The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-04
RUSSIAN JEWS ~ coyNEcTIcUr
4 Busy and Thriving Colony Eight Miles
From Norwich.


From Norwich.
NORWICH. April 30 The colony Of Russian
Hebrews at Chesterfield hamlet. in this county
the largest and most important one that has
been established by means of tho Baron
Iirsch und has nearly completed s2OlO-
tabernacle there. and Will dedicate 10 soon
with novel and interesting ceremonies. HE
ceremonies will continue two days and thou
sands of country people and prominent He
breWs Of New \ ork and Connecticut VIII at
tend them. The Chesterfield colony. which
Is only about two years old, Is curious so-
ca and industrial experiment among tie
bleak and sterile hills OF the Nutmeg state,
and is still rs great q curiosity to the Puritan
society that enylrOns 1t as when the strange
foreigners first appeared here.
Chesterfield is a typical Connecticut rural
hamlet. 10 Is IN the pleasant valley among
lofty hills Ia the township Of NOntWle eight
VI nine mil south west Ot THIS city,
and equally distant from other lmpor-
tant towns and railroads. There are
fifteen or twenty white-p painted. oid-fash-
fashioned faru-houses along the margin OF a
rolickiug trout brook. a grlst and saw-nil,
one or two stores. a DOstoftce and modest
white church with "a square tower on tho yil-
spe green. Begirt with distant, sweeping
bills and remote from the mad0lng crowd,
the hamlet IL as sequestered as II is pretty
and attractive. and Tor the past $50 years tho
stream o. life has obhed and flowed as Sc
reno.y aud uneyentualiy the.e as IN the story
of the Happy alley 0f kasselas
But since the advent of the thrifty and
stirring Russian Hebrews two years ago a
wonderful change has Oeiallcn the social and
industrial character OF Che5tneid. IN place
of the oasy-goiug selt-induigent and in many
instances thnftless Yankee farmers. the
former owners OF tho wide Chester
field acres. there are now tall.
gaunt. black-vIsaZed and bewhlsk-
cred foreigners who stride about the
village with restless almost hungry looks. IN
place of tho doing old grst mill Is brand
new and busting nat factory IA the Old-tme
Yankee kitchen. a5r0rs of men. women and
children toll sixteen hours "A day az nat. coat.
aud pocketbook making. and not far from the
old Puritan church is the new. strange syna-
goguo Of the Jewish faith.
no one denies. however. that the Jews have
pr0spered wonderfully since they % * posses
SION ~ the country. In the pasttwO wears they
have purchased not less than 7.g36 acres IN
Chesterfield and adjoining neighb0rhoods.
and the advance guard of the colony is push
ing into the wild aud 5par,ey settled town of
Salem, five miles away, on tie north. and INTO
Miilnet0n and the Devil, Hon lard district.
SIX miles % tho west. The 1896 acres they
already own cost them Just 1J3.CDO. S3IJlO
0f which they have already paid while the
All this property belongs g. about sixty men.
representing families ot jl2 persons. Tho
largest farm 90 the colony IS owned by VI.
Brluusteia and comprises 3oj acres VI. Conn
has 800 acres which cost him g. ODD
and there are half dozen farms
OF 200 acres each belonging 10 single
individuals The smallest farms belong % IS.
IA. lhudin and j. Nelsebsrg each OF whom
has th.rty-hye acres. which cost respec-
lively. $500 and $3.50. Most " the farms noted
lu and about Chesterfield are moro than orlI-
narlly fortile. but good deal OF the land 40 o
distance from the village. especially that
owned by the colony IN Su'em Is stony and
sterile. 4 few Il the little farms had been
abandoned by former owners and bought
almost TT song by their ankee nelghDois
before the Hebrews came into Chesterfield.
The secret OF tho success that has attended
the efforts OF the Russian Jews on the worn
ut farms noted is IN their marvellous THRIFT
and economy. perseverance,, long hours OF
labor and especially iu their facile method
" combining halt dozen other yOcatl0n-. boz
sides tha, OF tlliug tho soil. ~ their indus
trial economy. fyeryb dY. male and female.
young and C.d. IN tile co. uy laOors hard all
day. ana. apparently. no one has time % lean
on his hoe handle or ovos his hat block while
he discusses village gossip and settles im-
p0rtaut questions oil national politics IN
conversation to-day a salem farmer told
the story oI the colony IN few pertinent and
plthy words.
DO We Ike the Jews. our new neighb0rs,
Why. yes. ] have nO fault 90 fuI with them
They are all right. They mind tier own
business and they don try % mind anybody
e.se's business. Df course. they are nor very
socisbie But that's not strange. People who
work from l. VI. % II l.. VI. every blessed
day OF their lives haven Z "a great deal OF tiue
. spend IN visiting Everybody j. dong
something among them. IN one house you
viii hear the sewing machines rafting ell day
At great rate. and the people there are turn
inc out clothing cheap goods for tho Now
) Ork market. IN tie next house men. women
and children, perhaps a dozen hands are
making hats silk hats aud very good ones
to- for they fetch from IS % apiece in the
retAi IT. ie ~ New Ork. In another house
everybody Is pitching into the WORK OF making
the cheap wallets lu which peU-
PIE carry coin-and 1 understand that one
household turns ont an even one thousand
wallets a day. Everywhere IN the isolated
farmhouse as well as IN the village of Cnes-
terfeld. where the main colony ls-it is tho
same story: everybody Is doing something
and doing il ali day. Another house makes
suspenders, another pants another coats.
hats. shoes and so on"
be cO.Oni-ts have ais turned their atten-
ton to the dairy business and sold fine butter
and milk III the distant markets OF Norwich
aud New London. They completed cream
cry last wee6. about 3Oxl0 feet IN SIZE.
and hereafter VIII manufacture u superior
grade VI butter that is 70 be sold
exclusively IL New YORK by metro
politan agent. They raise host OF
fowls. which produce hundreds OF dozens
Of eggs that are sold in the neighborng
Connecticut cities. For several months
their hat mandatory was in farmhouse