to work. He replied that he
did not have to work; that he had religion, and that when a man had
religion he did not have to work. Said he, "We are now going to have
a prayer meeting, and" addressing one of the officers, "you you will
please lead us in prayer." The officer replied, "I don't pray in coal
mines; I pray above the surface so that God can hear." At this the
insane convict picked up a large piece of coal and was going to hurl it
after him, and threatened that if he did not get on his knees and go to
praying he would compel him to do so. While he was thus addressing
one officer the other slipped around in his rear and striking his arm
knocked the piece of coal out of his hand. Then the officers seized him,
one on each side, and forced him to go with them down the roadways to
the shaft, from whence he was taken to the top and placed in the insane
ward, where he remains at this writing. As he was passing down the
entries, away in the distance we heard him singing--

"Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.
Leave, oh leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me."

I can never forget the impression made upon me as those words rang down
through the dark passages, coming from the lips of that insane
convict as they led him away from the confinement of the mines to the
confinement of insanity. How true those beautiful words were in his
case!

THE COAL MINES A COLLEGE OF INFAMY

The mines of this Penal institution are a college for the education
and graduation of hardened criminals, and for illustration, and the
instruction of those not familiar with the subject matter referred to,
I will relate what came under my personal observation, and some things
that I heard while in there. One day, in company with me while engaged
in mining, were two other convicts. One of these was a hardened old
crook. He was serving out a term on the charge of making and passing
counterfeit money. The other fellow-convict was