USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116
And then his senses came back to him. From the moment of " that first fierce impulse unto crime," Caleb had thought of nothing but how he should carry it out. He thought of no re- sulting consequences. "The devil," he said, " led me on till I had done it and then left me." He could not even carry out his design of flaying the boy and hanging him up like a butchered animal. His impulse now led him to shrink from the sight of men and he traveled off some miles to the residence of an uncle. Night brought no boys to Uncle Reuben's hearthstone. Neigh- bors were aroused, search made, and the mangled body of the little favorite brought to light. Caleb was traced and examined. At first denying the charge he was soon brought to make con- fession of the crime and committed to Windham jail September 15th, 1803. The greatest interest in the case was manifested throughout the county, and the attendance upon the trial was so large that the court adjourned to the meeting house. No in-
127
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
vestigation could lessen the blackness of the deed, the question at issue was the responsibility of its perpetrator. The criminal had been tainted even before his birth. It was affirmed and "sup- ported by credible testimony," that before the birth of Caleb his father had become so infatuated with a woman of the vilest character as to persist in keeping her at his own house with her idiot child, to the infinite distress of his outraged wife, who died from grief and mortification a few months after the birth of her son. Two months after her death Adams married his paramour, who took charge of Caleb until her own death, after which he was left in the hands of any one who would keep him for a trifle. It was said that his general aspect and facial motions thorough- ly resembled those of the idiot child whose presence had so dis- tressed his mother, and that he now exhibited an innate and ab- normal delight in inflicting torture upon animals, together with a strong predisposition for lying, stealing and other vicious prac- tices, while he had been debarred from counteracting influences and judicious training. But all these facts and the alleged in- sanity of his father which might indicate hereditary mental un- soundness, only served to convince judge and jury of his unfit- ness to live and the necessity of keeping him from further mis- chief. A petition signed by many sympathetic persons was laid before the general assembly in his behalf, but that body declined to interfere with what it called "the course of justice." Very great interest was manifested in the prisoner's religious condi- tion, many ministers and Christian people visiting him in his cell and laboring to bring him to right views of himself and his situation. He had an especially affecting interview with his kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Sharpe-when Mrs. Sharpe in particular was reported as "very tenderly affected towards him, and treated him with Christian compassion, freely forgiv- ing him and hoping that God would also forgive him." As is frequent in such cases, Caleb seemed quite to enjoy his notoriety and played his part with great propriety. His execution, No- vember 20th, 1803, was made a grand scenic exhibition, affording the highest satisfaction to many thousand sympathetic specta- tors. Divine service was held on the Green before the meeting house. Caleb walked to the place of public worship accom- panied by the high sheriff, Shubael Abbe, and a number of min- isters, " exhibiting on a serene countenance signs of deep and solemn thought." Reverend Samuel Nott, of Franklin, opened
128
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
the service with a pathetic and well-adapted prayer, which was followed by a sermon from Reverend Elijah Waterman, of Windham, upon Luke XI, 35-"Take heed therefore, that the light that is in thee be not darkness"-a solemn and appropriate discourse upon the nature and power of conscience. The im- mense congregation was then told that Caleb had specially re- ·quested to receive the ordinance of baptism before execution, and leave his dying testimony in favor of the religion that supported him. He then ascended the stage or temporary pul- pit, and made audible confession of his faith and was baptized by Reverend Walter Lyon, of Abington, his former pastor. On his way to the gallows he conversed freely upon the ground of his hope and the support it gave him that through Jesus Christ he should find mercy, and gazed upon it with countenance un- moved, finding strength in prayer and passages of Scripture. An address was now made by Reverend Moses C. Welch, of Mansfield, stating some facts in the prisoner's life with appro- priate reflections and remarks. Before and after this address, Caleb kneeled and prayed with composure in words well suited to convey his feelings and desires-that he might obtain mercy and final forgiveness of sins through Christ; that he might be supported in the trying moment ; that all might be for the glory of God ; and particularly, that the people might take warning by his end and forsake the ways of sin. Mr. Lyon "then addressed the Throne of Grace in language the most interesting and affec- tionate, at the close of which the criminal was launched into eternity." The tender-hearted sheriff burst into tears after per- forming his most painful. duty, and a deep and lasting impres- sion was made upon all who had witnessed this remarkable ceremony.
In less than two years, on November 6th, 1805, Windham was treated to its third public execution-that of Samuel Freeman, of Rhode Island, a temporary resident of Ashford, a colored man of mixed Negro and Indian blood and vicious character, who in a fit of drunken rage took the life of an Indian woman with whom he was consorting. The trial and execution were con- ducted with the customary formalities and attracted the inevita- ble crowd of spectators, whose satisfaction in this case was un- alloyed with any troublesome questionings as to the justice of the penalty, or any sentimental sympathy with the degraded subject.
129
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
The murder of one of Woodstock's most promising young men the same November called out very different emotions. Marcus Lyon, a descendant of one of Woodstock's substantial old families, returning from a summer sojourn at Cazenovia, New York, was attacked by two desperate ruffians at Wilbra- ham, Mass., most barbarously murdered, robbed and thrown into Chicopee river. Some peculiar indications observed and reported by a little boy led to the discovery of the body, which was taken out and identified and tidings sent to his home in West Woodstock. The story spread like wildfire through the town and the population sallied out en masse to meet the mourn- ful procession bringing the murdered man back to his old home. A still greater multitude assembled at the Baptist meeting house to witness the funeral ceremonies conducted by Reverend Biel Ledoyt. The shocking circumstances, the tears and lamen- tations of mourning friends, the deep emotion permeating the vast assembly presented a scene seldom witnessed in a rural township. Several elegies and ballads were called out by this event, perpetuating the memory of this lamented youth. We quote from one giving full details :
" A shocking story to relate
When on his way from New York state To Woodstock, to his native home,
As far as Wilbraham he come.
Then some past noon on Saturday
Two ruffians did this man waylay, They murdered him most barbarously And threw him in a river nigh Four rods from whence they murdered him.
They left the body in the stream; The stone they did upon himi lay Upwards of sixty pounds did weigh. A boy he sees them on the ground
Where marks of violence were found; Blood in abundance to be seen, He tells the place, describes the men.
On Sunday evening light they took Along the river for to look ;
One says: ' Come here, I something see,
Near to that rock it seems to be.' Then on it he attempts to get. The stone gave way under his feet-
Oh, what a sight ! Oli, what a sight ! For to behold here in the night; The stone slips off, then did arise
A bloody corpse before their eyes !
9
130
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
A jury then was summoned
The inquest of the murdered:
His skull was broke, his side shot through,
His face disfigured by a blow,
Two pistols near the place were found,
Much bruised the trimmings all around,
Besmeared with blood and human hair
To all beholders did appear. At dead of night the people send The heavy news unto his friends.
Before sunrise his mother had
News that her son was murdered.
His mother said, ' Oh! in this way
I never thought my child to see!
I've husband lost and children too
Trouble like this I never knew.' On Wednesday was the funeral; Hard hearts indeed not here to feel.
Such bitter mourning never was-
Knowing the corpse and then the cause.
His mother lost a lovely son,
His only brother left alone;
Three sisters to bemoan the fate
Of their dear brother. died of late.
Among the mourning friends we find
To mourn he left his love behind,
Who did expect the coming spring
In mutual love to marry him. Dejected now, disconsolate.
Often his cruel death relates,
Then wipes her eyes again, again,
Telling the cruelty to him. His age was nearly twenty-three,
Was mild, affectionate and free,
His heart benevolent and kind,
His equal scarcely can we find. A pretty youth beloved by all, By old and young, by great and small,
By rich and poor, by high and low, By every one who did him know."
By a quite remarkable chance the murderers were discovered and publicly hung in Worcester, a large number of Windham county residents enjoying the privilege of attendance.
The tendency of certain crimes to become epidemic is often marked. Even the decorous and conservative town of Thomp- son indulged in a murder excitement and trial at about the same date of the preceding. Ebenezer Starr, the popular landlord of the Brandy Hill tavern, while violently disputing with the well
131
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
known physician, Doctor Thomas Weaver, died instantly from rupture on the brain. Though it was quite obvious that " passion was the cause of his death," public opinion demanded the arrest and trial of Doctor Weaver on charge of manslaughter. He was acquitted of the crime, but nevertheless sentenced to a public whipping and branding on the hand as a punishment for his assumed agency in arousing such angry passions.
Thompson was also variously implicated in the counterfeiting epidemic, which was exceedingly prevalent in those days of pov- erty and bad money. Its frontier position, cornering upon Mas- sachusetts and Rhode Island, furnished admirable facilities for illicit enterprise, enabling fugitives from justice to dodge back and forth from pursuing officers. A professional expert from New Hampshire availed himself of these peculiar advantages, brought down die and tools, and enticed a simple minded rustic to join with him in counterfeiting silver money. This work was carried on in a cave in the Buck hill woods, while the simple young man engaged in outside trade, buying up produce and stock, for which he paid in spurious coin. One good silver dol- lar was made to cover a number of the counterfeit, and money became very abundant. It is said that many recipients sus- pected something wrong, but quietly connived in the young man's business operations. His own folly at length brought the matter to light. "The goose that laid the golden eggs" com- mitted suicide in this instance. Intoxicated with the rare de- light of plenty of spending money, the young man insisted upon treating all his friends in all the taverns about town, squaring the accounts with his new silver dollars. Such unprecedented freeness and flushness aroused suspicions which led to investi- gation and discovery. His sudden arrest carried consternation to his self-seeking aiders and abettors, who hid away in meal chests and outhouses till the excitement subsided. The crafty old offender evaded capture ; his victim escaped trial by forfeit- ure of bonds and went out west, returning after a few years a sadder and wiser man to settle down into a sober and law abid- ing citizen. Some years later, a larger gang, in the same vicin- ity, engaged in manufacturing fraudulent bank notes, which ended in exposure and punishment, the ringleaders suffering prolonged imprisonment.
The first and only execution after the removal of the county seat to Brooklyn was that of Oliver Watkins, a resident of Ster-
132
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
ling, for strangling his wife. The crime was clearly proven, although Watkins refused to make confession, and denied his guilt with his latest breath. The trial, sentence and preparations for execution excited the usual interest. Captain David Keyes, of Ashford, resigned his position of high sheriff to escape offi- cial service. Roger Coit, of Plainfield, was appointed to succeed him, and carried through the law's requirements. In expecta- tion of the coming influx, landlords and liquor sellers provided vast supplies of all kinds of liquor, and hired a special guard to keep watch of the criminal the night before execution, lest he should commit suicide or in any way escape. A gallows was set up in a hollow between Brooklyn and Danielsonville, where the vast multitude of spectators crowding its sloping sides en- joyed a distinct view of the whole proceedings. Long before the break of day, August -, 1831, the various roads were thronged with wagons and foot travelers, single men and fam- ilies, coming from all parts of Windham county and adjacent states. The ceremony was conducted with the usual formal- ities. Prayer was offered by a well known minister, and then Reverend George Tillotson, the youthful pastor of the Congre- gational church of Brooklyn, preached a most solemn and im- pressive sermon upon the words, "Be sure your sin will find you out," followed by prayer. As he pronounced the fateful " Amen " with such composure and distinctness as to be heard by each one "of the thousands who listened for it with the most absorbing interest, in stillness that seemed rather of the dead than of the living," the drop fell and the forfeited life was taken. The deep solemnity which marked the exercises profoundly impressed the vicious minded, and it is said that in the religious revival that followed " not a few dated their first heart purpose to turn from their sins from the sayings and scenes of that awful day." On the other hand, an eye witness* gives his testimony, "that there were never half so many drunk at any one time and place in this county ; " that the throng was so vast that long before night not a mouthful could be procured in the village either to eat or drink except water, and there were reports of conduct which ought "to make a Feejee Islander blush."
As soon as possible after the formation of Windham county, August 18th, 1726, the justices ordered " that a gaol be built with all possible expedition, 31 x 18. The gaol to be ten foot wide,
* The late Isaac T. Hutchins, West Killingly.
133
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
built of logs all framed into posts, and be divided into two rooms by a board partition ; one to have a small fire-place or chimney. The other end to be for the prison-house ; to be built after the manner of other ordinary framed buildings, having a chimney with the back to the gaol; the (gaol) room to be 63 feet between joints and having a cellar under it 14 x 12." This building sufficed for prison accommodation till the period following the great revival of 1742, when many Separates and what were deemed religious schismatics were imprisoned for holding religious services contrary to law and refusing to pay rates for the support of the stated churches. The Separate min- isters, Elisha and Solomon Paine, Alexander and Peter Miller, Thomas Marsh, and many zealous exhorters and conscientious opposers of compulsory taxation for religious purposes, were thus imprisoned, so that the justices were compelled to add a new story to the jail and send many offenders to Hartford for safe keeping. Very great excitement prevailed at this epoch, crowds of people flocking to the jail to hear their favorite min- isters, who by giving bonds were allowed to preach in the jail yard, while law abiding citizens sent rescripts to the sheriff de- siring him "to shut the prison doors and keep the people out." It is evident that considerable liberty was allowed to prisoners at that time, as some specially obnoxious Separates complained of being " closely locked up " and denied the liberty of the yard, while notorious offenders confined on criminal charges were allowed to go about the town. Letters from worthy Christian ministers confined in Windham jail " on the sole presentment of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ," report their " close con- finement in most distressing circumstances as to our bodies, and their families reduced or exposed to difficulties too affecting to relate." Next in number to these religious offenders were the imprisoned debtors who were allowed a range within certain limits, and such as were unable to pay worked out their debt in various services. In 1762, the jail yard was reported in a decay- ing state. In 1774, extensive repairs were made, and a farthing tax ordered throughout the county to meet the outlay. During the early days of the revolution, the citizens of Windham coun- ty were greatly annoyed "by their situation in regard to a sheriff, which place in their opinion was very badly supplied," the incumbent, Colonel Eleazer Fitch, a very capable and popu- lar military officer, unfortunately failing to participate in the
134
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
popular movement and remaining loyal to England and its king, yet so great was his personal popularity that it was not till after the escape of noted prisoners that citizens of the county pet1- tioned for his removal. He was succeeded December, 1776, by Captain Jabez Huntington, "whose principles were far more agreeable " to the public, as one not likely to exhibit undue leniency to inimical Tories and prisoners of war. The jails were now filled to overflowing, each encounter with the enemy bringing fresh recruits, so that it was difficult to keep and guard them. Mr. A. E. Brooks, Main street, Hartford, has at his place of business a rare and curious memento of this period-the image of Bacchus, striding a wine cask, carved out of a block of pine in Windham jail, by four seamen of H. M. S. "Bombrig," captured June 10th, 1776, by a party under command of Captain Nathan Hale. Edward Sneyd, captain ; John Coggin, boat- swain ; John Russel, carpenter, and William Cook, sailor, were the aforesaid prisoners and carvers of this remarkable revolu- tionary relic. They were evidently jolly fellows, devotees of the jovial god, and having been permitted through the laxity of Sheriff Fitch to enjoy the good cheer of the Windham taverns, they left this specimen of their handiwork as a parting testi- monial of gratitude and regard to the popular landlady, Widow Carey, when they made their escape from the jail. Bacchus was immediately installed as an appropriate figure-head for the tavern, and for many years occupied a high position among the tutelary divinities of the gay old town.
After the close of the war Windham jail became even more popular. Tories and inimical persons were indeed required to keep out of town, but the number who suffered imprisonment for debts incurred in the service of their country was painfully large. Men of high position and character, earnest and self- sacrificing patriots, were confined within the jail limits. These limits were defined, 1782, from the jail to Captain Tinker's house, then to Samuel Grey's trading shop, on to Thomas Reed's work shop, and to Major Harbyton's blacksmith shop-then, a straight line to the tavern sign post, and west to an elm tree in front of John Staniford's dwelling house. In 1784, it was or- dered that a yard twelve feet high be erected around the jail, as soon as the money could be procured from the county. The limits of the jail were again confirmed in 1786, but prisoners were forbidden to enter dwelling houses; allowed to enter work shops used for mechanical purposes.
135
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
Very little can be learned of the condition of Windham jail from this date onward till its removal to Brooklyn. During this interval a new building was probably erected, but the precise date is difficult to ascertain. Very little can be learned either of the treatment of prisoners, but it was probably such as prevailed in other jails during that period, modified by an unusual degree of outside liberty. Exposure to cold, damp and filthy quarters and the promiscuous herding of all grades of criminals, were its most repulsive features.
After an arduous struggle the county seat was removed from Windham. July 26th, 1820, it was found that a convenient court house and jail had been provided in Brooklyn. The court house was newly erected ; jail and prisoners had been removed from Windham to the site now occupied by the Episcopal church. Jail limits were assigned and Ebenezer Baker appointed keeper of the jail, but was soon succeeded by William Tyber. Attempts were soon made to establish a county work house and house of correction. Among the great reformatory movements for bet- tering the condition of mankind the treatment of criminals was included. Philanthropists labored to reduce crime and reform the criminal; town officers to reduce the tax list. Under this double stimulus great changes were made. The feasibility of providing remunerative labor for prisoners in confinement was carefully considered. Six acres of land were procured a little west of the village and new brick buildings erected. In 1842 the prisoners were removed to this new Windham county jail, and thenceforward employed, when practicable, in cultivating the land and other outdoor labor. The good effect of this ex- periment upon the health and conduct of the prisoners led to its permanent adoption. Under the judicious and careful manage- ment of Mr. John S. Searls, appointed jailor in 1847, the outdoor working of the prisoners was much extended and systematized. Continued employment was sought out both in summer and winter, in digging, carting, wood cutting, harvesting and any specie of out labor for all such as were not compelled to be kept in close confinement, their wages accruing to the county. A com- mittee on prisons, appointed by the general assembly, May, 1865, the late Charles Osgood, of Pomfret, chairman, reports of Windham :
" The jail at Windham is a substantial brick building, erected in 1842, pleasantly located near the village, and with the out-
136
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
buildings, including a spacious barn recently erected, and all its surroundings in first class order. The prisoners for years past have been employed almost wholly at outdoor labor, at whatever kind of work and wherever they could be employed to the best advantage. The commissioners receive $3.00 per day and no charge for travel or expenses.
" Number of prisoners in jail, June 17, five. The present in- debtedness of the county is $367.31, occasioned by building a barn and an addition to the jail for a female department in 1863, at an expense of nearly $2,000.
"The result in this county of the prudent management of its affairs, the manner of working prisoners and the reasonable and honest charges of its officials, is, that all the ordinary and the greater part of the extraordinary expenses of the county, in- cluding extensive repairs and additions to the court house and jail and the erection of new buildings, have been paid and that, too, without calling upon the towns in the county for either tax, contribution or assessment for more than twenty years."
This good record was maintained through the twenty-six years of Mr. Searls' faithful service, and has been mainly attained by his successors, though in consequence of the increasing demands and large expenditure of the present era the county cannot al- ways succeed in carrying out its ideal of making its prisoners pay all its running expenses. Their earnings, however, added to what is received from the state for board of prisoners, make the jail considerably more than self-supporting year by year, and provide for repairs, additions and modern improvements, with a balance in favor of the county. Fortunately in this rural town there is no conflict with other classes of laborers. Farm help has become so scarce and dear that the farmers welcome aid from this source, and in many cases can carry on their farms with prisoners' help at special seasons. Perhaps ten thousand bushels of corn were husked and as many bushels of potatoes dug by the prisoners last autumn, and there is no difficulty in finding jobs of work throughout the year. The physical effect of this outdoor labor is very marked and the consumption of food proportionably larger than by prisoners kept in close confinement. Continual efforts are made for their mental and moral improvement. Through the forethought of Mr. Sibley, the present jailor, a prison library has been instituted, supplied with suitable books and papers, which are constantly in demand
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.