CHANGED LIVES

JOYPEACE

When Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison in 1921, it was the toughest place in the world to work but when he retired some 20 years later, that same prison had become a humanitarian institution. When asked about this transformation, Mr. Lawes simply said: “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.” At the time her husband became the prison warden, Catherine was a young mother with three small children. Everyone warned her from the beginning that she should never go inside the prison walls but that didn’t stop Catherine! Her attitude was: “My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don’t have to worry!” She insisted on getting acquainted with the inmates and learning about them through their records. She attended the first prison basketball game and took all three of her children along, sitting in the stands with the prisoners. She helped a blind convicted murderer to learn to read Braille. That kindness forever made her dear to his heart. There was another prisoner discovered that was a deaf-mute. Catherine first learned sign language herself and then taught the deaf-mute inmate. Many thought of her as a special representative of Jesus, treating the prisoners like He would have done. Then suddenly, in 1937, she was killed in a car accident. The news quickly leaked to the prisoners and they were stunned with grief. A substitute warden took Lewis Lawes’ place for a few days. He felt merciful towards the sorrowing prisoners. Therefore, on the following day, when her body was resting in a casket at her home not far from the prison, he allowed all the inmates to take leave without a single guard to accompany them. The whole group filed out of the gate, and walked the threequarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes. Every one of them kept the trust agreement made to the warden and checked back in. Every one!