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Bible used as journal tells touching, intriguing tale
McCOOK, Neb. -- In shipping a small Bible/journal to the museum in McCook, the museum in Gering provided a mystery that grew more curious with each scrawl of a pencil in the margins.
Museum officials in Gering mailed a Bible, dictionary, journal -- whatever you want to call it -- owned by a man by the last name of Fields of McCook. Most of the handwritten notations are dated 1909.
The cover of the little re-bound maroon-colored book has written on it, " ... Fields, McCook, Neb. "Red Willow County"." The front and back covers have been cut from a Webster's International Dictionary, but the pages are a Bible that starts with parts of Genesis 42:12, " ... to see the nakedness of the land ye are come."
Interspersed among the Bible pages are lined pages on which Fields writes his own notes, thoughts and poems.
Fields starts the book with this handwritten information: He's a house and sign painter who was born October 1885 in Nebraska. He indicates his "hight" is 6 feet 1/2 inch; he weighs 189 pounds. His eyes are blue and his hair is black.
He writes that in case of accident, someone is supposed to contact a Mrs. B---- in "Danbuary (sic), Nebraska, Red Willow County." Or his uncle by the same last name in "Waunita (sic) (Chase Co.) Nebraska."
Throughout the Bible pages, Fields indicates where he begins reading passages at "breakfast" time, and where he resumes reading at "lunch." He writes, "Good night" in the margin where he stops reading at the end of the day.
He "stars" favorite Bible verses.
Halfway through the Book of Exodus appears the handwritten name "Miss Jenie (sic)" of Virginia. And then Fields appears to be counting down the days. In the Book of Numbers, near the date of August 9, 1909, he writes across the bottom of the page and up the right margin, "Thinking of Jennie and her people. 144 more day (sic) if I am good and if I have good luck."
So, the man is in McCook, Nebraska, and waiting for a girlfriend to join him in 144 more days? But what of the notation, " ... if I am good"?
There are two postcards tucked into the book. Each has been mailed by Jenny in Virginia to Mr. Fields in Pennsylvania. On one postcard (whose stamp and postmark are missing), Jennie writes to Fred, "I received your postal a few days ago. I am well. Hope you are the same. How is Angie? (Angie is underlined three times) Is she with you? Or have you left the child behind? Good-By. Jennie"
Her second postcard (also, a missing stamp and postmark) reads: "I sent you a post last week. I thought I would write and see whether you received it or not. If you didn't, here is another. Good-by. From Jennie to Fred.
The second postcard has someone's handwritten note "Elmira" above the address. Evidently, the postcard had to be forwarded to "Elmira."
Then there's Fields' notations of "the warden." And "I received a report ... 15 marks ... " And "Burgar M. Bailey, Chief Guard." And a list of the "Official Staff of E.N.Y.R."
His note on Saturday, Oct. 16, 1909, reads as: "Thank God I have made October thus far without a single report." On Oct. 20, he wrote: "No report thus far. Thank God in heaven."
And on Easter Sunday, March 17, 1910, Fields writes, "I pray to God above that I shall be free by tomorrow night."
Okay ... So, maybe this is not a typical pioneer gentleman in Nebraska, waiting for a girlfriend to join him. Hmmm ...
A lot of Internet and telephone research has revealed that "Elmira" is the shortened name for "Elmira New York Reformatory," (henceforth Fields' notation "E.N.Y.R") in the early 1900s, and that Burger (correct spelling) Bailey was listed in turn-of-the-last-century New York State Civil Service records as the chief guard at the Elmira reformatory starting on Oct. 20, 1899.
Bailey was still there as guard in 1909 and 1910 -- when our Mr. Fields of McCook, Nebraska, was a prisoner in New York State.
Prison records indicate that Mr. Fields was admitted on Oct. 30, 1908, charged with abduction (of whom isn't included) in New York and sentenced to a maximum of five years. He was 22 years old. Previous criminal activity includes larceny of coal, sentenced to 20 days, in Kansas; and something about "--- stolen property," another 20 days in Nebraska.
Fields lists a wife, from whom he is separated, in Oklahoma.
The record, handwritten by a prison official, lists Jennie E. H. as one of two sisters.
Inside the front cover of the Bible/journal, Fields has written, "Mr. S. Philips, Napanoch, New York, Guard at the E.N.Y.R." and "Mr. Frank Smith, Night Guard at E.N.Y.R." And he has even included Smith's home address in Ellinville, N.Y.
Fields' references to "if I am good" and "reports" and "marks" indicate that he knows he has to be on good behavior or he'll be written up in "reports" and lose "marks" for bad behavior.
Elmira was the site of a prison camp for Confederate prisoners of war in 1864 and 1865. In 1869, the New York state legislature voted to use the site for a new prison to receive male first-time felony offenders between the ages of 16 and 30.
The new Elmira was an experiment, and its approach to reforming "young felons" was a new concept for the American penal system. Elmira was the country's first "reformatory," and it did away with corporal punishment, striped uniforms and lockstep marching. The first warden, Zebulon Reed Brockway, rejected pointless hard labor, a regime of silence, religious and morality lectures and strict obedience enforced by brutality. At Elmira, inmates attended courses in ethics and religion, vocational training and extracurricular activities such as the prison band, newspaper and athletic leagues.
Cooperative prisoners earned additional privileges or "marks," earning a reduction in their sentences or being granted parole.
Because an inmate's release was dependent upon the accumulation of good marks, he did not have a specific date of his release. That may account for Fields' remark on Dec. 26, 1909, "When will that blessed day come?"
Brockway served at Elmira until 1900, to be replaced at some point by Joseph F. Scott. The New York Times reports in a page one story on October 30, 1903: "ELMIRA, Oct. 29. -- In appointing Col. Joseph F. Scott, Superintendent of the Massachusetts reformatory for boys at Concord, as the new Superintendent of the Elmira Reformatory to succeed Dr. Frank W. Robertson, whose resignation was last week accepted, the board has selected a strong personal friend of former Superintendent Z.R. Brockway."
In reports from 1903 through 1911, Scott indicates that each new prisoner was "rated" upon his character, and he used these rankings:
"Positively bad -- 54.17 percent of prisoners.
Not good, 41.81 percent of prisoners.
Doubtful, 2.01 percent of prisoners.
Good, 2.01 percent of prisoners."
Scott and subsequent superintendents slowly implemented more traditional punishment, labor and forced obedience at Elmira.
Every name in Fields' list of "Official Staff of E.N.Y.R," 1909 and 1910, can be verified as New York State Civil Service employees and staff at the prison -- Scott as superintendent; George Deyo, assistant superintendent; DeVere E. Smith, chief clerk; Frank L. Heacox, physician; Rev. C. Morton Sciples (Fields writes "Scitles"), Protestant; Rev. Theodore Bamberg, Catholic; Rabbi Isadore (Isdaore, Fields' spelling) Bernstein, Jewish; Burgar M. Bailey, chief guard; Abram Deyo, director of school of letters; B. J. Wilkinson, assistant engineer.
Fields' list continues: Board of managers -- H. Melville, president; F. B. Horbeck, vice president; William M. Eastabrook, secretary; and managers, J. F. Herbert, M. M. Wall, M. Alcott and C. Liebmann.
The Elmira system was influential in prison reform, and 12 states built 25 reformatories through 1910.
According to prison reform history, Elmira was the first to differentiate between juvenile and adult offenders and acknowledge the possibility of prisoner rehabilitation. (Notice a similarity to the mission of the Nebraska Department of Corrections Work Ethic Camp in McCook).
On Thursday, Dec. 9, 1909, Fields wrote a "last will and testament" of sorts, listing family in Oberlin, Danbury and Wauneta, and, of course, Jennie in Virginia.
He concludes, "My age is 23. I was born in Valley Co. Nebraska Oct. 1885. My mother is barried (buried?) at Oberlin 'Decator Co.?' Kansas."
In an undated note, Fields writes this, in the margins on two pages in the Book of Ezra, to Jenny: "When dreams come true, Jennie dear, Each day draws the end nearer."
Much of Fields' handwriting is difficult to read at best; much of it is completely illegible. Some of Fields' notations are in the margins; many are written over the Bible verses. Most are in pencil and many have been smudged so badly they can't be deciphered.
On Thursday night, Feb. 10, 1910, after reading II Chronicles, Fields writes, "38 more days. Thank God!"
In one of the most prophetic notations, on Friday night, March 25, 1910, Fields scribbles, "I pray to God in heaven and promise that I shall be like an absolute (??? illegible) if the warden will get ??? ??? ??? (smudged) and let me out of prison."
On Easter Sunday, March 27, 1910, Fields writes, "I pray God above that I shall be free by tomorrow night."
On Tuesday, March 29, 1910, Fields writes in large, dark letters, "Good Night. Free to Morrow."
Prison records indicate, "Fields --March 30, 1910. Paroled."
That's where the Fields journal ends.
Mr. Fields was quite a writer of wise and inspirational quotes, and it's not clear which are his or something he heard or read elsewhere. Some are a little cynical.
Fields seems quite wise, whether these are his own words or wisdom he recognizes in someone else's.
Fields writes:
" Don't think what lies behind you. Keep your eyes open for the things to come. And your brain awake to accept them."
"Don't give pluck the cold shoulder because you're looking for luck."
"Sympathy for others means to borrow some of their sorrow, poverty, sin and shame."
"A good listener is a welcome conversationalist."
"A retailer of gossip soon become a wholesaler of lies."
"Chacter (character) is like an old coat. It's better to have one that is soiled and out at the elbows than none at all."
"If we would have god (his lack of capitalization) hear what we say to him in prayer, we must be ready to hear what he says to us in his Holy Word."
"Rules are made only for those who do not think."
"An ounce of honest effort made today is worth a ton of good resolutions formed for tomorrow."
"Better a grimy face and a clean heart, than white hands a soul of darkness."
"A promise is a sacred thing. Be in no haste to make it. But when you make a promise, be sure and do not brake (sic) it."
"One lie can soon exhaust the multiplication tables."
"Happiness may be thought, sought or caught, but not bought."
"A smile that is purchased with money is not worth having."
"The man that is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else."
"Always scorn a pleasure that gives others pain."
About the Devil, Fields writes: "The Devil has power to assume a pleasing shape," and "The Devil can quote scripture to his purpose."
"Determined before hand, we gravely pretend to ask the opinion and advice of a friend. Should his differ from ours on any pretense, we pity his want both of judgement and sense. But if he falls in and agrees with our plan, why, really, we think him a sensible man."
One of Fields' longest -- and most telling -- notations:
"Months behind me, and months to go. Gee but don't they pass by slow? Weeks are now like months to me. Days are as weeks used to be. Hours drag and make me fret. Minutes hang like hours yet. But with all I see quite clear, how the seconds help to make a year."