Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of LoveWheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Religion
Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of Love
Wheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Evangelistic work; Prisons
Before his conversion I received from him the following letters,
beautifully and correctly written:
San Francisco, Aug. 9, 1888.
Mrs. Elizabeth Wheaton:
As to religion I do not profess any creed. I do not mean by the
above that I hate them--on the contrary, I love religion and hate
hypocrisy. I am not an atheist and must admit that I believe in a
true, just and most merciful God. I appreciate your visits very
much and hope you will call to see me as often as opportunity
and convenience will allow, so I now close this brief epistle by
sending kindest regards and best wishes. I am
Respectfully,
---- ----.
"Condemned Cell."
P. S.--Kind thanks for singing.
* * * * *
San Francisco, Sept. 7, 1888.
Mrs. Wheaton:
I am pleased that you called to see me and hope you will repeat
your visits. It grieves me to see you shed tears, and although I
say nothing, remember that "still water runs deep." I have faith
and believe in prayer, so I believe that the cause of a condemned
boy will be heard in heaven and will come to pass. I am not
allowed to shake hands, much less give my mother a comforting
kiss. I now end by thanking you very kindly for your kindness and
consideration to me.
I am, respectfully,
---- ----.
I went, the day before the execution, to see him. No one was allowed
to go inside the doomed boy's cell, so I was compelled to submit to
the law. The sheriff said positively, "No, you cannot go inside." But
the chief jailer said, "I promised that this lady should go inside the
boy's cell before the execution, and I must keep my word. I will go in
with her." He opened the door and we went in. He was a grand man.
Myself and the sister who was with me prayed for the prisoner's
salvation. We sang and read and prayed, and at last the presence of
the Holy Spirit seemed to fill the gloomy little cell, and to touch
the poor boy kneeling there with the shackles on his limbs. (They
frequently put shackles on some days before the execution, and place
them in the "doomed cell.") We kept on praying and singing and at
last the light came into his heart, and God owned him as His child.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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