The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-08-02
BENEDICT ARNoLD's HOUSE.
1t ID stin Standing i'm the Fifth Ward In
New Haven.

1t ID stin Standing I'm the Fifth Ward In
New Haven.
The old Benedict Arnold house is still
standing in the Fifth ward, on Water
street, near the corner of Olive street.
1t has fallen into decay. but there are
some grey-haired citizens who remem-
Der it when 1t was one of the show places
of the town. Its orchard was the larg-
est and finest in New Haven, and the
grounds we're laid out in handsome ter
races.
Arnold built the house soon after his
return from Ticonderoga. He must
have been q man of some wealth, for the
house was we'll built and the grounds
were ample. Arnold was not a popular
man. He had a violent and irascible
temper, and would rather fight than
eat" as has been said of him. He al
ways found fault, and the ferrymen who
took passengers across the mouth of the
Quinnipiac river before the bridge was
built, dreaded to have him for passen-
ger, for he always swore at them for not
rowing faster.
Nevertheless Arnold was . man of
affairs. Besides his business as drug
gist and bookseller, he, with Adam Bah
cock, owned three vessels engaged in
the West India trade. They were the
brigantine Fortune. forty tons, the
Charming Sally, thirty tons, and the
Three Brothers, twenty-eight tons.
Arnold never took particular pains to
see that all custom house dues were
paid; in fact, he was very lax in this
particular. 1t is related that once on Q
time sailor on board one of his vessels
reported some of these laxities to the
collector of the port. The report was
made on Sunday, and the collector re-
fused to receive it, and told the sailor
to come again on Monday. In the mean
time Arnold had heard of the sailors
tale bearing. Before Monday came
Arnold adopted course of moral and
physical suasion which compelled the
sailor to leave town with his tale untold.
Arnold's laxity in regard to the GUS
toms laws was probably not much greater
than that of his neighbors. Indeed, to
evade the customs was virtue rather
than fault, for it was regarded as .
iustifable method of protest against
taxation without representation.
Arnold's property was confiscated af-
ter his treschery at West Point was dis
covered. Pierpont Edwards acted on
the governments administration and
sold the property to Captain Isaac Prout.
Captain Prout made only partial pay
ment, and was unable to meet the sub
sequent payments rs they became due.
In this way the property came into the
hands of Noah Webster, the lexicogra-
pher, and he lived there for some years,
finally selling it to James Hunt, . West
India merchant. who devised it to his
daughter, wife of d. COTE Phipps, of
this city. The house still remains in
Mrs. Phipp's possession, although it has
been almost dismantled.
Betsey Arnold, . sister of Benedict
Arnold, lived for years and years after
her brothers disgrace, in Norwich, on
public charity. When she was ninety
years old she was taken to the aims
house by old Sheriff E g. Thomas.
Betsey made . great how-de-do about it,
and was so Rrieved that she lived only
few months She was . strong old
woman. and had much Of her brotheF'p
tpwpsr Nov Haven Palladium