“I am willing to work, but do not give me work that my strength will not allow me to do. I am weak. I do not get the substantial food that you do, therefore I am not able to work hard. You do not know what it means to be punished for a crime committed by another. I am being punished for a murder which I never committed, and I ask you to have mercy on me.” “You are guilty until proved innocent. I will ring for the guard, and he will place you where you belong.” As the guard approached the prisoner turned and looked in astonishment. The official also looked, and, describing the scene afterward, he said: “I was raised from my chair. I do not know by what means. Then I began to feel dizzy and could not speak. I lost my power to see. I could feel someone near, and then I heard the voice of a woman saying: ‘_You would sentence your brother to hard labor, to enable you to hold your own position? You, a child of the same mother and father? Have you no mercy on him? My son, take this brother to your arms and let yourself be known to him. Look into this affair and see if he is not innocent. I will release you, and you do with your brother as you would have him do to you. These are the commands of the spirit of your mother._’ “I shall never forget the terrible strain I was in, and as I mumbled brokenly I felt a hand trembling, trying to help me to stand up, and I was given strength by the help of this hand. “The guard asked for instructions as to where he should place this man—my brother, and I ordered him back to his cell. “I was at a loss to know what to do. Must I confess—acknowledge him as my brother? or should I pretend to be ignorant of the fact which was plain to my mind? No one knew that he was my brother—not even the man himself knew it. Why should I acknowledge a criminal and a murderer? I could not! “I thought: ‘I shall place him at once at hard labor. I shall call the guard and have him brought in. I shall try to be brave and not think of boyhood days, when he and I went hand in hand to the dear old school. And dear mother, how she caressed us as she said good-bye! I can hear those words ring in my ears yet: “Run along, children, and study hard, and some day you will be your mother’s pride.” Yes, to-day, if she could be near her criminal son, she would not be so proud of him. She would do as I am going to do, disown him.’ “I had been so deeply engrossed in thought that I had not called for the prisoner, so I called: ‘Guard, I want you to bring No. 78 in here.’ “I felt so uneasy that I thought: ‘Can it be that I have decided wrong in this matter?’ “‘Here he is,’ responded the guard, in a short time. “‘Come in, and I will find the work for you to do which I think you will be able and trustworthy to do. You may take this coat and hat, and you may remove your coat of stripes, and we will exchange places.’