xt7bvq2s7r3n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7bvq2s7r3n/data/mets.xml Kentucky 1964 newsletters English Eddyville, Ky.: Kentucky State Penitentiary This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Physical rights are retained by the owning repository. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Please go to https://exploreuk.uky.edu for more information. Castle on the Cumberland Kentucky State Penitentiary -- Periodicals Journalism, Prison -- Kentucky Castle on the Cumberland, December 1964 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, December 1964 1964 1964 2021 true xt7bvq2s7r3n section xt7bvq2s7r3n
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2 F
NOLUME IV, NUMBER VI
1313mm T. BREATHITI'
GOVERNOR
DEPARTMENT OF CORREC TIONS
JOSEPH G. CANNON, Commissioner
MARSHALL SWAIN, Deputy Commis sioner
Dru HAROLD BLACK, Dir. of Institutions
W. Z. CARTER, Director of Education
EDDYVILLE ADM INISTRATION
LUTHER THOMAS, warden
HENRY E. COWAN, Deputy Warden
JANE H. COLLIER, Deputy Warden
CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND
C OMMO NWEA LTH
KBNTUC KY
mom/113m, lgéh
HARRY WATERFIELD
LT. gamma
BOARD OF PARDOAB AND PAROLES
Dr .. FRED MOFFA'IT, Executive Director
WALTER FERGUS;ON, Chairman
ERNEST TI-DNIPSDN, Member
Mrs. LUCI‘LLE HURT, Member
GLEN WADE, Member
W. O. KONG, Captain of the Guard
Rev. H.E. INMAN, Protestant Chaplain
' Rev.» THOMAS CLARK, Catholic Chap lain
WILLIAM EGBERT, Vocational Instructor
CASTLE STAFF
Kenneth Deneen - Editor
John MoWhinney -~ Ast; Editor
James McKi nney — Artist
‘9
Char les Goehri ng
IN THIS MONTH'S CASTLE
Castle News 2 - 3
Search 6c Seizure Laws b, - 5
Editorial 6 - 7
Chaplains' Corner 8 -~ 9
Silent Night 10 —ll
- of Prxfi‘iir‘y 12
-_r
*Iklkilttklkl‘l‘fl‘lklkakiklkiklk*#************************
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are encouraged and will be loomed. They must be signed, as
anonymous communications cannot be published.“ In the event the author of a letter
wishes to withold his or her name from publication, this desire should be indicated
printed without the signature at the
discretion of the Editor if it contains information deemed of sufficient inter-
in the letter. The letter will then be
est to all readers. - Editor
This magazine is published by and for the inmates of the Kentucky Penitentiary,
under the supervision of Luther Thomas -* Warden. All or part of any article may
be reproduced provided prOper credit is given to author and magazine. Address mail
"to The Editor, Castle on the Cumberland, Box 128, Eddyville, Kentucky.
Ta 1 1 Ta le s 15
Dep artme nt Rep orts 114-4 5- 16- 17
Exc ha nge Page 18
Sports 19—2C‘w21
Pe na 1 Pres s 22
25-21;
Statisti cs 8c Puz zle
-I‘
AID SOUGHT 'IO TRAIN CONVICTS
FRANKFURT, Ky“. - CorrectionsCormnissioner
Joseph Cannon is due in washington to
seek about $500,000 in federal funds for
training classes in Kentucky's correc-
tions system.
Cannon said the funds would be sought
under the federal Economic Dpportunity
(antipoverty) Act to equip and staff vo-—
cational and academic training classes»
“we have these people for a year or two
and if we don't do something with them,9
they're going to be going back to the
communities and be a responsibility of
the communities as far as assistance is
concerned,“ Cannon saido
TWO INMATES} PASZS AWAY ON SAME DAY
JAMES 0° BRANTLEY passed away on Novemw
ber létho The cause of death has been
listed as; a hemorraging peptic ulcer»
His home was located in Providences Kyo
********************
STANIEH’SIMPSON passed away on November
16th. The cause of death has been lists
ed as; an coronary infarction _ Heart
attack — Stanley was from.D--or1gloa_9 1110
*********#**********
PRO PO SE1) BAI L==J [M PI NG LAW
A move to make bail-
is raining
Frankfort, Kym -
jumping a crime in Kentucky
manna
; cams’rmas
THE COMMISSIONER mentioned two projects
under consideration:
1» A new community correctional centers
This would be a “halfway house“ to aid
persons released on probation or paroles
2. A second forestry' camp& in Harlan
County, for inmates from the State Re=
formatory near La Grangec The Legisla=
ture has appropriated $70,000 for the
camp, but Cannon said it may not be
enough for a complete facilitya If the
federal funds can be obtained on a 90~lO
pamatching basis, most of the $703000
could be used as the State's share in
matching the federal.grant9 he saide
a******#******************************m*
DAILY IEIOUGHT
The three hardest things are to keep
secrets, to make good use of leisure,
and to be able to bear injustice.
( ! " Chilo
‘Mills said the bailmjumping bill
momentum and is likely to be considered
by the 1966 General Assembly» It's part
of a plan initiated by Governor Breathe
itt to end distinctions between criminal
defendants with money and those without;
Commonwealth Attorney'MoRs Millsa Chair-
man of the Governor's task force on
criminal justice stated: "Everyone has
the constitutional right to bail, the
right to be released pending trial. Una
fortunatelyg it has come to mean the
right to buy oneis way out of jail."
should
be coupled with effective action by
judges in reducing the amount of bail
and, in many casesg releasing prisoners
on their own recognizancee Mills bew
lieves that making the failure to show
up for trial a crime would eliminate the
need for baila eSpecially in the form of
a large bond, in most cases. Bail~jump~
Continued on page ~21?
-2-
—,«- _
OREGON ENDS; DEA'JZPI PENALTY
SALEM, Oreo (UPI) - The agony is over
for three convicted Slayers in Oregon's
State Penitentiaryo
Less than h8 ‘hours after -Oregonians
voted to abolish the death penaltyg Gov-
ernor Mark Hatfield commuted their sen-
tences to life in prisono
Awaiting execution were Jeannace June
Freeman, 22; Larry'West Shipley, 23, and
Herbert Floyd Mitchell, h5n Miss Free-
man would have been the first woman axes
cuted in Oregon.
All three were released from isolation,
and integrated into the regular prison
routines
Governor Hatfield said he commuted the
death sentences "in view of the express—
lion of the peeple in their vote abolishv
ing capital punishment ”
Senator wayne Morse said, "In my judge~
mentJ the taking of human life is the
prerogative of God: and not of many"
It was the second time Oregon outlawed
the death penalty. It was stricken in
l9lh, then reinstated six years later
after a series of sensational murdersa
****************************************
RAMBLIN 'ROUND
KENNETH DENEEN "Ye old editor" got
"serve out" and will be around for a few
more morrths‘ LAWRENCE SI\DW was granted
a parole - to a detainer — which one
Larry, Oklahoma: or New Mexico? “Slim"
BUDDY SIMPSON saying to "Chubby" Shot
Gun “I'm hungry!" HERBERT "Flash".HAXE3
say's he's the mostest on the basketball
court - How about that fellows? Take it
easy CRUM, the Blue Goose will be going
to the "Flat Lands" pretty soonn When
you get there Crum, tell my rappy Terry
Hale to walk slow, and drink plenty of
_ , HWY _
NEW YEAR
The vote was better than A to 3 for
abolishment: As a result the penalty
for murder is life in prison.
The theme of the drive to outlaw capital
punishment was the danger of an innocent
man being executed, and claims that only
those so_poor they could not hire a good
defense attorney ever were sentenced to
die!
Pr0ponents of the measure said the death
penalty was expensive, and that it cost
more to fight court appeals than to keep
a prisoner locked up for life,
Idultnomah County District Attorney Geor-
ge van Hoomissen said “the spectre of an
innocent‘ man unjustly executed is con—
stantly in my mindJ'
Senator Maurine Neuberger said: “Capital
punishment is a carryover from the days
of torture chambers and dungeonsa"
mater; BILLY WHITE I understand that
BEV BROWN is anti "Ark" I imagine the
Kessler Company' will be happy to hear
that; The "watch" brothers will soon be
one BOB 0014le will soon be in Rid “D"
- Detroit that is= Li? how about the
fine paintings being turned out by "Big
Jim" MCKINNEY and TED STEEIB' I was
watching JIM SPRINKIE shooting pool the
other dayé and he looks like he's almost
ready for "Minnesota Fats.“ JERRY
SAYLOR those new "Ivories" look pretty
sharp — Keep smiling~ I'm sorry‘ JOHN
NAUMAN that I miss-Spelled your name
last month; Okay? DOUG HARRIS when are
you going back to Tennessee; or are we
stuck with you? Have any of you fellows
noticed any of the nick—names that are
hung on some of the. fellows? Like for
instance: “Frog; 'Toad; One-Eye, JeepJ
Shot-Gun; Horse: Pony, MOUSE, Lobos
Tubby, Peg, Camel, Goat, Bear; Moose, &
then of course the usual one’s such as
Slim, Shorty etc= I'm curious about the
guy that they call Gunsel!
_r— rr't,
mp3 -
SEARCH & SEIZURE
STONER vs CALIFORNIA, 576 U. S, hBB (l96h), was a case wherein the police developed
» a lead near the scene of a robbery which ultimately led them to a hotel where:
without a warrant, they searched Stoner's room in his absence, having been given
access thereto by‘& hotel clerk. There they found articles like those associated
with the crime by an eyewitness. Stoner Was arrested two days later in another
State and following a trial in which the' articles were used as evidence was
convicted.
The U. Sm Supreme Court held:
1. A search without a warrant can be justified as incident to arrest only if sub-
stantially contemporaneous and confined to the immediate vicinity of arrests Agnelo
vs United States, 269 U} S. 20,
* * a * * * * * m * * t * * * * * * * a * * i a t s * * * * * * * a * * * * a # * *
PRESTON vs UNITED STATES, 376 U. 3, 36h (l96h), was a case wherein Preston and his
two companions, who had been seated for several
hours in a parked car, S C A L B S were arrested by the
police for Vagrancy, searched for weapons and
taken to the police sta- tion» The officers had
the car towed to a ga- rage and soon thereafter
they went themselves to the garage and for the
first time searched the cart various articles
found in the car were 'later turned over to
federal authorities and used as evidence in a
trial in federal court resulting in Preston's
conviction of consPiracy to rob a federally in-
sured banku
O F
J U'S T I 013
The U, S. Supreme Court : held:
la The evidence obtained in the search of a car
without a warrant was inadmissible because,
, being too remote in time and place to be treated
as incidental to the arreSt, it failed to meet the test of reasonableness under the
Fourth Amendment.
505 F.2d 172, Reversed and Remanded.
************************************#****$
FAHY vs CONNECTICUT, 375 U. S. 85, S.Ct. 229, ll LaEd‘Zd 171 (1965), was a case
wherein Fahy waived trial by jury and was convicted in a Connecticut State Court of
wilfully injuring a public building by painting Swastikas on a synagogue. At his
trial, a can of paint and a paint brush were admitted in evidence over his objec—
tiona On. appeal, the Supreme Court of Errors held that the paint and brush had
been obtained by means of an illegal search and seizure, and that therefore, the
trial court erred in admitting them in evidence: but that their admission was harmw
less error, and it affirmed the conviction,
The U. 3. Supreme Court held:
la On the record of the case, the erroneous admission of this illegally obtained
-u-
evidence was prejudicial to petitioner;
the conviction was reversed, lh9 Gonna
it cannot be called harmless error; and
577; 183 As2d 256; Reverseda
******************************************
MAPP vs OHIO, 567 U. s. eh}, 81 s Ct; lean, e L.Edl 2d 1081, (1961), is the leading
case on search and seizure, It overrules wolf vs Colorado, 538 U.S, 25, 69 SeCt,
1559, 95 L.Ed, 1782, which had been the law of the land since l9h9,
state search and seizures
The U. S. Supreme Court held:
concerning
la Rule excluding illegally seized evidence is of constitutional origin«
23 Reasonableness of a search is in first instance for trial court to determine;
3. All evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the
constitution
is constitutionally inadmissible in state courts.
h. Evidence obtained by unconstitutional search was inadmissible in state prose-
cution, and vitiated conviction, under the Fourteenth Amendments
5. The Fourth Amendment's right of privacy is enforceable against the states
through the due process clause.
6c The rule requiring exclusion of a coerced confession overrides relevant rules of
evidence, regardless of the incidence of such conduct by police slight or frequent;
7
7. Healthy federalism depends upon avoidance of needless conflict between state and
federal courtse
i
8m The right to privacy embodied in Fourth-Amendment is enforceable against states
in same manner and to like effect as other basic rights secured by the due process
Clauses
170 Ohio St» h27; 166 N.Ea2d 387s
Reversed and Remandeds
Compiled by Eddie Coxg The Stretch
*************************.**************Ik*Ik
VIA - THE {ENS
In the little—publicized case of Dpuglas
versus California, the U. Si Supreme
Court's decision has made the appoint~
ment of counsel mandatory on appeals.
The Supreme Court ruled that the failure
to provide counsel for 'the one and only
appeal an indigent has of right' created
an unconstitutional line drawn 'between
rich and poor.‘ In effect, this ruling
assures the indigent defendant of aid by
counsel not only on preliminary exami-v
nation and at raial, but also makes it
mandatory for states to provide legal
assistance in the event an appeal is
'necessaryv
THE PENITENTIARY WHEEL
via The Enchanted News
There are small onbe’ahafsig“3nesl All
are self-styled and definitely run some»
thing in a big and grand manner - their
mouths. Perhaps the shock of a haircut
and neW'pair of shoes of their very own
has induced delusions of grandeur» After
impressing you with their vast holdings
(Cadillacs, townhouses, country estates,
contacts and resources), they will in-
variably put the arm on you for a _fla05
tory roll, until their next "C" note
from the current doll arrives, (Transla-
tion: Money that the poor old mother
sends, even though she can't afford its?
It's enough to make you wish you could
afford to dent their "hubcaps" for them!
-5...
A psychiatrist sits by‘a Special red telephone in a yigi 31 he; ,3«,7€ raga
County Hospital- He awaits a ‘all that will begin,
“This is a crisis situation for the potential suicide,“ -says Dr. Herbert waltzerm
Kings County -"our first aim when we get a call is to stop the person from carrying
out his threat, the next step is to get him helped.m
I don't really know if anyone has taken the time to study the "potential thief- "
I do believe it merits attentions 'When I say "potential," I'm referring to the
person that is on the verge of committing a crime,
There are organizations for A. A. and N} A., and potential suicides, If a person
feels himself faultering, he need only dial a telephone nunber, and help is on its
way. I vaguely recall reading an article of an ex-con's anonymos in Canada a few
years back1 However, I don't know if it met with success or not.
My contention here is; if society can set up a system with practicing psychia-
trist's in attendance, why can't some type of facility be set up for the potential--~
criminal?
I agree with most writers, and philosophers, that the average criminal is simply
carrying out an urge for recognition, and a perverted sense of self pity and pun-
ishment. But, how many people would be in prison today} if they had had an under»
standing and intelligent person to review their deep seated problems with? The
urge to err is prevalent in everyoneo Most people repress these urges because of
fear, and others overcome these urges with logical rationalization, or the assiss-
tance of a "head shrinksr.” The average person cannot afford the prices of these
tutored doctors of the minds, Psychiatry, in its true form, is a God send to the
sick minds. But, why wait until the unfortunate person ends up in jail to offer
him some "token assisstance?"
In most cases - especially in penal institutions — it is nothing but a half hearted
attempt to relieve the fears and anxities of the ill minda Even then, the subject
rarely receives any attention until he becomes "a problems" In most cases, the
sick mind has become sicker through association and institutionalization. The sub-
ject has become immunized to treatment through the dehumanizing prison routine»
The helpless feelings of rejection, shame and fear, have already set him up so that
his state of mind is one of rebellion and mistruste
n
There no doubt will be those that wonder if I'm some kind of nuts Well,-the answer
to that is, yes, I'm a nut, or I wouldn't be in hereo My proposed plan of seeking
~6-
help may sound inane, but is it? In the quite solitude of your cell at night, ask
yourself; would I be different now if I had had professional help BEFORE I come
mitted a felony? It is a moot question, eSpecially when you consider that there
are few PROFESSIONAL criminals in jail. Few indeed, are the people that Say: "I'm
going to live a life of crime." The odds are against anyone becoming successful in
a venture like that. ~ i'z .1 '. "
It isn't the professional criminal that we are intere tr? in here. he are
1": Led - a?" ‘j . -. 9.7;] 3719;”; V i .:.- :""_‘_.“on.. if: 7“: ”'13. ,,.. .I :
"rct wsn' t‘ 'ci‘ hihwclf. wilL. ii A at, 't F efiw {93¢ ' 30 ff 3
cry}. «2": to twin... to? “(j-"55h sf? ":2:- 47.3.1.7.: or" ;‘-"}';:;?2:T l." . €;'....r":. s3." ;-' -".'v“)";{l’145. l " ~
.. ~._( \i
t‘ ~ ‘ t o rehab}. : ’* ~~ *' "venue, ’7 ’~ 1's” (Lif‘i‘ifl'? . .wt inside .
.L
* * s * * * * * a * * * * * * e * * s * * s * * t * * * e * Kenneth Deneen w-Editor
THE CHALLENGE WE MUST MEET NOW' - James V, Bennett - Former Um 3, Prison Director
To deplore injustice is not to suggest that we should in any way, relax our efforts
to reduce crime. The dilemma is how best to do it. The problem is heightened by
the fact that a sizable proportion of crimes are csmmitts: by psychopaths and men-
tally sick people.
Psychiatrists, to be sure, do not have an answer for the problem of crime but they
do contribute illuminating insights into the behavior of criminals. Yet there are
only 50 professional psychiatrists among the 252 major federal and state prisons
and reformatories. At other levels, trained personnel are also scarce, and except
in a handful of prison systems, salaries are too low to attract competent peoPle.
One of the best systems is the research - conscious organization created in Cal»
ifornia by the then Governor Earl warren, now U} S. Chief Justices One of the worst
is in Mississippi, where the lash is still in general user
Do most ex-convicts usually return to prison? Are they as unredeemable as those
who push for harsher penalties say they are? Certainly the ex-convict who wants to
go straight can eXpect to have a rough time. 'When he leaves the walls he doesn't
have money to last more than a few days, Many firms will not give him a job. And
in some cities the police will pick him up on any pretext, to put him into the
day's “lineup" or merely haraSS him so much that he'll move on to another town.
But the typical ex-prisoner persists in his efforts to sunnount these difficultiese
A five-year study of federal prisoners done by the University of Illinois, under a
Ford Foundation Grant, indicated that nine out of 10 prisoners intend to take up an
honest way of life when they get cute Some fail in their good intentions, but the
same study proved that two-thirds are successful in staying out of trouble.
Our prison system will not succeed in permanently "reforming“ larger numbers of
their graduates until communities are ready to play a much larger part in the re-
habilitation processa, And I wish that this problem would attract more serious
attention and public discussion.
The challenge we must meet is to reduce the basic causes of crime, improve lawe
enforcement methods, and use more effectively the techniques that have been de-
veloped for changing human behavior, '
The existence of crime and criminals should spur us on to experimentation, infuse
new life into our efforts to rid the country of social injustices, and make us all
a little more tolerant of each other's imperfect conduct.
-7...
sh swim
THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST
No one knows the exact day or year in
which Jesus was born. By the time the
early Christian Church began to cele-
brate the event, the date was unknown»
At first, the Crucifixion and Resurrec-
tion overshadowed all 91894 It was only
as the significance of the Life and mine
istry of Jesus began to lay hold of
their minds that the early Christians
were moved to observe His birthdays
According to an early Christian leader,
1 Chrysostom, who wrote in the year 386
A” D, when the Feast of the Nativity was
not yet ten years old, it took three
centuries before Christians began to ob—
serve the birthday of their 10rd»
Eome of the early churches in the
East, esPecially in Syria and
Armenia, began to observe the
event on January 60 Some eastern
branches of the Church still db-
serve Christmas on this date. An
entire different develOpment took
place in the waste In Rome, the
feast of Brumalia, following the
feast of Saturnalia, celebrated
the rebirth of the sun and marked the
time of year when the days began to
lengthen after the longer darkness of
winters The 25th of December was ob-
served as the day of this rebirtho The
feast was marked by drunkenness and im-
moral orgies. Christians seem to have
taken the date, which was observed as
the birthday of the Sun, and made it the
birthday of Him who is the Light of the
worlds Therefore, they took a celebra»
tion that was often characterized by the
worst in man and, by means of the Chris-
tian message, transformed it into an ob-
servance of the highest and best the
world has ever known.
the
The legend of Santa Clause, spark—
Continued on next page
-810
($017311? 17.
FATHER THOMAS CLARK, CATHOLIC CHAPIAIN
"Fear not; for behold I bring you good
tidings of great joy that shall be to
all the people," Never has it been easy
to be a human being. Men have always
wrestled with strong and painful fears.
But our own times have been described
often and well as an age of anxiety»: We
seem to be Specialists in fear. There-
fore we have special reasons for going
over~ to Bethlehem to see this thing
.which has come to pass—~this thing which
bids us, "fear not:"
Now if we face ourselves honestly, or if
we merely eavesdrop on the secret mur-
murings of our own hearts, isn't this
what we discover: that our basic fear,
the fear beneath all fear, is
our dread of being nobody, our
fear of being nothing of having
no real importance, no lasting
values. And if we trace this
fear down to its roots, we find
that it Springs from two very
deep human exPeriences: first,
the sense of the fact that we
are creatures and secondly, the
sense of our sinfulness.
Now there is.a very important
link between these two things: the more
we try to escape from the fact that we
are creatures, the more we are likely to
exercise our sinfulnessa More sin causes
more guilt. Added guilt causes new
fears, And so the truly vicious circle
goes round? It has been said that most
evil in this world is caused by people
who are trying to prove something —
— something unreal, At least it is true
that most of the tragedies in the world
are caused by people who never learned
to accept themselves as limited and
sinful,
It is precisely to this that Christmas
speaks. "Fear not,” it bide us; here is
good tidings of great joy that shall be
Continued on next page
Protestant Chaplain - Continued
ling trees, and the exchange of gifts,
which has led to such widespread commer-
cialization, may add color to the obser-
vance of Christmas, but many Christians
feel that these activities crowd out its
religious significance, Essentially
Christmas is a religious festiva13.¢sthe
birthday of Him whom Christians believe
to be the Savior of the world, The very
story of Jesus' birth indicates that the
Christian message is not for a single
nation or race but for the entire world;
God's love indeed, is revealed as miss—
ionary love -- love that goes out in
search of the sinner to lead him home:
"For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son; that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life." (John 5:16)
***************t**#**#***#************t*
SCHEDULE OF CHAPEL ACTIVITIES
SUNDAY: Protestant Services, 7:50 am;
Catholic Mass, 12:30 pm; — Alcoholics
Anonymous, 2:00 pm,
MONDAY: Interviews with Catholic Chap-
lain, 10:30 - 1:00. (Interviews with
Protestant Chaplain daily)s
TUESDAY: Choir practice, 12:30 pms
WEDNESDAY: Mid — week prayer servicea
I§:30 pm:
THURSDAY: Interviews with Catholic
Chaplainn 10:30 am — 1:00 pms
FRIDAY: Group Therapy (A9 A.) 3:00pm
CHAPLAIBS NOT IN ON SATURDAY
**********¢****************************#
WHY NOT SEND YOUR DOLLAR TODAY?
That is
full year's subscription to
on the Cumberland,
Send your check or money order to:
Castle on the Cumberland
P. 0. Box 128
Eddyville, Kentucky h2038
all that it takes to buy you a
the Castle
Catholic Chaplain - Continued
to ALL the people; to all, no matter how
ltnited and sinful; no matter how much
deprived of pleasure or power or pep-
ularity or possessionsl !"For there is
born to us all a savior who will save us
from our fears by saving us from the
cause of them. For, as Sacred Scripture
tells uS, "in this is the love of God,
not that we have loved Him, but that He
has first loved us.n In other words,
our basic value is not something we
achieve in competition with everyone
else, but something we accept in thank—
fnlness along with everyone else? For
God; loving us, has made us in His own
image and likeness, This is our essen—
tial and our secure dignity” Our value
is within usr We need not become impor—
tant; we are important we need not be—
come somebody; we are somebody_ no
matter what others may say of us or
think of us, or do to US;
How false and foolish then to put our
peace of soul at the mercy of a frown or
smile of another human being. How unreal
it is to go through life walking a tight
rope, trying never to be criticized,
never to appear foolish, never to make a
mistaken But we human beings learn by
signer Hence God's messenger declares
to the shepherds and to us: "This shall
be a sign unto you, you shall find an
infant wrapped in swaddling clothes,"
God Himself is not afraid to take on our
human nature, vauainted though it is
with weakness,
let us hasten then to Bethlehem. To
Mary's Wonderful Child, let us offer our
fears as the Shepherds offered Him their
timid sheep; To His healing mercy let
us confide our sins, however horrible:
No one need feel too unworthy to come to
a stable, not too shy to kneel before an
infant Savior:
Fear not, then; for unto us a child is
born; unto us a son is given and His
name shall be called Wonderful, God the
Mighty, the Prince of Peace;
CATHDIIC SERVICES‘CHRISTMAS DAY 9:00 AM
-9...
—‘~' ‘w.
A SONG Is BORN
Twas the night before Christmas} when all through the house, not a creature was
stirring, not even a mouser
But on the night of December 23 in the year 1818, in the little Austrian village of
Oberndorf by Salzburg, on the banks of the frozen River Salzach, a mouse did stirm
He not only stirred; he invaded the organ loft of the old church of Ste Nicholas,
and there, because he was a cold mouse and a hungry one, he perpetrated a deed and
initiated a chain of events that were to resound to the farthest corners of the
earth,
It was the following morning, criSps cold and clear, that an important gentleman in
a black frock coat and stock let himself into the church of St, Nicholas and sat
down at the organ. His name was Franz Gruber3 and he was a darkhaired, pleasant-
faced man 31 years of age5 with a longish nose; cleft chin and friendly eyesl The
world never heard of himg but in the small ponds of the neighboring villages of
Ofibrndorf and Arnsdorf he was a very large frog indeed” For in Arnsdorf he was the
schoolmaster and in Oberndorf he was the organist of the church.
Now he flicked his long coattails out of the ways adjusted the organ bench, trod
the pedals and pressed the keysv, But no music issued from the pipes - only a soft,
breathy sigh»
At this time Joseph Mohr, himself a musician and utility priest, entered the
church,. Gruber informed Mohr what had happened” and the two gentlemen checked the
loft behind the keyboards where the leather bellows supplied the. wind for the
instrument, and found the hole in the worn fabric of the leather where the mouse
had chewed through»
A Christmas Eve Mass without music was unthinkable. He cried, “Here is a fine fixs
what is to be done?" i ,
In answer, Father Mohr said somewhat shyly, "I have written a little poem“ Maybe
we can set it to music, and make it into a song,“
Gruber glanced down at the poem and read the first stanzas1 A strange chill ran
down his spine. It seemed to lay its hand upon his heart and speak to him gently,
simply and movinglys Gruber was stirred by the words as he had never been before»
Already he was beginning to listen to distant music waiting to be borne
Father Mohr saidx “I only thought, since there is not a tone to be had from the
organ, that you might be able to arrange something for our guitars with perhaps a
simple chorus for the childrena” Gruber said; "Yes, yes, perhaps we COUldm Let me
have it; I will take it home and see what I can doe“
All through the long trek homeward the words kept ringing through Gruber's mind;
Silent night, holy night; All is cahn, all is brighte Like deaf Beethoven he was
hearing all of the notes inside himselfo
After arriving home he sat at his spinet; and unlocked the melodies: and the music
flowed forth:
The next day, Gruber and Mohr gathered the children together: and they practiced
for hours for the evenings events The two men felt satisfaction» It was a little
roughg a voice out of tune here and there, but easily remediedea It was going to
work,
Christmas Eve! There was a crust on the snows Beneath, it was so dry that it
crunched and squeaked under the heavy boots of the churchgoerss The air was sharp
and crystal-clear and hurt the nostrils when inhalede The stars seemed to hang
from the sky and glitter like Christmas-tree ornamentsa
There was a rustle of surprise as the 12 children, with Mohr and Gruber carrying
their guitars: appeared before the altars Gruber noddeda The strings vibrated,
and the tenor of Father Mohr and the basso of Gruber filled the old Churche
Thus the Christmas hymn SIIENT NIGHT was heard for the first time - and the next
day it was forgottenm No one dreamed that genius had burned for a few hours in two
simple men who never after would be heard from again, and that through the magic of
their collaboration on a Christmas Eve in a tiny Austrian village something death-
less had been borne
It was an accident that saved the masterpiece from oblivione The master organ
repairer, Karl Mauracherg who came that spring to repair the organ, asked what they
had done without music for the Christmas Masss
"It was just a trifle," Gruber said, "It was a little song that Mohr and I put
together. would you like to see it?”
Karl nodded in the affirmative, and Gruber started rumaging thru a cupboard where
he finally found the songs
The organ repairer's lips moved as he read the scores and a deep humming of the
melody came from his massive chest“ “It has something,“ he said softlya “Do you
mind if I take this home with me?"
Gruber laughed; pleased that their little effort had this belated moment of
approvals "By all means have it for no one will have any further use for it once
you have mended the organ»?
Thus the song spread from Austria to Germany as folk mUBiOc~ Only in later years
were Mohr and Gruber acknowledged the creators, though not a penny did they ever
earns. It crossed borders; it went to sea with German emigrants;
Mohr and Gruber died as poor as the church mousem But Gruber's old guitar still
sings for him; for it was preserved and handed down in the familyc New each
Christmas Eve it is brought to Oberndorf and the children's c