Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-02-10
THE BRIDGE OF DEATH,
Mysterious Disa ppeRrances - How Polly
Richardson Lost her Ears.


MyStcrious Disnppearance. How Poll
Richardson Lost her Ears.
Looking at the Broadway, the Bowery
the Canal and Centre streets of 1877 j
is not easy to believe all the stories tina
old New Workers. tell about them. Ye
some, at least, of these stories are born,
out by documentary evidence still exist
ing and accessible.
On Christmas evening, in littl,
family party, says correspondent of {
New York paper, it was my good fortune
to meet one Of the famous bellies of tho
Bowery-a belle of seventy-six years now
but as bright, cheerful and talkative M
old lady as one need wish to meet
The conversation turned on the New
York of her youth.
4 81 notice, she said, "that everybody
has had something to say this centen.
NAL year about the old times. They
have revived a great many things-the
old markets, the old churches and thea.
ters, and the old fortune teller (Francs
Drake) of the Bowery. But l haven't
seen word about the Collie Collect p
MS it was called, on Canal street, or about
the murderer who fed it with the blood
of the innocent. am one, or, rather,
used to be one of the Bowery bellies,
80 know great many things that hap
pened in those days-over sixty years
ago.
3" This Collie was deep, muddy
ditch, which was said to have no bottom.
Why they called it the 'Colic I never
heard. There was wooden bridge for
people to walk across on. 1t was at
the corner of what is now Canal and
Center streets, if L remember right. 1t
was the terror of the whole region.
Broadway was the old main road, but
people often had to cross the Culvert
bridge to go to and from work, day and
night. There was an old and deserted
brewery near by, in which an anvil and
other blacksmith tools had been placed.
The blacksmith was negro, by the name
OF Ismael Fraiser. He was large,
powerful man, and established this shop,
as it afterward appeared, to disguise his
real occupation. Down under this old
brewery or blacksmith shop, there were
dark cellars, where black and white
ruffians lived with their families.
"For long time citizens kept disap.
pearing one after another, but no one
could discover how they went, or what
became of them. The negro had sav-
age dog that he had trained until it knew
nearly as much as man, and this dog
was always by his side. Fraiser would
wait for his victims in the dark on that
old bridge. The mud and slime beneath
it was of that quicksand nature that the
body Of man OF woman thrown into it
would sink quickly. Fraiser always had
a pole handy in the shadow of the bridge
with which to push the body deep under
"For n long time 20 one suspected
him. He worked at his trade in the day
time, and was regarded as an honest in
dustrious man. But at last the mystery
of these frequent disappearances was
cleared up by the finding of the body of
poor, hardworking girl named Polly
cit was a dark, stormy night when
poor Polly, the seamstress, started across
that dismal bridge on the way back to
her humble home, where her old pa
rents were anxiously awaiting her. Sud
denly a wild shrek was heard above all
the roar of the tempest. The whole
was alarmed. In those
days there were only few watchmen in
The city. Lanterns were procured, and
the men rushed out to sec what was the
matter. The watchman joined them.
"As they turned to the bridge large,
lark figure was seen to run from the
pool and disappear into the old black
smith shop. The men hurried to the
bridge and there they found the lifeless
body of poor Polly in pool of blood.
The villain, after striking her down, had
of everything. He had actu-
lily cut off her ears to get the earrings,
Us he had not time to take them out
Her body was quickly removed to place
If safety, and then it was found she was
lot dead. The men returned to the
,ridge and there found the pole.
"After desperate struggle the negro
vas captured The party found on his
PREMISES Pollys watch, chain, ears and
arrings, and her clothes, money, and
,rndle of work she had rolled up to
AXE home. Polly finally recovered and
old all she knew A search of the pool
vas resolved upon. Body after body
vas dragged to the surface. FRASER was
ried, convicted and sentenced to be
anged. People from all parts of the
ity and State focked to see the hang
ng. He died without revealing the
ames of any of his accomplices.
"In those days it was the custom to
lip the ears of dishonest people, SO
hat a thief might be known at sight
'olly's father asked the court to have all
he facts put in the court records; and
his was DONE"