Perhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes.Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden   at Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941.In these 21 years he made many reforms --- and an important part of his success was due to his wife Katherine. Katherine took seriously the idea that the prisoners are human beings ,worthy of attention and respect .She regularly visited inside the walls of Sing Sing.She encouraged the prisoners, took things to them and spent time listening to them.Most importantly, she cared about them.And as a result, they cared deeply about her. Then one night in October of 1937, news was "telegraphed" between the prison cells that Katherine had been killed in an accident.The prisoners asked the warden to allow them to attend her funeral.He agreed to their strange request and a few days later the south gate of Sing Sing swung slowly open.Hundreds of men who had committed almost every crime imaginable marched slowly out of the prison, later gathered again at the gate and returned to their cells.There were so many that they proceeded unguarded.But no one tried to escape.If he had, the others might have killed him immediately.So devoted were they to Katherine Lawes, the woman who daily walked into Hell to show the men a piece of Heaven. Katherine' s strength was to see the men less as prisoners and more as individuals.Thomas Moore once said, "We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we show no respect for." Why did the prisoners ask the warden to allow them to attend Katherine's funeral?
Because Katherine was the wife of the warden. Because Katherine didn't look down upon them and cared about them. Because Katherine made reforms in the prison. Because Katherine had been killed by one of them.