one hundred years old April i6th, 1890. Picture
it one hundred years ago, without branches, and
behold it now, with massive, wide-spreading limbs,
worthy of demonstrative remembrance on its one
hundredth anniversary.
Boston, once a small hamlet, is now known
as the ''Hub." Once it had no branches, while
now they extend far and wide, benefitting man-
kind. The Boston Branch Shoe Store is a fit
representative of Boston's far-reaching influence.
There can be found Shoes of every make and
quality at prices which fortid successful competi-
tion.
Remember and duly honor the noble elm, and
do not forget The Boston Branch Shoe Store,
845 Chapel street.
D. M. CORTHELL, Manager.
THE HIS TOR V OF THE STA TE HOUSE. 1 1 5
bundles of kindling wood did much to dissipate the prejudice which
iiad existed against the charcoal sellers. While the State House was
being pulled down, a citizen found in the basement a teaspoon
marked with the initial letters of the name of Charles Fred. Lockwood
who used to keep dining-rooms in the Leffingwell Building, on the
northeast corner of Church and Court streets. This trilling object,
with talismanic power, recalls to the mind, recollections of the numer-
ous festivals and fairs which have been held in the building in differ-
ent years. There was a ladies' fair held there, about fifty years ago,
for. the purpose of raising money toward the expense of constructing
the stone wall which is built on three sides of Grove Street Cemeter}-,
and $850 were realized. But festivities of one sort and another
were in fashion with some of the legislative bodies. Toward the
close of the session in the year when Joseph R. Hawley was go\'-
ernor, boxes of lemons and great packages of sugar were converted
into cooling drink, which was kept in an open barrel in a room near
the Senate Chamber and the drink was made inviting by ice and
spirits. General Pratt, of Rocky Hill, led a crusade against the
existing enterprise, by which legislative tipple was charged in the
debenture bills against the State as "stationery," and although his
voice was loudly raised against what he considered a bit of dis-
honesty, his protests were ridiculed. In that year (1866) the sta-
tionery bills amounted to about $10,000, a sum unprecedentedly
large. A number of officials of that session robbed the State in a
wholesale manner. One man made it almost a daily practice, to
walk down into the centre of the city with reams of legal paper and
boxes of envelopes, which he sold at any price he could get, repeat-
ing the operation a number of times in one day. So annoyed was
Comptroller Battel! at the wantonness and extravagance of every-
body connected with the department of supplies, that he resigned
his office before the close of the session, Hon. Leman Cutler, of
Waterbury, being chosen to succeed him. The rising of the Legisla-
ture on the alternate years when the government was carried on
in New Haven, was the occasion of much interest to professional
I 16 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
plunderers. On the last day of the session, when the usual compT.-
nientary speeches were being made and testimonials were being pre-
sented to the Speakers of the Senate and House, the subordinate
officials in the building were busy packing up and conveying away
everything in the way of portable property, not previously stolen.
Waste baskets, inkstands, spittoons, rugs, mats, even desks, were
seized upon and rushed out of the building. The pitchers, tumblers,
salvers, copies of the statutes of the State and other publications — in
short everything which could be converted into money — were pirated
and in a few hours but very little was left, except the unmovdble
desks and furniture, unconsumed coal \\\ the cellar and the books and
papers to be transported to the Hartford State House. Everything
was stolen as perquisites, by various persons whose familiarity with
legislative proceedings rendered them expert in the matter. In the
general scramble for this kind of property there was a great deal of
fun and excitement and sometimes collisions between the more
active of the robbers.
Isaac Brown of Fair Haven furnished the stone used irt building
the State House and Isaac Foot contracted for carting it, he
employing in the work teams of oxen with a horse for leader.
Daniel H. Brown, then a lad of seventeen years, assisted in the
labor. Among the objects found at the destruction of the building
were a mallet, discovered by Contractor Montgomery's men, under
the roof, near the eaves, and marked with the figures " 18 13," and a
bottle of ancient form, picked up in the basement, which contained
lemon peel and rum, with some sort of bitters of a kind now very
likely obsolete. In the cellar, there w'as found a structure resem-
bling a Scottish cairn, about eight feet square, level and smooth on
its top. For some time the quid nuncs who were interested in the
destruction of the building, fancied that the bones of former occu-
pants of the graves beneath the building were placed there, but
it was finally found that this apparently rude monumental pile
was simply an old foundation for a big furnace used in heating the
house. The interest in the discoverv was not unlike that felt bv
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I 1 7
Mr. Pickwick, who purchased the forever famous stone record
of Bill Stumps. All around the city are to be seen single blocks of
marble, once part of the steps or basement veneering and which
were bought from Contractor Montgomery at a price of from one to
six dollars each, for service as stepping-stones, on the edge of side-
walks in front of dwelling houses. INIany of these, not having been
trimmed, make an unsightly appearance. In front of the premises
of A. W. Johnson, No. 66 Lafayette Street, there is a stepping stone
which was a part of the second of New Haven's State Houses. Mr.
Montgomery has one of the blocks of marble from the building last
destroyed, placed in front of his house. It has been recut and
polished, and on it can be seen on one side, the inscription in hand-
somely carved letters :
YE OLD STATE HOUSE STEP.
ERECTED 182S,
DESTROYED 1889.
On another side :
W. J. MONTGOMERY,
CONTRACTOR.
The gentleman may in future years be remembered by a yet
unknown poet of Connecticut, after the manner in which a more
ancient poet writes of the burning of the Ephesian dome and of " the
pious fool who built it."
In a local newspaper is to be found the following advertisement
relatins: to a matter which caused great discussion in New Haven
and in many other towns of this state. It is of the date, January 16,
1824.
" Whereas, on or about the 7th day instant, January, the body of a respectable
female recently deceased, was unlawfully removed from its place of interment in
West Haven and brought to this city for dissection :
" Now, therefore, by and with the advice and direction of the Court of Common
Council, I hereby offer a reward of three hundred dollars to any person who will
Ii8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
discover the offender or offenders and give such information thereof that they
may be brought to justice and conviction.
"George Hoadley, Mayor."
The circumstances of the case are calculated, even at this distance
of time, to enlist the s\'mpathies of all persons. A young lad}', Miss
Bathsheba Smith, aged twenty years, amiable and comely — fair in
person more than any other young woman of that neighborhood —
died at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Laban Smith, the
house being about two miles west of West Haven centre, near the
Durand place and the old Piatt place. Mr. Smith was a popular
man, a sea-captain in the days when the proportion of native youth
following a seafaring life was greater than at this time. He was of
the kind of mariners such as the late Captains John Hood, Brintnall
and Denison, all of whom were prominent socially in New Haven and
more or less identified with the affairs of the town and city. George
\V. Smith, the mason builder of No. 35 Park Street, is a son of the
late Laban Smith. From him and from Mrs. Lewis Fitch of Orange
street, aunt to Harry I. Thompson, the artist, whose portraits of
some of the governors of Connecticut and other distinguished men,
can be seen at the Capitol in Hartford, are derived some of the
incidents of the distressing affair.
At the funeral of INIiss Smith, which was largely attended, there
happened to be present a student from the medical college, on
the corner of Grove and Prospect streets, since occupied by some of
the departments of the Sheffield Scientific School, of Yale. The
young lady died from consumption and di"opsy, and her complexion
and features after life had departed were very beautiful. The body
was buried in the old cemetery, near the Episcopal Church, West
Haven. A few nights after the burial, Mrs. Smith, the young lady's
mother, was visited in her dreams by an Intelligence which will
perhaps forever be a mystery. She was made certain that the grave
would be despoiled. For succeeding nights the bereaved mother
dreamed that the body of her child was being molested in the grave.
So deep an impression was made upon her mind that she communi-
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOCSE.
119
caled the dreain^ to her husband, and for nine colisecutive nights he
watched by the grave, gun in hand, to prevent desecration. On
a Saturday night the watciiing was abandoned. Sunday morning Mr.
Smith attended church. He had previously marked the grave and
on again visiting it saw evidences that there had been a disturbance
of the ground. Some stall^s of straw which had been laid upon the
top of the coffin to muffle the dread sound of the falling earth while
the grave was being filled, were scattered about. Mr. Smith imme-
diately communicated with his neighbors and he and they decided to
re-open the grave. A few feet below the surface of the ground was
found a tortoise-shell comb which had been placed in the hair of the
deceased. When the coffin was reached, it was seen to have been
split open and a log of wood had been substituted for the body.
Among those who were present was Simeon Filch, brother of Mrs.
Lewis Fitch and cousin of the young woman ; William Kimberly
and Sidney Painter. It was reported at the time, that the body had
been taken to New Haven in a chaise, by two young men [some
reports said there was but one] and was held in an upright position
by the person driving. The young men of West Haven were in
a great state of excitement. They left the village'about midnight, in a
large body and accompanied Mr. Smith to the city, where they arrived
at the dawn of day. General Dennis Kimberly, a lawyer of New
Haven, but whose home was in West Haven, was called upon.
He advised that there should be obtained a warrant to search the
medical college. This \pas done, but the search led to no discovery
of the remains. There were found, however, four or five bodies
concealed under some charcoal. Mr. Smith w^as not satisfied. Nor
-were hundreds of young men of West Haven, New Haven, Fair
Haven, and from the outlying districts, who had heard the story
of the crime and who met on the Green, where they were addressed
by different persons who urged an attack upon the medical college
and the razing of the building. There was a furious and tumultuous
crowd in College street, from the medical college building to Elm
street, and another crowd on Grove, extending as far as Orange
120 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
Street. The people appeared to be generally determined that the
college building must be pulled down. The city's cannon were
taken possession of and there was shouting and gesticulating by the
hundreds of angry citizens who were almost beyond control. One
fellow, more demonstrative than others, was observed by Sheiiff
Pond, exciting the people to riot. He spoke loudly and vehemently.
The sheriff acted sagaciously. He tapped the man on the shoulder
and said : " I want you to help me in keeping order here." The
man at once changed his program. Said he: "All right, sir, I'm
your man," and he became forthwith one of the sheriff's best sup-
porters. The late Dr. Jonathan Knight and Dr. Smith were officers
at the college. After a speech from Dr. Knight and some parleying,
it was agreed that Mr. Smith and a committee should further search
the building. Dr. Knight preceded the committee. They went into
all the rooms and descended to the sub-cellar. One of the men
noticed some earth on the flagged floor, and on removing the stones
the body of the young woman was found. The officers of the col-
lege had positively denied that it was in the building. When the
committee reappeared in the street, the excitement amounted to
insanity. The body was tenderly borne to the Green. A great pro-
cession was formed, and marched to the house of Mr. Smith. A
grave w^as made within a few feet of the dwelling and there the bodv
found rest. Members of the family watched the grave from a win-
dow of the house for a long time. The inhabitants of a number of
Connecticut towns were greatly exercised, and in some rural ceme-
teries graves were re-opened to ascertain whether they had been
desecrated. The student suspected of the outrage ran away from
New Haven. The college authorities offered to give a bond that
nothing of the sort should occur again. Mr. Laban Smith was never
afterwards the man he had been. His health failed and his life was
believed to have been shortened by the mental anguish he had
suffered. The mob, if such it could be called, was mainly composed
of very respectable people, among whom were some members of
the Methodist Church. It was "enerally believed that the Faculty of
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 121
the college had no knowledge of the fact that the body was ever
taken into the JDuilding, although at first, so great was the tumult
that their lives were in danger of being lost. During the search of
the buildings some of the medicines and other property were dam-
aged. There are now living, a number of elderly persons who
remember this sad affair. One person was tried in the Superior
Court for the outrage, convicted and punished. A law passed
in consequence of this affair, is still upon the statute books.
At the session of the General Assembly in 1854, Greene Ken-
(irick, of Waterbury, succeeded Lafayette S. Foster, speaker of
the House. In the balloting for United States senators, in the
State Senate, the number of votes cast was 21. Francis Gillette,
elected to fill an unexpired term, received 11, F. Gillette i, C.
Chapman 2, John Cotton Smith 5, and there were 2 blanks. For the
six years' term Lafayette S. Foster had 13, James Dixon 3. Samuel
Ingham, of Essex, 5. In the House, on the first ballot 216 votes
were given. Francis Gillette, of Hartford, had 109, Charles Chap-
man 92, John Cotton Smith 6, Roger S. Baldwin 5, Samuel Ingham
3, T. B. Butler i, and there were 3 blanks. For the long term, of
219 votes cast, Mr. Foster had 129, Ingham 88, Gillette 2. The
election of Foster and Gillette really led to a change in the organi-
zation of political parties. There was much fretting over the elec-
tion of Gillette. He was not a whig, but some whigs felt disposed
to call his election a whig victory. He was not however elected as
a whig, but as a man opposed to the Nebraska bill. The whig
caucus decided upon Foster and Gillette, and they had some sup-
port from the Free Soilers and ultra temperance men.
Prior to 1826, the mayors of New Haven were elected by the cit-
izens and held office during the pleasure of the Legislature. Here
are their names and terms of office :
Roger Sherman, . . . . , . t 784-1 793.
Samuel Bishop, ..... 1793-1803.
Elizur Goodrich, ...... 1803-1822,
The State House now lies very flat.
No place for doves, or evening hat.
The largest B. A. T. on earth yonll see.
Tf you will only call on nie^.
£iig'raviiig, that is done by me.
You'll find tirst class— please call and see
Illustrations, the finest grrade
Of auy article that is made.
I>csis^iiiiit>' done of every kind.
Nice lielteriiiii', just to vour mind.
AtCIiapel Sire t, Ei{ii»t T\venty-Kisl»t*
The largest B. A. T. in any Slat.-.
B. A. TUCKER.
THE. HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
123
George Hoadley, ....
1822-1826.
Simeon Baldwin, ....
. 1826-1827.
William Bristol, ....
1827-1828.
David Daggett, ....
1829-1830
Ralph I. Ingersoll, ....
1830-1831
Dennis Kimberly, . . . .
. 1831-1832
Ebenezer Seelev, ....
1832-1833.
Dennis Kimberly,
^'^Z?)i ^vould not serve
Noyes Darling, . . , .
1833-1834
Henry C. Flagg, ....
. 1834-1839
Samuel J. Hitchcock,
1839-1842
Philip S. Galpin, ....
. 1842-1846
Henrv Peck, ....
1846-1852
Aaron N. Skinner, . . . .
. 1852-1854
Chauncey Jerome, ....
1854-1855
Alfred Blackman, . . . .
. 1855-1856
Philip S. Galpin, ....
1856-1860
Harmanus M. Welch,
. 1860-T863
Morris Tyler, ....
1863-1865
Erastus C. Scranton,
. 1865-1866
Lucien W. Sperry, ....
1866-1869
William Fitch, ....
1869-1870
Henry G. Lewis, ....
1870-1877
William R. Shelton,
• 1877-1879
Hobart B. Bigelow, ....
1879-1881
John B. Robertson, . . . . .
. 1881-1883
Henry G. Lewis, ....
1883-1885
George T'. Holcomb,
. 1885-1887
Samuel A. York, ....
1887-1889
Henry F. Peck, ....
1889, term unexpired
In the annual report of the United Workers, for 1888, they say:
*' It is now sixteen years since our foundation and we still occupy
rooms in the State House." A sewing school was started in the
J 24
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
State House, March, 1883, in a room granted by the courtesy of Prof.
E. Whitney ]]hike, manager of the Museum of Art and Industry,
occupying a large part of the building by courtesy of the city. The
oro-anization of United Workers have attempted and have had some
success in doing a good many benevolent things. They have had
an employment bureau, and separate conuuittees on Almshouse,
Relief, Boys' club, Sewing School, Coffee House, and other philan-
thropic departments of their work. Mrs. Eli Whitney, Miss Harriet
Russell, Mrs. E. S. Wheeler, Miss F. E. Walker, Mrs. William A.
Blake, besides other New Haven ladies of means and leisure, have
been prominent in the organization, the ladies whose names are
given, having filled the office of president. The destruction of the
State House will not lessen the eiforts making for the benefit of
classes of persons coming within the purview of this charitable
enterprise.
As late as 1873 there were twenty-two members of the Center
Church who had been members over fifty years.
In the spring of 1837, there was organized at the State House, a
military company, of very young men, called the Cadets. These
were the olficers : N. S. Hallenbeck, captain ; Theodore Warner, first
lieutenant; George Beers, second lieutenant; Benjamin Mansfield,
major ; William N. Cleeton, orderly sergeant ; John B. Hanover,
second sergeant ; Samuel Cleeton, third sergeant. They used to
meet in the buildings for drill and for social enjoyment.
Among the stories connected with the trial of cases in the County
Court, when it occupied the State House, is one in which Silas Mix
figured as counsel. He had been assigned to defend a poor man
charged with crime. Mr. Mix was allow^ed to have a talk with his
client in the lobby of the court room.
Lawyer Mix: "Well, my friend, have you any money with which
to pay your counsel ? "
Prisoner : " No, sir. I have got* a silver watch which I would
gladly give, if it would do any good."
Mr. Mix took the watch. He remarked that the window of the
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, I 25
room was open and told his client that he hoped he (die client)
woidd not jump out of the window and run away. In a few
minutes Mr. Mix re-entered the court room and told the judge
that he feared the man had got away, as when he looked out of
the window he saw him running toward Court street. The officers
started off after the prisoner, but were unable to come up with him.
At another time there were divorce proceedings in court and the
custody of an infant was desired by both its parents. James Hart,
the father, while the matter was being argued, seized the child and
ran out of the State House, the sheriff's men running after him. He
was caught on Hillhouse avenue and he and the baby were returned
to court. Roger S. Baldwin, counsel for Mr. Hart, was obliged to
explain to the court that while Mr. Hart was a great student and
reader ot the books of learned men, yet that he had no practical
ideas and no just conception of the majesty of the law. The judge,
in consideration of the fact that while Mr. Hart was deeply versed in
antiquarian lore, learned in theology and possessed of much knowl-
edge to be found in books, but at the same time was unacquainted
with the powers of a court, concluded not to punish him for what he
had done. The child was given to the mother, whose maiden name
was Mary Pierpont. Her remains lie in Evergreen cemetery.
Roger Sherman Baldwin died in this city in 1863. At a Bar
meeting held in the court-room on Church street the lawyers gath-
ered to take appropriate action. Ralph I. Ingersoll, in speaking of
the sfreat man whose life of inte2:ritv and usefulness had closed, said :
" And clinging to life as I do and as old men will, could 1 look
backward upon my years, spent as worthily as his, gladly would I be
nailed in my coffin to-day." Mr. Baldwin's reputation as a lawyer
became world-wide on account of his successful labors in behalf of
the negroes captured on the slave ship Amistad, and who had mur-
dered all but two of the white men on board, hoping to gain their
freedom, on reaching a northern port of the United States. They
were tried in 1840, in the District Court of the United States. At
that time the President and Cabinet, the judges and almost all
126 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE.
official persons connected wilh the government were of the opinion
that all the laws in support of slavery, should be maintained. In the
case of these unfortunate black people, there were circumstances
which were calculated to make it an almost impossible thing for any
lawver to save them from being either convicted of murder or being
handed over to men w^ho claimed ownership of them, or to the
Spanish government. Indeed, there w^ere threats that if they were
not released to the Spaniards, there might be war between Spain and
the United States. There was a long and bitter fight in the courts,
Mr. Baldwin finally succeeding in establishing the freedom of the
Africans. While the legal proceedings were pending and the
negroes were in confinement at the county jail on Church street,
some of the friends of freedom, among w^hom were two gentlemen
named Tappan, and Nathaniel Jocelyn, a New Haven artist, had
determined that the slaves should not be taken either to Cuba or
Spain. They secured a small vessel, which for a number of days
cruised about on the waters of Long Island Sound, often approach-
ing the mouth of New Haven harbor, and the intention was, should
the decision of the court be unfavorable to the negroes, to forciblv
remove them from jail and put them on board the vessel, on their
way to their native land, from which they had been stolen. So
violent a course w^as not necessary. They were declared free and
soon afterwards a greater part of them were sent to Africa. Cin-
quez, their leader in the rising on shipboard, went with the others.
He turned out to be rather a bad man and was disappointing to the
philanthropic gentlemen who had done much in his behalf. A por-
trait, in oil, of Cinquez, painted by Jocelyn, is in possession of a
wealthy family of Philadelphia. Mr. Baldwin w-as the father of
Simeon E. Baldwin, who, as counsel for the Historical Society, did
much, by means of a temporary injunction and otherwise, to retard
the pulUng down of the State House. Col Stanton Pendleton was
jailer, and Norris Wilcox, United States marshal, during the time
when the negroes were in New Haven county jail. William B.
Goodyear and another gentleman, paid an artist to paint a very large
THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. ] 2 J
picture, representing the Africans fighting for liberty on board the
slaver. It was exhibited in one or two towns, but people generally
did not go to see it and for a time it was in charge of the Historical
Society and kept in the old county court room. It is now owned in
the Goodyear family. Critics objected that the portraits of the