The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-01
SNAKE HILL LANDS.
The Purchase from Mr..
Thurber Favorab1y Con-
sidered by the
Freeho1derS.

VI oUOAO esntA 10 uedriy poIpeuuiCukui ou
three sides, and at the summit is as Fl at
as table. Snake Hill contains 292 acres
and with the exception of thirty acres Is
owned by the county. The portion that
does not belong to the county is the
property of H. K. Thurber, of New York,
and Judge Abel J. Smith, of Hoboken-
Mr.. Thurber owns nine acres and
Judge Smith possesses twenty-one ac res.
The Freeholders want to purchase these
thirty acres and place the new asylum at
the summit. The site is grand one. and
handsome building erected there would
be plainly visible from Staten Island,
Newark and any portion of the west side
of Hudson county.
In 1862 the county bought the 262 acres
it now owns for $4,000, and in 1885 it at
tempted to purchase the balance, beliey-
ing it could be had for reasonable
figure. 10 the CONSERVATION of the Free
holders, H. K. Thurber wanted $4,000 for
Judge Smiths land from the
county. The Judge wanted to be
paid in about the same proportion
and negotiations fell through. In 1887
the matter was again agitated, and bill
was passed in the legislature giving the
Freeholders the right to apply to the
courts for a commission of three to con-
denim the land if it could not be acquired
at proper purchase price. Here the
matter again came to a StandStill until
this week, when Director-at-Large
Bruggemann requested all the Freehold
ers to attend the meeting of the Commit
tee on County Institutions TO be held yes
terday. For some reason Bruggemann
failed to be present ana beyond walking
over the ground and a desultory CONVERSE
ton concerning it nothing was done, but
the subject will come up tomorrow at the
regular meeting of the Board. The
majority of the Freeholders favor Snake
Hill as the site for the new asylum and
seem inclined to think that it wonld be
more to the advantage of the county to
acquire this property and erect the
asylum there than to purchase property
in Jersey City proper.
WHY THE COUNTY SHOULD BUY.
One reason alleged Tor this is that until
the county owns all of Snake Hill. in
truders cannot be prevented from roam
ing at will, for the right of way
to pass to Thurber's and Smiths
property was reserved when the county
purchased. In pleasant weather thou
sands of people visit the Hill in excursion
parties and fish in the Hackensack and
shoot on the Hill at will, and the county au-
thorities can not stop them. At any hour
of the day or night any person may with
a perfect right pass over or around
Snake Hill. This makes much labor for
tine keepers TO prevent communication
with the coqvicts. Another reason is
that Brooklyn contractor has been in
negotiation with Judge Smith Smith
s5e ana raht mt to 1nuoosr oparry stone 90'an ON
their position OF the Hill. 1t was said
yesterday that this contractor was pre-
pared as soon as he obtained the right to
erect large machinery and put to work
big gang of quarry men to get out stone.
II this should be done, the Wardens
claim it would almost be impossible TO
prevent friends of prisoners furnishing
means of escape. 1t appeared to be the
desire of a majority OF the members yes
terday to begin proceedings to condemn
the land and then build wall around
the Hill at some future date; The sub
jecu will be discu ssed at the Board meet
ing tomorrow.
NO ONE WANTS HER.
The committee were notified that Bella
Evens an inmate of the penitentiary had
become insane and also that her time had
expired, County Physician Converse rec
commended that she be sent to her home
at ST. Louis as she would he an expensive
charge on the county. Freeholder
Noonan offered resolution directing
Assistant Clerk Noonan to take the
woman to her husband and it then tran
Splreu buaG ueF uuSpAuu was HOb do dll
anxious to have her. He had deserted
her when she lived at West Hoboken
and had gone to st. Louis to
live with his sister. The sister had sent
$25 to the penitentiary to defray part of
the expenses of keeping her in the asy-
lum and the relatives in West Hoboken
refused to have anything to do with her.
In as much as Mr.. Noonan has on several
occasions taken lunatics to their distant
homes he was selected to perform like
service in this case and would have been
instructed to take her to St. Louis had
not Freeholder Ellis said he did not be-
lieve the county had right TO send
pauper lunatic to another State, and that
he believed AssistantClerk Noonan would
be arrested as soon as he reached st.
Louis.
80 much the better" retorted Free
holder Tierney, '"for then instead OF one
lunatic we will be rid of two" Qaugh-
ter.) 1t was finally decided to refer the
matter to the Board tomorrow.
TIERNEY AND THE GIRLS.
The ladies' man in the Board is Free
holder Tierney. He is in fact their cham
pion on all occasions, and was Yesterday
in particular. He introduced aresolution
that will in the future insure HIM the best
piece of pie in any. Kitchen at
Snake Hill. 1t was that hereafter
every female employe at the Aims House
shall have every alternate Sunday to her
SelI W O6fOLe LHe Oiille DIS big SecS ul.
This, the Freebooter explained. was to
give the girls a chance to go to church
with their sweethearts. The resolution
was adopted. The County Superinten-
dent was directed to raise the grade of
the county road near the crossing of the
Northern Railroad so that surface water
would run in the meadows
Warden Grimes reported that there
were at date 1SS male and SO female pris-
oners in the penitentiary, and DR.. King
reported that the asylum contained 179
patients.
The Freeholders unanimously adopted
the following expression Of sympathy
Whereas, By the inscrutable degree of an All
Wise Providence we were suddenly summoned
few days ago. to mourn the loss of most zsal-
Gus, faithful and valuable public servant strck-
en- down most unexpectedly by the unerring
hand of death while at her accepted post of duty
in the very height of her usefulness, and while
apparently in the prime of a life rendered preci
Gus by most striking seif-devotion TO her
official duty as well as by her unyielding attach
ment to every behest of a noble womanhood. as
exenpli1ed in her fidelity to her obligations as
wife and mother: and
Whereas, Such an example of fealty to duty
and adherence TO the nobility of womanhood de-
serves something more than mere passing
coenition at our hands; therefore be 1t
Resolved, That in the demise of Mrs Mary T.
Grimes, Matron of our County Penitentiary, the
county has lost most efficient and valuable
public servant, who during life, by most un-
selfish devotion to duty and womanly oblga-
tions, courteous and cheerful deportmenu,
kindly and charitable disposition, wrought the
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