Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-19

10 DAT Drlght place de preachers say ID mp
Whar God Hissef shall wipe away de tears
from tired eyes
An let him stay along wild dem in dat lubly
home
80 safe an free from ebbery pain, unit will
his nanny come"
"OLD NEWGATE."
Tho Ancient Copper Mine Prison in Connect
lieut..
The Infamous Black Hole of Calcutta,
or the dungeons of the Middle Ages,
scarcely rivaled in their horrors the "Old
Newgate" of Connecticut. And this,
but half century ago: was the living
hell to which prisoners from the State
courts were consigned. 1t was aban-
doned in Difference to a strong public
sentiment created against it by exposes
of the wretchedness Of the prisoners, and
the cruelt1es which could be only too
readily practised upon them under the
pretcnse of insuring their safe-keeping.
Philanthropists were met with the "a
miliar cry of the jailers of to-day, that
must be adopted for restraining them but
the sentiment of the people, once aroused,
relagated The underground Bastile to its
original uses. About 1880 the prisoners
were removed to the new prison at
Whetherstield, near this city.
THE ANTE-REvOLUT1oNAR HISTORY.
In the present town of East CRANKY,
formerly Sunsbury, traces Of copper ore
were discovered about the year 100. The
place was Copper Hill, high, rocky
range, and seven years later a company
was formed to develop the mine. No
thing was done, however, until some
Boston, (afterward Governor, and others
opened the mine, and removed more or
less ore annually for quarter of CEN
tuly. Financially, Bclcher and his part
ners didn't reap u harvest The grasping
British Government watched all the min
ing enterprises Of the colonists, and made
regulations caululated to rcpress them,
or at least to ensure to home merchants
the profits. In the case of this mine, it
was ordered that the orc should be ship
ped to England for smelling. The route
was by wagons over q rough country
twenty miles to the Connecticut river at
Hartford, thence by sleeps to New York,
and by ship to England. However, con-
siderable copper was surreptltiously
smelted by German workmen in the vicin-
ity, and in 1887 Mr.. Highly manufac-
tured large number of the CRANKY cop.
pers, which became current throughout
the Colony. Specie beng scarce, the coin
age Of the embryo mint established by
Highly, who was only local blacksmith,
was regarded with great favor. Single
specimens of these coins now command
from SIS to $25, but, as they are stamped
from unalloyed copper, few perfect ones
are to be had. Five designs were made,
one OF which had ON the diverse the mod
est suggestion, "Value me as you please"
and on tho reverse, "Good copper, 1887"
The work at the miHe was carried on
at various periods until 1878, more than
seventy wears, through wars and rumors
of wars, by private enterprise and by
chartered companies. In that year the
Colony "f Connecticut purchased the pro-
perty and fortified 1t for use as perma-
nent prison.
THE MINE PRISON.
After IN exploration of the cavelns a
Legislative committee reported that by a
small expenditure it would be next to
impossible fer any person to escape. The
Puritans of that day were hard-minded
men. Having selected for a prison the
worst place that could be conceived of,
they passed laws authorizing the keeper
to employ the convicts at hard labor, to
use the whip, shackles and letters, and
extended terms of imprisonment were
imposed tor nearly all offenses. At this
time two shafts led down into the cavern,
but, escapes being frequent, a block house
was built over one, and the other was
closed with stone and iron. But few
prisoners we're confined until the opening
year Of the Revolutionary War, when
several Tories were consigned to its cav
ems, and at later period it was found
convenient and safe place for the keep
ing of British soldiers captured in Con-
necticut. In the winter of 1775 Wash
ington wrote from his headquarters at
Cambridge to the Committee of Safety
at Lcwisburg, conslgnlng to them several
"FLAaRANT AND ATRocIoUs VILLAINS"
and at his request they were long confined
in the caverns. After the close of the
War the State established the mine as
permanent prison. A palisade was built,
incloslng half an acre, with the shaft of
the mine near the centre of the Enclosure,
and twelve years later this palisade was
replaced by high stone wall. A brick
guard house was built in the center, and
just to the rear Of this was stone apart
ment directly over the main shaft, lead
ing to tho caverns 100 feet below. At
later dates workshops were erected, in
which the convicts labored by day, and
at night were driven by armed guards
down tho shaft ladders to their miserable
beds below, in pitchy darkness, damp
ness, and foul odors.
A visitor in 1907 gave an interesting
account Of the wretchedness Of life in the
prison. The employment consisted in
making nails, barrels, shoes, and wagons,
and farming on land near the prison.
When the convicts came up from the
shaft, by threes they crossed the yard to
the workshop, before tho cooked and
leveled muskets of the guards. All we're
heavily ironed, both with handouts and
letters, and could walk only with a sort
collars, dependent by iron chains from
the beams above, were fastened about
their necks; others we're chained to wheel
barrows. In distributing the pork for
the dinner of the convicts employed at
the FORCES, pieces were thrown on the
floor and left to be washed and boiled in
the water.trough used for cooling the
iron. Punlshments were hanging by the
heels, severe Aogging, confinement in the,
stocks on bread. and water diet, double
irons, and solitary confinement. Convicts
were allowed to swap rations for cider,
and often got too tipsy for work. Rum
was bought by the gallon by an aged
negro convict, who was allowed to go to
the village, and liquor could always be
bought at q tavern near the prison, the
convict beng accompanied by . guard,
whom he treated for his trouble.
.toID NEwaATE" AT PREsRN-.
The Tribune correspondent visited Old
Newgate recently and found everything
Il fast going TO ruin It 10 on the east slope
81 Copper Hill, approached BY an easy
roadway, and from q distance, with its