The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-03
What the ArmOry Commits
sion Proposes to Do.
Some Facts About the Dexter
Training Ground.
Conditions on Which II Was Be-
Queathed to Providence.

II In the desire of the state armory
commission TO have the city OF Provi-
dence formally abandon, as highway.
the street which forms the southerly
boundary OF the Dexter Training Ground.
will be materially increased In area
and what is equally desirable, 1t will be
connected directly with the training
field with no thoroughfare interven-
ing. fhese who have looked into the mat
ter can see no objection to such
course. The street which it is proposed
TO abandon and TO devote to srmory use
is not one that Is much travelled and its
closing o. highway will cause little or
no Inconvenience. Moreover, Cranston
street 10 near at hand and will furnish
ample room for all the traffic in that vi
cinity. Whether or not the City Council
will take favorable action on the propo-
sal is not. OF course, known at this time,
but the mem pers OF the Commission are
confident that it viii meet with no seri-
Gus oppoition.
The Dexter Training Ground, as It Is
now generally called, has been the SUBJ
ject of much discussion of late years,
especially since the militia gave up hold
Ing annual musters or TRAININGS"
there. Various propositions for It's use
were made.., nut when the will OF the late
Ebenezer Knight Dexter was referred to
II was found that it could not be utilized
for any other purpose than that OF a
training held.~ IL II were devoted to any
other use 1t was contended the city
would forfeit it's title under the will,
and the heirs of the donor would be In
q position to come In and take posses
sion. In his inaugural address. delivered
before the City Council on January 3,
1887, the late Mayor Robbins called at
tention to the fact that the interest OF
the heirs at law OF Mr.. Dexter In the
Dexter Donation could be purchased for
q reasonable sum, and he recommended
that q committee be appointed to investi
gate and report upon what terms and
for what sum the heirs " ould convey
their interest to the oity.:
In accordance with this recommends
tion he.matter was referred to the joint
committee on finance which subsequently
reported that II had secured from the
three hcirs at law an agreement to sell all
their right, title and interest In the
Dexter Donation for s25, 900 and the Com
mon Council adopted a resolution author
izIng the purchase for $4,000. subsc-
quently the matter was discussed at
length In the Board.of Aldermen. Opin-
tons OF lawyers we're quoted to the effect
tbat the heirs at law had nothing to
sell and that II the city paid any sum for
their Eo-called interest In the Dexter
Donation 1t would simply be wasting
money. The result was tnst no purchase
was made and matters now stand as they
did from the time the donation was &C.
cepted BY the town shortly after the
death OF the donor.
Ebenezer Knight Dexter's will is a very
long document and 1t Is in the sixteenth
clause OF the instrument that he makes
the bequest OF the training field. After
describing the property he gives IL to the
town OF Providence for the use of train
ing Held sand" to quote the language
OF the will, "to be appropriated TO no
other use or purpose whatsoever" A
strip one hundred and fifty feet wide at
tho nor;herly and sourtherly ends OF the
6eld are set apart for house lots, but no
provision was.made for streets, although
that matter was subsequently attended
to by the city. 1t is also interesting to
nota tnat Mr.. knight was careful to in
cIude in The clause making this bequest
tho explicit statement that no
execution OF criminals should ever be
permitted on the training field. With
the new armory at its southern extrem-
ity, the training ground will become
once more what its generous donor In
tended 1t should.be-a place for the drill
Hog of the citizen soldiery of Provi-
dence-snd few cities, IL any, viii en- Joy
snch an ample area for military man.
oeuvres located not far from the heart of
the municipality and within easy reach
of every part Of Providence.