At A Special Chapel Service In An Ohio ...

At a special chapel service in an Ohio penitentiary, the governor was to grant freedom to several convicts. The suspense mounted as it came time for the governor to announce the names of those selected. “Reuben Johnson, come forward and receive your pardon!” No one responded. The chaplain directed his attention toward Johnson and said, “Reuben, it’s you, come on!” But the man looked behind him supposing there must be someone else by that name. Then, pointing directly at him, the chaplain exclaimed, “That’s right, you’re the man!” After a long pause, he slowly approached the governor to receive his pardon. Later when the other prisoners marched to their cells, Johnson fell in line and began to walk with them. The warden called, “Reuben, you don’t belong there anymore. You’re a free man!”