The Portland daily press., 1900-07-04
AN HISTORIC OLD BELL.
Ia COnneCticutt village, Cast Eleven
Centuries Ago.
(From the Hartford Daily Times }


At East Haddam, only short distance
from the Nathan Hale schoo1house, which
was dedicated with such imposing cere-
monies by the Sons of the Revolution and
the people in the town, recently, is an
old bell which antedates the schoolhouse
by more than 500 years. It has a position
on the stone wall at the rear of the pretty
little stone church, just on the edge Of the
cemetery. and from its appearance one
would not suppose that it had known the
heat of summer and the cold of winter
for almost II centuries. 1t is not very
large, and the greenness of the old age so
common to copper has made but slight
inroads upon it.
When Nathan Hale died for his country
this old bell was of the age of Methuselah,
the Oldest patriarch of Bible record. At
the time Christopher Columbus discovered
America it had been ringing out the days
of more than half thousand years. It
tolled the deaths of the thousands of
Spaniards who were lost in the des true
tion of the great Armada; witnessed the
incursions of the Moors and Arabs across
the straits of Gibraltar as they despoiled
the fair vineyards of CASTLE and for more
than four hundred years knew none but
Moorish rule.
Europe was but wild, unsettled, saw
age country when this old bell was cast,
and the British isles were but SO much
territory ruled by clannish barons with
might the only law.
When Ferdinand and Isabella assembled
the throne of Spain the little old bell in
the East Haddam church-yard helped to
ring out the tidings to all the country
round, 1t was then in the tower OF one
of the churches of AragOn, the home
province of Ferdinand. For more than
900 years it had been there, calling the
people--rich and poor-to service, ringing
out the JOY of their marriage celebrations
and tOlling the death requiem.
Early in the century, when Napoleon
started on his sacking tour of Spain, and
was finally overthrown by Wellington,
this bell together with many. others. was
stone church which it had occupied so
long Twenty years afterwards, in 1884
or 1885, a shiplOad of bells from Spanish
churches which Napoleon had destroyed
was sent to this country, consigned to
various bell foundries to be recast for
bells in American churches. The old
East Haddam bell was In the lot. Will
liam WHY'S Pratt, q New York ship
chandler, was in business at that time
His wife was q daughter of the late
Capt. Oliver Atwood Of East Haddam
Mr. Pratt and his wife were interested
in St. Stephen Episcopal church at East
Haddam, and as the church was with
out a bell Mr.. Pratt purchased the old
Spanish bell from among the hundreds
of others in the shipload. 1t was sent to
East Haddam and mounted in the church
belfry-the old church. which stands on
an eminence to the north and east of the
town.
For years the Spanish bell did it's duty
loyalty, but finally it became cracked and
its tone was broken and harsh. When
the new church was built, close by where
the old Nathan Hale schOOlhOuse now
stands, the bell was taken from the
steeple OF the old church, and has not
since been used, but rests quietly in the
churchyard viewed reverently by hun
dders every day.
1t was cast in the year SIS. The
marks OF the tongue, where for years it
struck against the side, are deep and
broad. The Arabic numerals which form
the date show that it was cast not long
after spain was conquered by the Moors
4he inscription on the ancient bell is in
Spanish and can be read very plainly 1t
is as follows:-
"Ihe Prior being the Most Rev. Father
Miguel Villa Murray. The Procurator.
the Most Rev. Father Josef E'Stivan
915''
The peopls Of st. Stephens church
value the old bell very highly and it win
doubJless always remain in possession Of
the parish.