Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-04-22

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The exercises at the Massachusetts,
States Prison Thursday were rendered
more than unusually impressive by an
incident attendant upon the occasion,
which will be long remembered by those
who were present. AT half-past ten o.
clock exercises appropriate to the day
were delivered in the chapel, conducted
by Chaplain Carleton, after which Rev.
Mr.. Cook, of Bethel, made few brief
remarks. spA
Warden Haynes then arose, holding
in his hand an official looking document,
toward which many eyes were anxiously
and curiously directed. In beginning,
he reverted to the past history of the
prison, and indulged in many interesting
"reminiscences connected with those who
hid been its inmates, both as officers and
prisoners. 1o4
At the conclusion of his remarks, he
turned to one of the convicts, an elder
ly looking, grey headed man of sixty,
and addressing him by name, bade him
step forward. He did so, and the War
den again addressing him, said, George
Hunnewell, after twenty-five years inn
prisonment in this institution, you are
pardoned by His Excellency, the Gov
ernor of the State of Massachusetts, and
from this day henceforth are free man.
May the remnant of your life show how
thoroughly you have repented Of the
faults of the past" For full two min
utes Hunnewell stood like a man de-
prived of sense and motion. He was
utterly stunned with the suddenness and
unexpectedness of the news. Shut out
from the outside world for so many years,
he had lost almost almost all hope of ev-
er breathing the free air again, and
looked to die where so many of the best
years of his life had been spent. When
he had been made to understand that he
was no longer convict, that he stood
again with all the rights and privileges
of man, and that the prison gate was
no longer bar between him and liber-
ty, he returned his thanks to the warden
in voice whose unsteadiness showed
how deeply his heart was touched by
what had passed. He was then warmly
congratulated by the officers Of the pris-
on, and by none more warmly than by
the we'll known clerk of the prison, Will
liam Pierce, to whose persistent efforts
} his release was in a great measure due.
! Many of his fellow prisoners also ex-
, pressed their congratulations.
In the course of some additional re-
marks the Warden asked all who had
come to the prison since Hunnewell's in
} carceration to rise, when over half rose
} to their feet. He then asked all who
, were born after that date to rise, re-
: quest which was responded to by the
rising Of over one hundred.
!, Hunnewell, it will be remembered,
was tried on charge Of arson commit
ted in Cambridge in 1847, found guilty
and sentenced to death. He was COM
mitted meanwhile to the prison, Freder-
ick Robinson then being Warden. His
sentence was afterward commuted to i'm
prisonment for life. At that time Geo.
N. Briggs was Governor and William
E B. Calhoun Secretary Of State.
Since the day Of his imprisonment
until yesterday Hunnewell has had but
single glimpse Of the outside world.
A little more than year ago, while the
cupola of the prison was being painted,
he asked permission of Warden Haynes
to go to the top Of the prison and look
out, request which was at once grant
ed, and field-glass handed him. After
long and searching look in the direc-
ton of his old home, he shut the glass,
and with a melancholy shake of the
head, descended to the granite floor,
which looked harder and the walls drear-
Ter from the sight he had just had Of the
sunny sky, the trees, and green fields
where he had played when boy.
He evinced an almost boyish eager
/ ness to get out, and, after dinner, ac-
conpanied by Mr.. Pierce, went to the
square and took the horse cars for Cam
bridge to visit his home. He seemed ut
terly astonished and lost the entire dis
tance. 1t was like new world. The
fields and pastures of twenty years ago
were now covered with compact masses
of nrick and mortar, with strange streets
with strange names.
In the neighborhood where he was
born and tred he found no face that he
knew, though many-children when he
was first OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES him.
A crowd gathered around, melted by
curiosity, but there was not one among
all with whom he could claim any bond
of relationship. His father and mother
both died after his conviction, and his
brother was burned to death in the fire
which he had kindled, and for which he