SC prison chaplain’s children: ‘God placed him there to fulfill a purpose’

The story of the Rev. Charles M. “Red” Kelly’s nearly five years spent in the 1940s ministering to and witnessing the executions of more than 30 condemned prisoners at the old South Carolina state penitentiary in Columbia is, obviously, a story in itself.

But, to my way of thinking, there’s also the story within the story. The pastor had a wife, Sue, and four boys, Charles, Jim, Bruce and Philip. The family lived in Olympia. So what must it have been like inside the Kelly household with a father whose job was, to say the least, difficult?

Charles W. Kelly, the pastor’s eldest son has written a book – “Next Stop, Eternity” – about his father’s prison ministry. He talked with me about how his father’s work was woven into the fabric of the Kelly family.

Here are parts of that conversation as well as some excerpts from the book.

Tell me about your father as a dad.

“Red Kelly was among the greatest dads of all times. He took us everywhere with him. We fished, we went camping, we went to the mountains, we went to the beach, we went swimming in creeks and ponds, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over campfires, we went star gazing…We traveled to places like Chicago, Washington, D.C., Lookout Mountain and Niagara Falls.”

Tell me what it was like, as a child, to have a father who ministered to Death Row inmates, who witnessed executions. Did he talk about his work with you?”

“Quite honestly, I don’t remember much about how I felt concerning Dad being chaplain. To me, it seemed quite natural since he frequently went calling on those in need. He would solicit food and clothing from the merchants on Assembly Street to take to anyone in need, no matter whether they were black or white or were members of his church. Dad was often asked to preach at some of the black churches in Arthurtown, down Bluff Road, and he always complied.

“Further, he often assisted Dr. Wimberley at the Oliver Gospel Mission with young vagrants. So it seemed natural for Dad to help those in need and to minister to those in the death house. Dad often talked about his death house ministry and I (went with my dad and) visited James Dunmore, Sammie Osborne and Matthew Judge when they were confined in a death cell. I remember the death house as eerily repulsive, if that makes any sense. I can remember, even as an 11-year-old, how frightening it must have felt for those young men who were confined in those cells. Dad took me (and sometimes Kelly’s brothers) on visits to reformatories, the women’s prison, and the prison farm near Boykin … He obviously felt that we would learn from what we saw during those visits.”

As a child, could you detect any change in behavior or mood from your father prior to an execution?

“Yes, Dad, the most level-headed, balanced and kindhearted individual ever, would become quiet and contemplative when an execution was pending. He did not grow short-tempered or snappy. He simply buried himself in thought and prayer over the life about to be taken.”

Where did your mother stand in all this? How did she react to your father’s work? To the days leading up to an execution?

“Our mother had a tough exterior but a soft heart. She always rooted for the underdog. Mama died in March, 1995. She was a totally devoted wife and mother. She supported my dad to the utmost as he fulfilled his calling.”

(It should be noted here that I talked to two other of the pastor’s sons. Bruce Kelly, who lives in Columbia, did extensive research for his brother’s book. And Jim Kelly, who also lives in Columbia, recalled the mornings of executions in the Kelly’s Olympia home, when his father was already at the prison. “As children we always knew when an execution was to happen,” he said. “On the morning of the event at about the time the execution was to take place, my mother would gather us and we would kneel in prayer … The executions were hard on my father, but he felt he was fulfilling a need and a calling … Daddy had full run of the prison without guards. He was so respected that the guards did not fear for him. As kids we would sometimes go with him to the penitentiary for haircuts by the inmates. They would tell funny stories and were in general fun to be around. Once I visited the death house and was strapped in the electric chair for a moment. The place as I remember it was damp and not lighted well.”)

As school boys, did your friends know what your father did?

“It was seldom if ever discussed at school. As young boys, our interests as well as our friends’ interests were in building the latest models of the fighter planes and bombers that were fighting in World War II.”

As young boys growing up in the 1940s, did the racial disparity and difference in who was getting executed occur to you? Did your dad talk to you about it?

“Dad did little talking on the racial issue. He led by example. He preached in the black churches in Arthurtown. He hunted quail with his black chaplain colleague at the prison, the Rev. E.A. Lester Davis. And he would have the Rev. Davis bring his all-black church choir to the Nazarene church in the Granby Mill community to perform Sunday night concerts. We were aware that Dad went several times to the governor to try and spare the life of a black youth he thought to be innocent. But, he talked little about race. It simply was not done much in the 1940s. Nonetheless, everyone knew Dad’s feeling on the racial issue. He believed in and sought justice for all.”

What do you think your father tried to accomplish during his days as prison chaplain, especially with the Death Row inmates?

“Dad tried his best to bring them to Christ and to make certain that they were prepared for the hereafter.”

Please describe your father, physically speaking.

“Except for when we went camping, fishing, etc., Dad always wore a suit, a white shirt and a tie.”

You mentioned that your father had nightmares about his work in later years.

“Dad could never remember much of what he encountered in those nightmares. He would simply thrash wildly in his sleep, yell out something and awaken quite suddenly sweating profusely. A cold sweat.”

Do you think he wished he had never done the work he did?

“No. Dad never questioned the time he served as prison chaplain. He felt that God placed him there to fulfill a purpose.”

How can readers purchase a copy of your book?

“ ‘Next Stop, Eternity’ can be ordered directly from LifeRich Publishing, Amazon, Amazon’s Kindle edition, Kobo Books, Books-A- Million, Barnes & Noble, and nearly all retail bookstores.”

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "SC prison chaplain’s children: ‘God placed him there to fulfill a purpose’."