Behind the prison bars

by E. E. Byrum

PRISON LIBRARY.

January 1, 1900, Warden S. A. Hawk completed the erection of a two-story brick addition to the prison dining-hall. The second story room, 40×40 feet, was dedicated by him to the use of a library and school. The fixtures were placed in the room but there were only a few mutilated books at hand to begin with. E. E. Byrum, President of the Gospel Trumpet Publishing Company of Moundsville, hearing of the situation, offered his gratuitous service to the warden to aid him to build up the library to a respectable proportion. Upon the assurance given him that there was no available appropriation to purchase books for the library, Mr. Byrum called the attention of the members of his company to this state of affairs, and upon their advice and with their consent, a splendid lot of artistically bound religious and other suitable books valued at $1,000 was placed at the disposal of the warden for the use of the prison inmates. So grateful were the prisoners, the warden, and prison employees at the generous gift that it was

Resolved, That the prisoners of the West Virginia penitentiary, through Warden S. A. Hawk, tender their grateful thanks to E. E. Byrum and to the Gospel Trumpet Publishing Company, Moundsville, W. Va., for the very welcome gift of books placed in the prison library for their use.

This fine gift of standard literature, including 500 song-books, was a nucleus for the building up of an excellent library, few equaling it in the state.

Thousands of circular letters were mailed by the warden to the leading citizens of West Virginia and leading publishing houses of the country asking for donations of literature. The responses were generous—donors sending from one book to cases containing hundreds of books. One year after the opening of the library twelve thousand standard religious and secular books and magazines were donated. It is true many of them were second-hand and worn, except those received from the publishing firms—such as the people of the state could afford to give.

The library represents to every inmate the warden’s desire that every one of them should feel that an opportunity for newness of life to them is open, and in such opportunity may be found an ample encouragement of good purposes and well-meant efforts. Better life, better men, hence a hope for the prevalence of improvement.

A night school from 5.30 to 7.30 p. m., for two hundred and more illiterate white and colored inmates, ranging from seventeen to seventy-two years of age, was begun in the library at its opening, without intermission during every week-day of the year. The good result has been more satisfactory in the teaching of spelling, reading, arithmetic, geography, and writing than the most sanguine could have anticipated. Every one of the illiterate prisoners at the end of the year can read. The attendance of the pupils, thirty-two white and forty colored, being voluntary on their part, alternate nights. The prisoners are visited at their cells every Saturday evening by assistant librarians (who are employed in shops during the day), with slips in hand, and their order taken for whatever book or magazine they may ask for. The magazines are securely bound, three in one volume, minus the advertisements. The number of the cell is taken down with the prisoner’s serial number. The literature is carefully selected by the librarian and made ready for his assistants to place in the inmates’ cells, and each book is charged to the prisoner by his serial number, to be kept for one week. If, however, the book is one that can not be read during the regular period of time, upon application, a further period of a week is allowed. The books issued the previous week are collected and returned to the library, there to be carefully examined, for intentional mutilation the culprit being black-listed and deprived of the use of books, at the pleasure of the warden. At the first and several issues thereafter illiterate and mischievous prisoners marked their books, but by judicious use of the black-list and reprimand the practice on the part of these culprits ceased, and they cheerfully refrained from committing themselves again, and they are now most careful of their literary treasures. For a period of seven months of the year no reports for mutilation of books have been made.

The following are most in demand: Mothers’ Counsel to Their Sons, Pilgrim’s Progress, Fox’s Book of Martyrs, The Kingdom of God, Divine Healing of Soul and Body, Grace of Healing, Boy’s Companion, and Letters for Our Girls—the last being in demand by the female inmates, there being twenty-seven white and colored of them. Many books on tobacco and its effects were also issued to the inmates above named. The books are a part of the Gospel Trumpet Publishing Company’s donation. From close observation of the readers of all this admirable literature the good results are carefully and conscientiously given as follows: Mothers’ Counsel to Their Sons is in constant and steady demand from young men to the “manor-born” of West Virginia. They are a unique, original, and reverent body of criminals. Far too many are illiterate, possessed of high, lofty, and impulsive dispositions, their very souls throbbing with vitality, their eyes beaming with inspiration, doubtless inspired with the magnificent scenery of their native and well-beloved state. Their hearts and minds seem to expand with the thought ever present with them, “Mountaineers will ever be free.” While restraint is irksome to them, they are, however, sensitively susceptible to kind treatment. They love their mountain homes and hearth-stones and cherish with fond remembrance the parents at home, and they are keen to read literature that brings these close to their prison home.

Pilgrim’s Progress is called for by older inmates from other states, white and colored alike, and also those from foreign lands, some of whom have enjoyed the benefit of early home religious training or have been picked up during their wanderings around the world and about the country. They seem to get much good from their reading of John Bunyan, his temptations, trials, and triumphs. All of these men continue in their demand for Gospel Trumpet literature until they have read all of the different volumes of the donation. A marked and decided improvement is noted in the good discipline and the attendance at religious services of all of the readers of good literature and the warden and guards are pleased with their exemplary behavior. The warden has found it convenient to stop altogether the issue of tobacco to the inmates, doubtless accounted for by readers of “Tobacco and Its Effects,” who are now non-users of the weed. It is to be hoped that the contractors do not issue to their employees as much tobacco as heretofore. May the use of it grow less until in as well as out of prison its use may be entirely eliminated.