Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-08-30
CONNRCrICU1,s OLD NEwGATE.

,ONNRCTICUI'S OLD NEWGATE.
The Historical Prison in East Gram
by and BarbaritIes inflicted on Its |
Inmates. |
Before Judge Slade closed his lecture
recently delivered before the students OF
The Bridgeport college, he said he had re-
GENTLY visited the old Newgate at East
CRANKY and would narrate some of his
The Farmer reports his
as follows: This old prison was
once copper mine, and was worked by
several companies commencing In TIT.
At first 10 shillings q ton was reserved
and paid, two-thirds for school purposes
of an liable school" in the town of Sims
bury and one third to Yale college. The
ore yielded 10, 15 and 40 per cent. It was
from this copper that one Higley, black
smith, struck off some coin about l737,
called "Granby eoppers."
These mines were first used as a prison
In 1773, and during the Revolutionary war
many Tories were confined there for their
disloyalty to the cause for which our grand
fathers fought to establish the freedom
and independence which We now ENJOY:
This wall is still standing with the OLD
guard house elevated on the eoutheast
corner. The guards at times numbered
about as many as the prisoners, and at
times found very unpleasant duty to per-
On ,,irhf 1oHu called to a
friend who was below and when the keep
or opened the hatch that led the perpendi-
cular way below on ladder forty feet
long, was Immediately attacked by the
prisoners coming up the ladder and put
into the dungeon.
The escaped prisoners found most of the
guard asleep, but soon found they must
fight their way out, which they did after
several Of the guard and some prisoners
had been killed. The escaped prisoners
were nearly all captured and placed In
irons. Other desperate encounters are re-
corded at the old Newgste prison. Such
prison life was approved at that time, but,
be it said for the good name of our com
monwealth, we have advanced our civilika-
ton. The prisoners were kept at work 40
and more feet below the surface of the
ground. where they remained both day
and night. Traces are still shown of the
hunks on which they slept; also the re-
mains of the old tread mill by which they
ground corn and rye. The old massive
oven, built of stone and brick, is still
there.
Later on there were several buildings
erected above the ground. and some of the
prisoners labored in them, making nails
mostly, but all refractory ones had to sleeI
in the mines. Females were kept above
ground. While working there many mer
were chained to block or staple in thu
wall.
At first only high board fence enclosed
the grounds, but this was found too inss
cure, and then wall of native stone four
teen feet high was built all around the
prison yard-less than an acre-with {
deep ditch on the inside of the west wal
about seven feet deep.
Indian slavery In Connecticut.
From the Baltimore SUM-
DR.. Bernard @. Steiner, librarian of tn,
Enoch Pratt free library, has completed ,
monograph on Slavery in Connecticut
Among the interesting facts in tho work
is the statement that the first slaves IL
Connecticut were not negroes, but Indians
being of the Pequot tribe, which was over
l tuTO"u ny S6btloEb Ia 1000. 4l6 HFSt laN
against the slave trade, too, was passed Il
17l5 against the importation of the Tuscs
rora Indians, who had been captured b
the Carolinisns in war. The frst idea c
slavery in Connecticut was then that caI
tives In war were slaves. Soon after th
foundation of the colony negroes were IL
troduced, a few at a. time, chiefly from th
West indies, and not from Africa. The
were owned for the most part as nous,
hold servants, and the Connecticut MOTTO
of slavery was the patriarchal one, thu
slaves belonging to the family of the ma
ter differed from apprentices only in bein
bound to service for life.
Slavery was tolerated everywhere in Coz
necticut Throughout. the colonial periot
but with the coming of the Revolutio
came tho idea that it was unrighteous
hold men in bondage. This feeling led I
the act Of 1774-1764, providing that a
thereafter born as slaves should be free {
reaching their twenty fifth year. This q
was afterward lessened to twenty on
Connecticut ia remarkable as being sta
which succeeded In gradual emancipation
When slavery was finally abolished the
In 1S48 fewer than twenty slaves were
the state, none of whom were under sixt
four years of age.