The Atlanta constitution., 1896-06-08

TO us the point OF land with sufficient
ground adjacent, at the intersection OF
Charter Oak avenue and Charter oak
place, nearest the site of the CharleF OAK
where we hope and expect some day 10
raise a monument worthy Of the place and
event"
Mr. Goodwin himself is the purchaser OF
thc land on which he VIII have proper
memorial erected The land TO be put 10
this use is about 100 feet long ana is v
sbapod living between Charter OAK avenue
and charter oak place. to the north of the
latter. which leads up to the side OF a
small rise From Main street the rising
ground Is plainly visible and any memo
rial structure erected upon u viii pe seen
for some distance.
The small slab OF marble that has been
the lauching stock Of the tourists since
1856 does not in reality mark the exact
spot where the Charter oak tree stood
II is to the southwest Of it, the tree nav
i,o stood in what is now the middle OF the
road leading around the hill The memo
raj 10 bc erected will be Wlthln lew lee'
of the road and viii be suitably inscrlbea'
The surroundings viii be so arranged WIN
seats and conFeniences tHaN Ni9''"iS mo-
sit down and rest
Few pages i'm history are dearer to the
b,otbov's heart than that tell
mo the story OF how the
cnarter was hidden i'm thr mole ol
the old oak tree wncu Sir Edmond Anu'os
came TO Connecticut in 1861, by order OF
King James il, and usurped the auihorl'y
of the colonial government Inc nclueh''
rrl,l<e tina. Of putnam and the wolf, rests
on such historic foundation that lts actuaI-
uy has never been questioned. ne hiiHe
of Josaph Wadsworth, the hero oi the $40
~ Is a household word and the fame OF
the old tree in which he hid the charter -
testified to 10y the innumcraoi" plisi "''"s7 -
to the spot where if stood.
DR.. Trumbull's version If the proceedlnSs
Whom Sir Edmond Audros came % take 'he
government ont Of the hands oi the peopie
i aivcn in the first volume of the HIS
tory of Conuec ticut." AndroS, he says ne
,,.nded the charter and declared the gov
errment under it dissolved. Or Trumbuli
reports the conference between the Io!@'
and colonial governors a& iollo"3'
"The charter was brought IN ana ldlu
,,p.,n The table whore the assembly was SIT
tinr The lights were Instant
lv extingushed and one captain tJosepP
Wordsworth. Of Hartford. In the most silent
and secret manner, carried OFT the 'haE'eI
aod secretel IL in hollow tre"' Ioh.'N7
The house of the Hon. samuel WHY'S t@neH @
one Of tn, magistrates Of the coionE' ho
noople appeared all peaceable ana "ruerlI.
me candles were o,iiciously reliShted' hut
Tho .,,tcnt was gone, ard 10 dlscoNeIS
could he made. of il OF of the person VINO
had conveyed il away. Sir Edmond assuth
ed the government. and the records OF 'ie
colony were closed"
The charter is thus described N lhe NE
mortal History OF Hartford County.
"Tha territory over which jurisdiction was
,,serred nv the charter was bounded
nortberlv by Massachusetts, eastefY =!
.Iarropansett river southerly by the sea-
and westerly 10y the south sea. inns I'71
mentioned limit was, In lalef u"i' >
construed by Connecticut 20 ne ,'o
Paciflc ocean, but it is proOaple tiat ~
crown had no idea of the vasthess ol 'iio
extent westerly. The tenure was IN liSo
and common socage.' which practically was
as GOOD as Zee simple. The instrument was
written upon three skins or pieces oi pa. Ci,
mont at the beginning o. the lltsl oi Ni'i'ii
is a finely executed drawing OF tle Hc""
of Charles J. There was oriSihaHy s"9-
pended from the foot of The document d"
immense waxen seal, but II long ago q uiii
bled to pieces
The charter for years was encased in
Scotch fr box, which is now in the possess
sion of the Connecticut Historian SocIe'S'
The charter itself is in the ONCE OF INC
secretary OF the state in the capitol III
carved frame. part OF whlch 10 VI
from the old tree itself. The tree 5toou on
the homestead of the celcpfat9u ~
family until 1877. when the place was so.u
to Stephen Bulkeley. In $50 tle hoi',o
stead became the property of Catherine the
wife of the Hon. Isaac Stuart MI otu'"
took great pride in the historic odh' az"
the sloping hillside where ii S'ood NdS ."c %
mecca of visitors from mis- a'.a i i're'S,
countries The tree fell during a figh wlhu
on August q, 1856. A man VINO was poy
ten years old at that time in recalihs 'ne
incident, remembers that he climbed up lll'o
the boughs of the PROSTATE tree ana plckcu
am acorn. The bells in all the CITY chur' hes
were tolled as If for some one dead.
Mr. Stuart took charge of the fallen tree'
and preserved it from the most rutnlcss rel
ic hunters. The wood was in great demand'
and thousands of small articles were maue
from it, including nutmegs. The TWO larg-
est remaining relics of the tree are the
finely carved chair for the presidi lg officer
| of the senate chamber and a piano called
| the ~. H. Most piano, whose parts are of