American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-09-13

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ed to "betong to them I'd their success
sors' and the people eviuced their graf
'tudc by appointing cOmniitie 10 take
charge of it, uHder the suleui miles OF
an oath, aud TO preserve the palladium
"t the rights of tho people. 1t contain.
ed many liberal provisions. as may be
! seen on examining il il the Secretary
OF States Office, where :he original copy
is still preserved with care. 1t was the
organic Law Of Connecticut, ill the
present constitution took lis place in
1918. .t
In 1855 the General Government Of
New England was dissolved by james
u, aud new government was insti,u.
ted with Joseph, Dudley as President
"i the commissioners. Connecticut reiu-
sed to surrender, and when tho Sd wit
ot quo a0drranto was sent To her, Gov.
Treat, in January 1857, called special
session OF the Assembly, which refus.
ed I" accede to the demands of the new
king. They still held to their charrer.-
La March, another special session was
convened, but the Representatives "fthe
people refused TO "surrender." In Nav
they met again in regular session, uu.
der The Chatter, and reelected Treat
as Governor.
On the 3lSt Of OctDber. 1857, Sir
Edmund Andross, attended by mem
bcrs of his council, and and q BODY
guard of sixty soldiers, entered Hart.
ford to take the charter by force. The
General session was in session. He
was received with courtesy but cold
ness. lie entered the Assembly room
and publicly demanded the charter
"Reminiscences were made and the scs-
sion was protacted ill evening. Tho
Governor and his associates seemed 10
yield. The charter was brought in and
laid upon tho table. Sir Edmund tho't
the last momont nf the COLONY had come
when suddenly tie lights aoerc all put
out, aud total darkness followed There
was no noise. no resistance, but all was
quiet. The candles were again lighted
6nt tie chartcr ~Gs gone. Sir Edmund
Andross was Disconnected, he declared
the government Of Connecticut to be in
his OWN haads, and that the colony W as
annexed 10 Massachusetts, and other
New England colonies, and proceeded
to appoint officers. Willis, he was do
ing this, CoPi. Jeremiah Wadsworth, n
patriot of those times. was concealing
the charter in the hollow of WiIlys'
| Oak, now known as The Charter Oak.
In 1859. King James ,abdica,ed, and
on the oth Of May Of that year Gov.
Treat and his associate officers rosum.
ed the government Of Connecticut un
der the charter, which had been pre-
served in the Old HOLLOW Oak.
This tree has been for centuries one
Of tho "Hartford institutions" No Tree
in the country has such Legendary asso-
ciations. Our citizens thronted in
crowds TO the spot. Chief Justices an d
Reverend Doctors intermix ed with stur.
dy lab"rers to view the fallen monarch.
A dirgo was played at noon by Colts
Armory Band, over the fallen tree; it
was touching thing fu: these mechan-
les, some of'ihem sons Of Connecticut,
and some Of them born on the other side
of the Atlantic, thus to volunteer their
sympathy and many a maHly eye was
nourished, as the Dead March in Saul
was played followed by "Home, Sweet
Home" and rounded off with "Hail
! Columbia" The bells all over the CITY
were tolled at sundown, as o token OF
the universal feeling that ono Of the most
sacred links that bind these modern
days to the irrevocable past, had been
suddenly parted. Row. RI. Tuwes sug-
gestcd that a monument be erected on
the spot. commemorative at once of the
bold Wadsworlh who saved tic char.
ter and of the tree In which it was say.
ed.