Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-18
Wednesday, February rs, ISIS
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,,

NH efENE IL ASSEM-
The way Laws Are Made and Unmade
-Lieutenant Governor Cooke Snow
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES state Prison
Affairs - The Townsend Savings
Bank-Anthony Carroll and the
ceptfon-Other Matters of General
Interest.
HARTFORD, Feb. II.
Especial to the JOURNAL AND CoUR1ER.1
This morning the cold, biting wind blew
furiously across Capitol Hill from the north
west, causing the legislators to take rapid
strides from the depot to the entrance of that
marble structure in which laws are made
and sometimes unmede- please the pecu-
liar notions of some prominent political
wirepuller who imagines that preceding leg
islatures were incompetent to make laws for
their constituents and that all the combined
wisdom of the State is centered in his own
individual brain. This year there is CAUSE
for congratulation, however, that there will
be but few new laws made and no important
changes will be made in those at present on
the statnte book.
There was not large attendance when the
House was called to order this morning, the
members from distant parts of the State not
arriving in time for the very brief session.
In the Senate there were also few vacant
chairs. Lieutenant Governor Cooke sent a
telegram to President pro tem Stanton that
he was snowbound at New Hartford, but the
dispatch was not received until after the
Senate had adjourned for the day. Business
in both branches was quickly disposed of,
the House taking about twenty minutes and
the Senate about half an hour.
The committees or most of them held ses-
sions this afternoon General Harmon, of
New Haven, and Adjutant General Smith
were before the Committee on Military AZ
fairs to advocate the granting by the State of
a loan of camp equipage to the State of
Maine for use next June at the national en-
campment of the Grand Army of the Re
public. The States of Massachusetts and
New Hampshire will also respond to the
call of Maine in this regard. The committee
will probably report favorably.
The Committee on State Prison held an
other meeting this afternoon to hear any
person or persons who had complaints to
iunke regarding the management of the
w ethersfeld institution or the cruelties re-
ported to have been practiced there on the
prisoners The committee seem to act as
though all they had to do under the resolu-
ton wes to sit each day and wait for some
thing to turn up, instead of probing the
matter to its very depths without waiting for
anyone This afternoon General McManus,
one of the prison directors, appeared before
the committee anil insisted that if anyone
had any charges to make against the prison or
its management that they should do it then
and there He said that most of the news
paper reports that had been printed were
untrue so far as ''cruelty'' was concerned
He said that while some of the prisoners had
been treated with severity yet none had been
cruelty dealt with reported. He said the
eases referred to in the papers were old and
had all been printed before in the annual re-
ports and been circulated all over the State.
In the CAGE of Andersen, the Wsllingford
murderer, he said that it was impossible to
restrain him while in prison except by severe
m sasures. The same was true he said in re-
gard to Smith, who was found dead with a
gag in his mouth. In the case of Cheret, the
murderer, he said no one was safe where he
was, and unless he was watched closely and
restrained he was liable to commit murder
In all of these cases, said the general, there
has necessarily been severity used, but that
there has been cruelty is not true.
A. S. Hotchkiss, of Hartford, said to the
committee that it appeared to him that some
thing should be said in defense of the news
papers He did not understand that any
thing had yet been brought to the commit
tees attention that contradicted what had
been published in the papers. He said SO
far Andersen was concerned, it was an I'M
deniable fact that he was confined in an iron
cage and that another prisoner was set to
work to shower him with the hose. That
this showering lasted from o'clock in the
morning until IL o'clock noon, or until the
prisoner fell exhausted and insensible in the
bottom of the cage He said this treatment
of an insane man might be called Severity"
but he would characterize it as downright
cruelty. The same, he said, was true in the
case of Smith, who was found dead with the
gag in his mouth. In the case
of Andersen, Mr.. Hotchkiss gave
the committee the name of George Miner of
NO. IIlLu SGIOcb, IGloIu, do d Su1tdb1c
,vitness for them to call, and General Nc
Manus suggested that Henry A. Cowles, of
Unionville also be called as witness. In
the gagging case Mr.. Eotchkiss named
Officers Pomeroy and Pond witnesses. He
said that in doing this he desired to aid the
committee and give them some grounds to
work upon so that fair investigation may
be had. He did not want the matter looked
upon as newspaper scandal pure and simple.
General McManus paid glowing tribute
to the worth of the late Warden Sargent,
who, he said, was q kind-hearted man,
though strict disciplinarian. For the sake
of his family he wanted the whole matter in
vestigated and he was certain that the char
acter and capabilities of the late warden
would not suffer thereby.
Tomorrow wednesday, afternoon the
Committee on Interpretations will hear what
Anthony Carroll, of New Haven. has to say
about the management of st. Francis Or
phan asylum. 1t is expected that there will
be a number of New Haveners present to
hear Mr.. Carroll's grievances against this
charitable institution. It is not understood
that the complainant will bring a very large
number of witnesses to support his claim,
and it is possible that he may be the only
accuser.
On Thursday of this week the defunct
Townsend Savings bank matter will get an
airing before the Committee Banks. A
strong bill has been presented by the COM
mittee appointed last year, which requires
the receivers to wind up the affairs of the bank
within thirty days after it's passage. 1t is
that Receiver Doolittle, who was at
the Capitol to-day, stated that if the bill
passed in its present shape he would resign
at once.
Tomorrow afternoon between two and
five o'clock, Governor Harrison will hold
reception in the executive chambers for the
benefit of the members of the General As
sembly and State officers.
Mr.. Pigott of New Haven, was in his seat
to-day during the brief session. The special
committee created, id consequence of the of
fensive remarks of Mr.. Pigott, to investigate
any charges against Speaker Simonds regard