Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-10-16

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From the Courier and Enquirer.
Clinton County Prison.
Some weeks since. during a brief mid-sum-
incr soiourn in Vermont, we took occasion to
visit the State Prison newly established in Gin
ton county, of which Mr. Ransom Cook has had
and still has the management under the direction
of the State authorities. We saw so much
there to interest u.s. that we deem some brief ac-
count of it likely to interest at least portion of
our readers. Crossing the lake from Burlington
and remaining at Pittsburgh over might've start
ed at an early hour in the morning upon a horse
back ride to the site of the new establishment,
which is above seventeen miles west from Platts-
burgh. For most of the way the road lies along
the channel of the Saranac, which, taking its
rise in the wild region whence flow at once. in
exactly opposite directions, the Hudson and the
Racket rivers, runs northcaStcrly and then dis
charges its waters into Lake Champlain Its up
per branches flow through dense forests which
hear only the woodlands axe and the hunters
rifle and at various points along its course,
immense quantities of logs have accumulated,
that have been floated down from their native
woods to be sawnint timber and sent to market
About miles from Plattsburgh, the road to the
prison strikes directly north from the main route,
and leads first through rough fields and then thro'
a dense forest to the little settlement of Danne-
mora, which has grown up aroundthe prison and
the iron works which, previous to its erection,
were already established there.
The new penitentary is thus situated in the
heart of the forest, out of which an open space
has been cut. just large enough for the special
service to which it is devoted A little more
than year ago Mr.. Cook, under the direction of
the state government, took about hundred con-
vcts from Sing Sing and Auburn, into this for
est, and set them to work, first, in clearing off
spot for the erection of prison. He had no
building in which to confine them, and erected a
long, low shanty, made by driving posts into the
earth and mailing upon them rough boards, which
with an equally simple roof, formed not only
thc! sole defence from the elements, but the on
y walls between the prisoners and frecdom.-
with the aid of about halfa dozen Keepers, Mr. Mr.
Cook nevertheless kept them securely, taking
them ont to work during the day, claiming them
at night, and treating them at all times with
kindness and as men. In this way he succeeded
gradually in winning their confidence and fin
ally released them entirety from their irons, tel
ling them that he believed they all felt it to be for
their interest to obey the regulations, to behave
themselves well, and, when their time came To
leave the prison honoraby, rather than hazard
their lives in attempts to escape, which were al
most certain to be defeated. They slept in rons
two or three feet apart, with board petition
some two feet high between them and an open
hall thro' the center between the 2 ranks. Along
this hall the keepers paced in their watches-
Plots for escaping were by no means wanting
and many of them involved the murder of their
keepers. But they were all foied by the address
of the Superintendent. In most cases, when
more than three or four were concerned in them
some one of them would peach and the po,
/ Al. D
were detected by some act of their own, when
the leaders were sent to the dungeon and the
rest warned against their example and their fate
In one instance some Is or 20 of the convict.
had formed plot to rise in the night, murder
their keepers, rob the Superintendent office ant
then escape. 1t was betrayed but allowed to &c
on until the day appointed for its execution, wher
all the convcts were collected and told by Mr.
Cook that he was aware of the whole thing, thai
he knew the we-disposed among the prisoner,
would be more than match for the disaffccted
in any attempt to do him injury, and that he in
tended on the spot to search every one among
them lie did so-no resistance was made
and upon the persons of ten or fifteen convict
were found large stones which they had picket
up while ont at work, and tied in the ends of til,
towels they always carry. These were takel
away from them; the rngleaders were sent of
to punishment; the rest very seriously but kind
| " admonishcd and everything went on agaiI
quietly and in order
The work advanced with good deal of rapid
ity; and by the arrival of cold autumnal wealth
or, a space of some five or six acres had beef
cleared away and surrounded by "A high pickle
fence, and stone building had been erected
for their comfortable confinement during the win
ter. From that time forward the work has gon,
on very rapidly indeed and at the time of gu
visit a long and very elegant stone prison ha,
been built, with two tiers of cells, one above tn,
other, upon the inside of wide hall running en-
tirely around the building, lighted from this hall
furnished with iron bedsteads secured by new
and apparently lmpregnable kind of lock, and il
every respect fully equal, and in some decidedly
superior. to those of any other prison we hav,
ever visited OF these enough are already pro
vided for about $50 prisoners and it is intenle,
to erect, as soon as possible, another building o
the same capacities. A large chapel has beer
built, where the convicts are assembled for wor
ship A hospital has been provided for thos,
who are sick; building has been erected 70
the various mechanical operations that are car
ried on machine shop, driven by steam ha
been put up-and much greater amount o
work has been done, and far greater progress ha,
been made than we should have deemed possible
under the circumstances of the case. The mali
employment of the prisoners is now, and of coursl
must for some time continue to be, the compile
ton of the buildings of the establishment. Thei
ultimate labor is to be the digging of ore and man
utacture of iron. A vein of ore runs directl,
through the yard, which has already been exca
waited to some extent, and is believed to be b,
some, quite inexhaustible. Others think il vii
soon be exhausted. The quality of the or,
which it yields, at all events, is unimpeacha
'pha vieu nrpsented as we rode nm IN the pri 81,