Evening journal., 1910-09-08
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Story Of Old SaybrOOk
Colony
BY "Holland."

For the student of things colonial.
the little town Of Saybrook. which
lies near the mouth of the Connect
cut river. holds a peculiar charm. For
one thing. It was founded as an indie
pendent colony in 1899, to be ceded
years later 10 the colony of Connecti-
cut in return TO its promoters for the
proceeds from certain taxes for a
period of ten years. For another
thing, Saybrook was the original
home Of Yale College. Then, too. IT
was TO help found Saybrook that
Oliver Cromwell planned to leave
England for the new world, only to
be detained at home at the last min
ute. But TO me the most interesting
story I have ever heard of Saybrook
relates to Lady Brooke, daughter Of
one of the two titled Englishmen who
backed the founding Of the colony. It
was told to me in the summer Of 1873,
when the little town was holding
celebration commorating its found
my; and my informant was he late
Thomas G. Acton, who became ia
nous during the Civil War as the
New York chief of police who put
down the draft riots; who for years
after the war was an assistant treas
urer of the United States. and who
was born-in Saybrook and maintained
a country home there the greater
part of his maturity
Lady Brooke. ! believe. was the
first woman of the English nobility to
come with group of colonists to this
part OF New England" said Mr.. Acton.
"and, alas, il was a sad day for her
when she set sail from old England.
She had been brought up in luxury;
she had been sheltered from the
storm and stress of the world. The
minute she came in contact with the
new world she was placed face 10
face with a rough and strange mode
OF life. SlN was too tender OF body
and of spirit TO accustom herself to
the new conditions; she was among
the first OF the little band to fall a
victim 70 the various illnesses that
soon broke out among it. and not-1ong
thereafter she was laid at rest in the
little cemetery that was almost coin
cident with the founding OF the colony
itself.
So much by way of preface. Now,
some years ago there was organized
company to build a railroad from
Hartford, the state capital, TO say
brook Point. just below the town,
II WHtIt tue AOliltNllNuA NAhR'ANN
Long Island Sound. One day q sur
veying corps arrived in Saybrook, and
after 1t had finished its work we dis
covered that the line of the road had
been laid directly through the long
unused colonial cemetery. and, what
was more startling still, Immediately
over the grave that had come down
to us as that of the last resting place
of the beautiful and gentle Lady
Brooke.
Immediately there spread through
the town a feeling that It would be
a sacrilege for railroad trains to run
over the grave of Lady Brooke, so II
was decided TO open the grave. and. II
there remained aught of relics OF the
titled colonist. 10 collect and RENTER
them. and place over their new rest
ing place suitable monument. That
was the plan. though really none of
us had any strong belief that we
! would be called upon to conduct n
1 reburial For considerably more
than two hundred years Lady Brooke
had been dead, and surely. IN ina,
time. must have returned TO dus'
! completely.
"Yet the grave was opened, ane
reverentially the soil was upturnea
/ At CONN Ocpln lntlt dppNet ~
utely nothing that could be idenihed
even i'm the faintest manner, as pc
longing to coffin, shroud or body. We
we're turning 10 go when. suddenly,
slight discoloration Of the soil was
discovered. With great care we ha'
the workmen remove the soil. Thei
we examined it--and what DO *o'
suppose we discovered? A beautiful
brown tress. in as perfect condiuon a
though II had been placed IN ina
spot the day before. II was All INA
Was left Of the beautiful and tenue
Lady Brooke.
There was not man there wn
was not deeply stirred as he stood Il
the presence of that imperisnaol
relic Tenderly we placed II IN
suitable receptacle, and directed ina
II be desposited permanently IN haI'
ford. And ! have never ceased y
have a deep sense of satisfaction y
the thought that was among IN
number who kept that beautiful tres
mat once crowned Lady BROOKE
head from remaining forever ourle
beneath the roadbed for railroad,
(Copyriht. 1910. by Associated Liter
airy Press.)
To.morrOw Mr.. Edwards Will tei
ssThe Senator Who Always hsteneu'