The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-08-26
THE DAILY DISPATCH
tuesday Morning, August 20, 1886.
FALL OF THk "CHARTRH OAK -

s
The telegraph has announced the fall of the
"Charter Oak" at Hartford, Ct. The Hartford
Times Of the 2lst says:
This noble old tree stood upon tn. ba..t,s,
ct hon. Isaac w. Stuart late the Wyiyg estste. in
the southern part Of the city About three
some a oeys built fire ia the hollow Of this tree,
wnicn burnt out the punk, and though It wss feared
that this would kill IL such was not the fact Fresh
sps1uu sprung out the next spring, aad Mr.. Stuart
TOO. great pains to preserve this valued relic Of the
Original forests OF New England, but more especially
a. the tree in which the old British Char
yer OF Conneeticut was secreted and preserved At
th ume tne hollow in the trunk of the old Oak was
80 large, that IRE company Of q full grown men
stood up in 1t together.
MI Stuart had stout door ade to shut up the en-.
Of broken limbs and fer the past three or fsur
tresh sprouts have grown upon most of its limbs
Though other limbs were decsying At the time of it,
part Of it. Thousands of people visiting tn hstrss
and bringing away such springs and parts Of limbs a.
Mr stuart permits.
Proudly it had stood, and when tottsrins with the
weight OF 2c00 years, and reduced to nero shell OF
few inches, by the steady inroads of Time itseIf
II stu chung with tondness to the loved spot on which
IL had witnessed the decay and downfall of many of
its sssociatesthe path and the bloody wars of the
red men, and the red mems decay-ths birth and
assth OF generatons>of the white man, whose axe
had cut away its comrades Of the odsn time
But whilst preserving fair exterior it was
wasting away, and was obliged to yield and fall in
storm lar less severe than many Thousands that had
Before Govener Wyls came to America, he sent
ms steward forward to procure place for his resi-
hill side Of the beautiful :Wy, place deput.,ao
OF Indians came TO him and requested that he would
spare this old hollow oak. They declared that it had
oeen the OF their ancestors for centuries" It
was spared to fall this day, having finally yielded to
the process of natural decay The tree measured IS
feet In circumference at ths botts; and it has bro
.en on 90 as to leave feet of stump side and
feet on the other-ths stump measuring 81 feet in
cfreumfercnce at ia top. The charter of King
CasIies the "a for the colony of Connecticut sIrv
ed Ia Hartford in 1862 probably 10 the month Sep
ten6er. though the precise time is not now known.
On the 9th of October it publicly read to the as
sembled freomen Of Connecticut, and was declared
to belong tolthem and their succsssorsn and the
people evinced their gratitude by appointing a
committee to take charge oft, under the solenni.s
rights Of the people, 1t contained many liberal pro-
visions, as may be seon examining it in the Sec
retary of state Office where the original copy is still
preserved with care. 1t the organic law in Con-
nectleut till the present constitution took its place
in 1918
On the sst of October. 1887, Sir Edmund Andro,,
attended by members of bis Council and body guard
Of soldiers entered Hartford to take the Chatter
by force. The General Assembly was in session.
He was received with courtesy, but coldness. He
the charter. Remonstrsnces were made, and the
session was protracted till evening. The Governor
and his associates appeared TO yield. The Charter
was brought in and laid upon the table. Sir Edmund
thought the last moment of the Colony had come
when suddenly The lights trere all put out, and total
odIAhess Ioiiowed. ihere was no noise, no resls-
tance. but all was quiet. The candles were again
lighted, BUT THE CHARTER WAS GONE! Sir Edmund
Andross was disconnected He declared the Govern
ment of Connecticut to be in his hapds and that
the Colony ives annexed to Massachusetts and other
New England Colonies, and proceeded TO appoint
officers. Whilst he was doing tn 3, Capt. Jerersiah
Wadsworth, patriot Of those times, was coneeahng
the Chatter in the hollow of Wylly's Oak, now
known az the THE CHARTER OAK.
In 1889 King James abdcated, and on the 9th of
May of that year. Gov Treat and his associate officers
resumed the Government of Connecticut under the
charter which had preserved in the Old Charter
Oak.
Mr.. Stuart had Colts Armory Band come up this
truak of the fallen Monarch of the Forest. He is
generous hearted mana worthy proprietor of tho
lovely hill that nurtured for centuries such q noble
tree dagueTsotype likeness of the fallen tree
taken to- day.
The city bells are to be tolled at down. a a
mark OF respect entertained by citizens for the
fallen Monarch"