Morning journal and courier., 1882-02-22
SournaI arro Courier.
Wednesday Morning. Feb. %. 1882.
The General Assembly.
HARTFORD, Feb. 81, 1882.

HARTFORD, Feb. 81, 1882.
Rushing Through the Business - The
Parallel Road Again-Chip Smith's Case
Before the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to
Tax Yale College PrOperty-The Pro
posed New License Law-Other Matters
of Interest.
Especial CORES ondence of JOURNAL CoURIERl
There was for the fist days session of the
week very full attendance of Senators and
Representatives this morning. There ap-
pears to be a disposition to get through at
as early day as is consistent with the public
interests, and to this end the committees and
members seem to be concentrating their
energies A Senator said to your correspond
ent to-day that there was no reason why all
the business could not be concluded by the
10Th of March, yet he did not anticipate such
happy result 1t was his opinion, however,
that the session would not extend beyond
April LIST.
This afternoon the Parallel road matter
was again before the Committee on Railroads,
the opponents of the measure being heard.
Mr. Cowles, of Middletown, appeared be-
fore the committee in opposition to building
the proposed road. He said that, SO far as he
had conversed with people, they did not think
any advantage would accrue by building a
new road.
o. V. Coffin, of Middletown, was called. He
said the facilities of carrying over the Air
Line road were not the best, but he did not
| see how the building of parallel road would
| improve matters.
| John M. Camp, of Middletown, cashier of
/ the First National bank, was called. He said
| he was director of the Air Line road. He
| said his impression was that the business of
| the Air Line road had not decreased since
| the pooling of earnings with the Consolidated
road. He knew of no complaints from ship
pers of freight over the Air Line. He
thought competing road would he injurious
| TO the Air Line. He could not conceive of
| any advantage that would come to Middle
town by competing road.
F. L. Gleason, of Middletown, said he did
not think parallel road was necessary. He
said he had heard no complaints on the part
of shippers regarding freights. He said he
cheaper than by boat.
| George W. Burr, of Middletown, president
of the Middlesex County bank was called.
He said he did not believe there was any
| necessity for competing road between Mid
dletown and New York Had heard no COM
plants on the part of shippers that they
were not accommodated Or that their freights
were too high.
Paul Greene, of Norwich, was called He
had been assessor in Norwich for number
| of years. He had estimated the land drain
ages in Norwich and vicinity at from $780,
| 900 to $3.50, 1000 if the proposed road was
built.
P. st. nj. Andrews, of Norwich, superin-
| tendent of the Norwich and Worcester rail
road, was called. He said the tonnage of
freight from Norwich to Boston last year was
| 4,177 tons, and the receipts for freight $13,-
67O.2S. From his knowledge of the business
| of Norwich and the figures he had given
| there was no chance for another road to live.
| He said the Norwich and Worcester could
take care of four times the business they now
do. Heavy shippers were generally satisfied
with the freights. He thought it would re-
| quire the whole military force of the State to
enforce the building of wooden trestle
through the center of the city for a railroad.
He said the freights from Norwich to Boston
was % cents for first class, 10 for second, 10
for third and IS for fourth e.. =.
| W. q. Higgins, stone manufacturer OF
| Norwich, was called. He said that his firm
had satisfactory service, both as to accom-.
| mediation and price, in the shipment OF
freights to Boston.
| George H. Williams, of Boston, general
freight agent of the N. Y. & N. E. railroad,
was called. He gave the tonnage of freight
moved both ways between Boston and New
York, by all routes, as 122, 209 tons, inelud-
ing all rail and part rail and part steamer
connections Of this sixty-six thousand tens
| goes by all rail. He did not think another
line between Boston and Norwich would pay.
He thought the present facilities sufficient,
and would be for a long time to come. The
ton and New York is about IA cents per hun
| bred
| Milan Pratt, of Deep River, manufacturer
! of ivory goods, said that he had heard nc
complaints by people in his vicinity regard
ing the prompt delivery of freight.
At this point in the hearing Judge Harri-
son said there were other witnesses that he
expected would be present but were not,
supposing, he presumed, that they would not
be called to-day. After consultation the com
mittee voted to adjourn the hearing until TO-
morrow morning at 9 o'clock, and propose to
sit through the session. Both sides expect
| to get in all their evidence this week.
Before the Judiciary committee this after
noon appeared ex-Representative Cowell OF
Derby, ex-Judge Blydenburgh of New Haven,
Representative Fox of New Haven, J. B.
| Quillinan of Ansonia, DR.. J. J. S. Doherty of
New Haven and others to advocate the CON-
mutation of the death sentence of James
alias "Chip" Smith, of Ansonia, to imprison-
ment for life Judge Blydenburgh in open
ing the case went into the details and said
that he appeared there not as paid attorney,
| but simply as an act of charity toward a
weak-minded and unfortunate young man.
MIR. Cowell said that SO far as his knowl-
| edge extended there was nothing naturally
| vicious in Smith. He was deficient morally
| and mentally, and if there was ever case
where a communication of sentence should be
extended this was one.
MIR. pullman stated that Smith had
worked for him and he had never seen any,
thing vicious about him. He said he blamed
Mr.. Munger, the attorney for the State, and
who was before the committee, for pursuing
Smith SO persistently. He said that Smiths
mind was weak that he did not believe
that he really understood the nature of the
crime he had committed, and the State of
Connecticut could not afford to hang such q
man.
DIR. J. j. S. Doherty said that from close
observation of Smith since he had been in
jail he was satisfied that his (Smith 50 mind
did not perform its natural functions He
said that Smith did not realize his position.
The doctor said he came before the commit
tee voluntarily because he thought it just and
right that he should do SO.
The farther hearing in the case was adj
journsd until Thursday afternoon, when Mr..
Munger will present evidence on the other
side.
The Committee on Banks voted this af-
ternoon to let the Operatives Savings bank
of New Haven continue business under new
management.
The Committee on interpretations had ex-
Governor English before them this afternoon
in advocacy of the bill to incorporate the
New Haven Clock company. He said that
owing to their large foreign trade an act of
incorporation was required. Mr.. Stevens,
of the Stevens-Jerome Clock company, was
also before the committee for a similar rur-
pose.
The same committee agreed to report bill
incorporating the Pomeroy Trust association,
which is a litararv a0ciatv pnupacte5 with the