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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT
the university of connecticut libraries
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973,372 P516n c.2
BOOK 973.372.P516N c.2 PHELPS # NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT
3 9153 00052197 3
NORTH-WEST VIEW OF OLD PRISON, 1876.
OLD PRISON RUINS.
NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT;
104
ITS
ORIGIN AND EARLY HISTORY.
BEING A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE
FAMOUS AND WONDERFUL SIMSBURY MINES AND CAVERNS, AND THE PRISON BUILT OVER THEM.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
A RELATION OF ALL THE INCIDENTS, INSURRECTIONS, AND MASSACRES, CON- NECTED WITH THEIR USE AS A PRISON FOR THE TORIES DURING THE REVOLUTION, AND OTHERWISE; WITH INTERESTING SKETCHES OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS, IN (NOW) EAST GRANBY.
ALSO,
AN ILLUSTRATED DESCRIPTION OF THE
STATE PRISON AT WETHERSFIELD.
BY RICHARD H. PHELPS.
HARTFORD, CONN : AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY.
ENTERED according to act of Congress, in the year 1876, by the AMERICAN PUBLISHING CO.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
PREFACE.
IN this Centennial Year-1876-it is useful to review the inci- dents relating to our early history which illustrate the manners, and the civil, religious, and criminal policy of former times. The records of deeds and events, apparently of slight moment at the time of their occurrence, increase in importance as ages roll away, and are the indices by which we estimate the truth of history.
There is an exciting fascination in the eventful history of NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT to all who have been familiar with it, especially to those who, like the writer, have resided in its vicinity and witnessed many of its scenes ; and to judge by the, numbers who come from afar to explore its caverns and the ruins which now cover its grounds, it will long continue to be an object of interest and examination. The aged residents in its vicinity are nearly all gone; but this prison-fortress will doubtless long remain and continue to be a place of classic interest. The trav- eller will inquire, Who built these towers? Why these iron grates, these trenches, and these walls? How came these huge caverns to be dug out of solid rock? Surely the echo of the caverns cannot answer, nor the people who lived cotemporane- ously with their use.
The facts herein presented have been gathered from a variety of sources. Besides what came within the knowledge of the writer, he has availed himself of the statistics afforded by ancient colonial and state records ; of the verbal statements kindly fur- nished by the few aged persons still living ; and of other facts preserved from the recorded relations of witnesses long since passed away.
The first edition, in pamphlet form, printed thirty-two years ago, and the larger work published in 1860 have been revised, and additional matter of interest herein incorporated. Also appended is a historical sketch of East Granby (the present location of the old prison), and an account of the state prison at Wethersfield.
RICHARD II. PHELPS.
East Granby, Conn., 1876.
NOTE TO PREFACE.
Since the decease of Richard H. Phelps, the author of this History, who died at his home in East Granby, Conn., in 1885, the writer of this note has met with additional matter regarding the ancient prison, a large portion being in the nature of "facts that ain't so " mostly manufactured by bright correspondents of metropolitan journals. Using this authentic history as a base of supplies (usually without credit), they have foraged about for ghastly legends invented by a later generation ; their tales of horror are not incorporated in this volume, enough real tragedies having been enacted at Newgate to sufficiently thrill the reader of the following pages. Even in modern prisons insurrections and murders sometimes occur, and the facts do not show that the science of penology was any more misapplied at Newgate than at other jails or prisons of that period. The late author aimed strictly at accuracy; and it is the wish of his son, the present writer, to im- press upon the thoughtful reader the sentiments in the Preface. The author refers to "the aged persons " then living, from whom many of the facts were originally gathered by him nearly seventy years ago. Those venerable people failed to foresee the works of these imaginative generations, then unborn.
ROSWELL H. PHELPS.
EAST GRANBY, CONN., August, 1901.
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
Origin of its Title-Our Puritan Ancestors-The Mines of Simsbury- Granby and Copper Hill. 13
MINING.
Discovery of Copper-The First Company Organized-Three Clergy- men Appointed Smelters-Their Unsuccessful Efforts-The Pro- prietors are disgusted-An Act passed to regulate the Mines-King George's right to a Royalty Acknowledged-The Work Abandoned. 14 GRANBY COPPERS.
Coins made from Granby Metal-Mr. Higleys's Operations-The Sledge- hammer and the Crown-Colonial Bills of Credit-Provision Pay- Prompt Payment of the Colonial Bills 19
RECENT MINING.
The Old Mines Re-opened-The Phoenix Mining Co .- The Connecticut Copper Company-Depreciated Continental Currency-Curious letter a Century Old-Analysis of the Copper Ore-Silliman's Survey of the Mines 23
IMPRISONMENT OF THE TORIES.
The Mine transformed into a Dungeon-Prison Discipline-Whipping the Prisoners-The Tories Incarcerated-Troubles of the Revolu- tionary War-The Committee of Safety-The Reward of Loyalty- Opinions of a Century Ago. 25
THE FIRST KEEPER OF NEWGATE.
Captain John Viets-His Little Bill for a Year-Conspiracy of the Prisoners-Locking in the Janitor-Flight and Pursuit-Strength- ening the Jail.
32
CONTENTS.
ANOTHER ESCAPE.
Burning the Block-house-Suffocated in Prison-Carelessness of the Officers.
35
A SCENE OF CONFLICT AND BLOOD.
The Multitude of Guards Appointed-The Tories become Desperate- They Conspire to Escape-They overpower the Guard, and all Escape-Recapture of the Fugitives-The Gazetteer of 1773-A Cotemporary Story-The Prison buildings Destroyed.
36
A TORY CLERGYMAN IN NEWGATE.
He Preaches a Fiery Sermon-Addresses Gen. Washington-Denoun- ces the Whigs-Suggests the Assassination of Washington and the M. C's.
41
THE GOSPEL FURNISHED BY THE STATE.
Primitive Services-Nail-shop Preaching-Brother Jonathan Appealed To-Gen. Washington sends some "Atrocious Villains" to the Mines-Tory Misdemeanors. 52
OLD NEWGATE PRISON.
The "Stone Jug"-Buildings Above-Ground - Appearance of the Caverns-Story of a Visitor-Daily Routine-More Escapes and Insurrections-Interesting Anecdotes ... 58
CONNECTICUT STATE PRISON.
The Building at Wethersfield-Management and Discipline-Condition of the Convicts-Notorious Instances-Facts and Statistics .... 88
HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF EAST GRANBY.
Settlements on Farmington River-Lands purchased from the Indians Trouble experienced by the Settlers-Captivity of Daniel Hayes- His Story-The Red-Men-Revolutionary Incidents-The War of 1812-The Way to reach Copper Hill. 116
NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
THIS is the name by which the prison was known in the I time of the American Revolution, and it was so called after Newgate prison in England. It is well known that our forefathers, in giving names to their towns and rivers, and other objects of nature and art, by which they were surround- ed, drew freely upon those to which they had been accustomed in their ancestral homes; thus they endeavored to make their adopted country, in names at least, assimilate to their native land. So, in denominating this receptacle for their criminals after the world-renowned prison of London, they intended to endow it with all the terror which attached to that fearful
13
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
abode of the depraved. The mines and prison buildings occupy an eminence on the western declivity of the Talcott mountain, which rises to a great elevation, and is here sur- mounted by lofty, precipitous and craggy rocks. This range of mountains extends through the whole length of the State, and terminates at the East Rock near New Haven. Towards the west and south, can be seen in the distance, bold and irregular outlines of mountains, interspersed with extensive valleys, forming a scene of impressive grandeur and sub- limity, seldom surpassed. Says a writer :
"The appearance of this place forcibly reminds the observer of the walls, castles, and towers, erected for the security of some haughty lordling of the feudal ages; while the gloomy dungeons within its walls, call to remem- brance a Bastile, or a prison of the Inquisition."
" A hundred legends cling about its walls, But silence reigns beneath its crumbling stone ; No busy hand repairs the falling walls, Deserted now it wastes away alone; The summer idler often passes by, Yet some there are who enter at the gate,
To dream awhile, and, leaving, breathe a sigh, To see it mouldering in such fallen state."
The mines were formerly included in the limits of the town of Simsbury, and so remained until 1786, when a part of the town, including the mines and prison, was set off and incorporated under the name of Granby; hence the place was at that time known by the name of Simsbury Copper Mines, on Copper Hill.
The town of Granby was subdivided in 1858, and the mines are at present included in the town of East Granby. If the State of Connecticut continues henceforth to increase her legislative ratio of representation by subdividing her towns, it will become difficult to trace the topography of some places within her borders, nor can it well be foreseen what town will have the honor of containing Simsbury mines at the next subdivision.
MINING.
The period at which copper ore was first discovered at this
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
place is not definitely known; but the first record relating to the mines, was in December 1705, when the town of Sims- bury appointed a committee to make search, upon a suggestion " that there was a mine, either of silver or copper, in the town." The report of the committee is not recorded. but from subse- quent results it was doubtless favorable. The first company for working the mines, was composed of land proprietors of Sims- bury, in 1707. The association agreed to pay the town ten shillings on each ton of copper produced, of which two-thirds was appropriated for the support "of an able schoolmaster in Simsbury," and the other third to the "collegiate school," [Yale college]; the residue of profits was to be divided among the partners pro rata, according to the amount of their respec- tive subscription shares.
All the land on Copper Hill, and in that region, was cov- ered with the primeval forest, and occupied only as hunting ground by roving bands of Indians; and as the land was unsold, and under the control of the original proprietors of the town, the association comprised chiefly all the inhabitants. The company concluded only to dig the ore, and the first year they made a contract with three clergymen, for smelting the same, viz: John Woodbridge, of Springfield, Dudley Woodbridge, of Simsbury, and Timothy Woodbridge, Jr., of Hartford.
Clergymen at that early period were regarded as the prin- cipal embodiments of science as well as theology, and as many of them received their education in England, these contractors were supposed to possess the best facilities for obtaining information from foreign sources, in regard to the difficult process of smelting and refining. The theologians, however, did not understand the business, or at least failed to prosecute it to advantage; for in four years from their commencement, the proprietors appointed a committee to call them to account, and, if necessary, "to sue them for the ore that had been brought to them at divers times." The mines had at that time attained a good degree of celebrity, as appears by a public act passed by the colony :
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
" Anno Regni ANNÆ Regina V. Septimo A. D. 1709."
An Act relating to the Copper Mines at Simsbury :
" Whereas there hath lately been discovered a Copper mine at Symsbury, which hath been so improved as to give good satisfaction to conclude that a public benefit might arise therefrom; now for the better encouraging, directing, and enabling the proprietors and undertakers, or others that are or may be concerned therein, their heirs and assigns, to manage, carry on, and improve said mines to the best advantage," etc.
The act authorized the appointment of three commissioners, William Pitkin, John Haynes, and John Hooker, who were to settle all controversies, and who were authorized to sum- mon a jury in disputes exceeding forty shillings in amount. The sessions of this court were held generally at or near the mines, and great numbers of business and litigated cases, were adjusted in a summary and economical way, for the space of more than sixty years. During that whole period, the company of proprietors worked the mines, either them- selves, or by leasing to other parties, who agreed to pay the company a percentage of the ore or metal produced. In their leases it was expressly stipulated, as follows :-
"They also paying thereof to his Majesty, his heirs and successors, the fifth part of all gold and silver oar and precious stones, which from time to time, and at all times hereafter shall happen to be found, gotten, had and obtained within the aforesaid demised premises, or in any part or parcel thereof."
Thus acknowledging themselves most loyal subjects of taxation and revenue to the crown of England.
It is not ascertained what per cent. of profits was made on the investment in these mines, over and above the expenses of working them, but it is natural to suppose that if they were very profitable to the operators, all the applause usually attendant upon good luck, would not have remained forever hidden in oblivion from the world. Still the illusive charms of mining, had so much of novelty and hope for adventurers in the New World, that new companies were formed successively at various periods.
Some of the companies were composed of persons of great wealth and respectability. One company was formed in
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London, one in Holland, others in Boston, New York, and elsewhere. In 1714, the records show that the use of the mines was purchased by Johnathan Belcher of Boston, (afterwards governor), Timothy Woodbridge Jr., and William Partrige; and in 1721 they had miners from Germany employed, and were expending seventy pounds a month in the work, It appears that this Boston company operated the mines for a period of at least twenty-three years, and in a letter from Governor Belcher, dated 1735, he states that he had disbursed upwards of fifteen thousand pounds, or about seventy-five thousand dollars.
In 1721 a division of the mining lands took place among the lessees, and each company worked at separate mines situated upon, and less than one mile from Copper Hill. At Higley's mine, about one and a half miles south, are now the remains of old workings which were operated at a later period than the others. At the breaking out of the War of the Revolution, Edmund Quincy of Boston had miners working at that place, but the works were soon after abandoned. After 1778 the old Copper Hill mines were deserted for fifty-three years, until a new company began operations in 1831.
The excitement in the colonies upon the business of mining, about that period, was very great, as it would seem from the following petition, copied from the records :
" To the Honnell, the Gov'r Councill and Representatives in General Court assembled in New Haven, Oct. 16th A. D. 1733.
"The Prayer of Joseph Whiting, of New Haven, Humbly Sheweth; That your Suppliant has expended a considerable time and money in Searching after Mines, and has made farther Discoveries perhaps than any other man in this Colony has before done, and having met with such incourgement as that I am willing to be at farther Expense in the Same Search-but ready money being so absolutely necessary therein; I therefore Humbly pray this assembly will be pleased to lease me one thousand pounds of the money Granted last may to be struck, and now to be disposed of by this assembly- upon double security in Lands and Bonds, for the payment of the interest every year; the principall to be Returned at the Expiration of ten years," &c.
Joseph Whiting."
2
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
A great deal of time and money without doubt was expended as the aforesaid petitioner says " in searching after mines," for the evidence may be seen in the numerous pits and shafts which have been dug along the whole range of this mountain to New Haven. At that day, as in all previous time since the world began, and as is seen especially at the present day, the chief aim of many appeared to be to make fortunes by head-work-by speculation, and choosing rather to spend their time and risk their money in mining, and other uncertain projects-than to dig upon the surface of good old mother earth, for a sure and honest living.
Upon the summit of the hill where the greatest excavations were made, and the largest quantity of ore taken, two per- pendicular shafts were dug principally through solid rock, for the purpose of raising the ore. One of them is nearly eighty feet deep, and the other thirty-five. At the bottom of these shafts we find the caverns, so termed, extending in various directions, several hundred feet. By estimating the once solid contents of these subterraneous vaults, an idea can be formed of the great quantity of ore which has been taken out. The percolation of water through the crevices of rock, made it necessary to dig drains or levels to convey it off; but these either became obstructed, or the mines were sunk below them, which allowed the accumulation of water, and it became necessary to discharge it by working the pumps day and night. This was done by employing the people in the vicini- ty and from neighboring towns, and from the amount ex- pended for this service-three hundred and fifty dollars per month-it is believed that from twenty-five to thirty men were kept at work.
The copper ore has somewhat the appearance of yellowish grey sandstone, intermixed with nodules of bluish sulphuret, and yellow pyrites, and is very hard and brittle.
The vein is considered as rich, yielding ten to fifteen per cent. of pure copper, and some masses have been obtained yielding over forty per cent. The ore is of a character termed refractory, and the metal does not readily separate
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from the stone when pulverised and washed, in consequence of the specific gravity of the stony particles.
. The mines would doubtless have been profitable to the operators at the price at which copper metal was at that time valued, had not the enterprise been shackled with various incumbrances. A principal one was, the laws of the mother country prohibiting the smelting of it here. The rigid laws of Britain imposed penalties upon any who should attempt to compete with her furnaces and artisans at home, consequently the vast expense of shipping it across the Atlantic, crippled the success of all parties engaged in the business. Notwith- standing the enormous expense, several cargoes were sent to Europe. A large quantity was deposited about one mile east of the mountain, in East Granby, upon a spot now marked by an entire dearth of vegetation, owing to the poisonous qual- ities extracted from the ore. From there it was carried fourteen miles to Hartford, where it was shipped to New York, and thence to England. The owners were still further disheartened by the loss of two vessels with their cargoes of ore. One was seized and confiscated as a prize by the French who were then at war with England ; the other was sunk in the English Channel by shipwreck.
In defiance of British restrictions, considerable ore was smelted by the companies. Buildings and furnaces for pounding, smelting, and refining, were erected in Simsbury upon a stream of water called Hop Brook, a few miles dis- tant, but safety required caution and secrecy in the works, which were for many years abandoned. The place where the smelting was carried on, was named by the German workmen, " Hanover," from their native place in Germany, which name it still retains. The mining-works at 'Hanover' were attached in 1725, and 1700 pounds of what was termed " black copper" (it not having been refined) was levied upon.
GRANBY COPPERS.
Coin was made from this ore in 1737 and 1739, by a Mr. Higley, and was in current circulation for many years. In
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NEWGATE OF CONNECTICUT.
describing these coins, a writer says: They were stamped upon planchets of the purest copper, and, in consequence, were in demand by goldsmiths for alloy. The trade of a blacksmith, ever since Vulcan was engaged in forging thun- derbolts, has given to the world some very remarkable men, and it affords us great pleasure at this time to be able to contribute to the fame of one of the craft, who not only devised, but manufactured currency. We have seen it stated that Mr. Higley, the author of these coppers, was an ingenious blacksmith who resided in the town of Granby; hence the name "Granby Coppers" and that with all the notions of utility which he naturally derived from the anvil, he was ambitious of making a little reputation for himself besides. He has certainly left evidence of having been an artist as well as financier, for the creations of his genius and skill were, for the times, well executed, and they also became a currency. Subsequently, we are informed, his cupidity led him into the hazardous experiment of illegally imitating the issues of other coiners, which, being discovered, deprived him of a portion of the laurels that had previously encircled his brow .* These coppers bear the symbols of their origin, with a due regard to royalty on some of them-the sledge- hammers being surmounted by crowns, a something very apparent to the minds of the colonists, but which did not always command their sincere reverence. These coins grace but few cabinets, having been generally so impaired by wear, from being stamped upon unalloyed copper, as to be rarely found sufficiently perfect. We were, however, lately grati- fied by finding in New York city an electrotype which was perfect. Single specimens of this coin now command from fifteen to twenty-five dollars each. There appear to have
* The impression that Mr. H. was a counterfeiter does not seem to be sustained by any recorded evidence. It is more probable, that owing, to the jealousy of England, which at that period crippled all such enterprises here, notice was served upon him that his embryo mint was regarded as an in- fringement upon the royal prerogatives, and he was for that reason obliged to suspend operations.
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been five different issues of them, of several devices; upon one is the figure of a broad axe, with the motto " I cut my way through."
The engraving represents both sides of a Granby copper,
S
A
P
PER
PLEASE
00 0
17 31
now in the Connecticut Historical Society, at Hartford, from which the above cuts have been engraved for this work.
No public laws had been made by the colonists to authorize coinage of money, or to specify its value. Specie was very scarce in this country, and the coinage at this embryo mint, was regarded with great favor by the residents in the vicin- ity. The foreign trade of the country, which was chiefly confined to England, was principally controlled by her; the balance of trade was continually against us, which prevented the importation of specie. The war between England and France, in 1745, turned the tide somewhat in our favor, and considerable quantities were circulated in the colonies by England in payment of war expenses.
Owing to the scarcity of coin the colonists resorted to the use of Colonial Bills of Credit, the first issue of which was made by them in 1709, being the same year in which a public act was passed relating to the Simsbury mines. Previous to that time "Provision Pay" was the usual medium of ex- change, consisting of the common eatables and other products of the country. The appraised value of such commodities at that time, may be shown by the following extract from the records of the town of Simsbury, stipulating the pay of their clergyman in 1688. They agreed to pay him fifty pounds per annum " in good current pay, to wit: one third in good
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merchantable wheat at four shillings per bushel, one third in pease or rye, at three shillings per bushel, and one third in Indian corn or pork; the corn at two shillings and six pence per bushel, and the pork at three pounds ten shillings per barrel," besides other items, fuel, &c. At an ordina- tion nine years later, among the articles furnished on the occasion were the following, with their prices; " Half a lamb of mutton, 2s. 6d. ; butter 6d. per pound; four pounds of sugar, 2s. 6d. ; half a bushel Indian meal, 1s. 3d. ; two fowl&, 8d .; eighty-four pounds of beef, 15s. ; thirty pounds venison, 3s. 9d .; nineteen pounds of pork, 4s. 9d .; nine pounds of mutton, 2s. ; two gills of rum, 9d." Valued by our currency at this day the price of beef was three cents per pound ; mutton three and a half cents, and vension two cents. In some instances it was stipulated that those who paid their rates in specie, should be allowed a discount of one third from the amount. Contracts between individuals unless specially stipulated to be paid in coin, were payable in the commodities of the neighborhood, and at prices established by the General Court. Taxes laid for military defence against the roving tribes of Indians, for building churches, and for ordinary public expenses, were also payable in produce. During a period of one hundred and forty eight years from the settlement of the colony to the peace of 1783, excepting the period of the French wars, the traffic among the people was carried on in part by barter and exchange. In 1709 it was enacted by the colony, that in order to assist in the ex- pedition against the French in Canada, "there be forthwith imprinted a certain number of bills of credit, on the colony, in suitable sums from two shillings to five pounds, which in the whole shall amount to 8,000 pounds, and no more."
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