Beneficent Sunday-Laws in Operation.
By J. S. Washburn
One Sunday, early in the present summer, Geo. B. Thomson and D. A. Deedon, of Manchester, Tenn., were stretching a wire fence to keep the cattle out of their corn. Knowing the feelings of their neighbors, they had always been careful not to perform any Sunday labor in such a place and manner as would be offensive. This work they felt to be absolutely necessary on that day. They were, however, observed by some men who were passing and yet who testified that they were not really disturbed by the work being performed. On the 4th of September they were tried and fined five dollars and costs, amounting in all to $47.80. Not believing that it was a just sentence, they did not think it right to pay the fine and costs. They were therefore sentenced to work out the fine and costs in the work-house or jail, at the rate of forty cents per day. This meant an imprisonment of over two months for each man. As both these brethren were working the same farm, the judge kindly permitted one man to work the farm while the other man went to jail. Mr. Thomson went to jail first, and the other brother was permitted to go freely about his work without even being under bonds. They evidently did not regard these men as dangerous criminals. After the first few days the door of the cell of Mr. Thomson was unlocked, and even the jail door was left unlocked, so he could have gone out freely if he had wished. The jail was in an unsanitary condition and the air was dangerously poisonous, and the offensive odors in his cell caused him to be sick at first. Through the efforts of the prison doctor these conditions were later somewhat improved. One small window which was more than half iron bars, admitted all the light and air to his cell, except the barred door leading into the corridor. When we visited him, Mr. Thomson was doing missionary work with the other prisoners. A petition to the governor was circulated throughout the town asking him to release these honest, Christian citizens from the unjust sentence. This was signed by the mayor and the leading attorneys, bankers, and, in fact, nearly all the leading citizens of the town and community. The judge seemed to feel really sorry that these brethren determined to go to jail rather than pay the fine and costs, and offered if they would pay $25.00, a little more than one-half the lawful amount, to let them go. They felt that they could not conscientiously pay the fine and costs or any part of it and thus lend their sanction to this unjust law. The judge, however, has levied on the goods of these men for the amount of the fine and costs. For the twenty days Mr. Thomson was in jail they allowed him eight dollars. The sheriff stated that he had been sheriff for over a year, and deputy-sheriff for some years before that, but this was the first arrest for Sunday labor he had ever known in that community, altho many of the people did as much work on Sunday as these Seventh-day men had. He did not, however, seem to be able to see that these men were, according to his own words, arrested for keeping the seventh day rather than for working on the first day of the week. He gave us notice that the law must be observed and would be enforced. Mr. C. P. Bollman secured a very kind letter of introduction from ex-Governor Porter to the present governor, Mr. Patterson. We visited him without favorable results. He said it was impossible for him to remit the costs. He said if the matter was a prison sentence he would grant our petition, but that the costs must be paid or worked out in jail.