When Catherine Lawes' husband, Lewis, became the warden on Sing
Sing prison in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody
warned her never to step foot inside the walls. But she didn't listen to
them. When the first prison basketball game was held, in she went, three
girls in tow, and took a seat in the bleachers with the inmates.
She insisted on getting to know the inmates and their stories. When she heard that one convicted murderer was blind, she taught him
Braille so he could read. Upon learning of inmates who were hearing
impaired, she studied sign language so they could communicate. For sixteen
years Catherine Lawes softened the hard hearts of the men of Sing Sing.
The prisoners knew something was wrong when Lewis Lawes didn't report to
work. Quickly the word spread that Catherine had been killed in a car
accident. The following day as the acting warden took his early morning
walk, he noticed a large gathering at the main gate. Every prisoner
pressed against the fence. Eyes awash with tears. Faces solemn. No one
spoke or moved.
The warden made a remarkable decision. "All right, men, you can go.
Just be sure to check in tonight." These were America's hardest criminals.
But the warden unlocked the gate for them, and they walked without escort
or guard to the home of Catherine Lawes to pay their last respects. And to
a man, each one returned.
