The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-08
Clinton Home of
 Yankee Genius
Abel Buell. Noted Character, Before Revolution, Sue ceeded at Counterfeit ing, Ring Making and Sur veying.
CThe Courantl

CThe CouranO
 Clinton. Feb. This little town has heretofore kept it's fame alive prin- cipalIy from the fact that the first classes of Yale College were taught here by Rev. Abraham Pierson, and school. one of the best preparatory schools in the state, the gift of one of the towns famous sons. the late Charles Morgan of New York. Ob- serving people hereabouts, however, think that the town ought to get some credit for sending out into the world, away back before the Ameri- can Revolution, Abel Buell., one Of the shrewdest and ablest examples of the time-honored Yankee genius that this state, or any other has seen. If Abel had lived in these days he would have been written up in half a dozen magazines. He would doubtless have spent more or less time in jail, as he did even in those far away days. and it is not to be doubted but that he would have attracted much attention as some of our present day inventors, captains of industry, and all around shrewd men,
 About the only person that paid much attention to Buell., was the late John w. Barber, who in his famous "Connecticut Historical Collections. edition of 1888, gives the man quite a write up for those sOmbre days, and passes out good deal of credit to him as being ''an uncommonly in
 
 men like Buell. that ever passed their lives in this state. He was an oddity from the day he was born until he died in the New Haven poor house, about 1925, but his life was filled with adventures, enough to have kept such a masterly pen as Robert Louis Stew enson's busy for considerable per iod.
 Clinton, in those days. was Killing worth, and here around the year 1750 the date is entirely conjecturall- Abel Buell. was born and passed the early portion of his life Buell. during his stay there. furnished a large amount of good. up to the minute food for reflection, and rarely allowed a week to go by without letting his fellow townsmen know he was an inhabitant. He was apprenticed when a boy to an old gold and silver smith named Ebenezer .Chittenden- When he was 19 he got married, and soon af- ter this got into a scrape that land- ed him in Norwich jail. He was caught changing five shilling colo nial note to five poundS-quite raise and the job was done in such Q pro fessional manner that it fooled he sharp detectives of those crude
 It is said that neighbors had sus- pected for some time that Buell. was up to some sort of crooEedness, for lights had been seen burning in a hours. While other people in Rev. Jared Elliotts town were fast asleep, the strange light shone forth from RuelFs chamber, and it became a sub ject of town comment Finally. Q particularly curious persons Fecured a ladder. and placing it against the the chamber window where he saw Buell. industriously engaged in the work of altering the five shilling notes. He was tried for being a coun' terfeiter, Kings Attorney Matthew Griswold of Lyme, afterwards goTer- nor, prosecuted the case against Buell..
 Barher says that the work of chang ing the notes was executed in such very ineenious manner that the only way they could be found incorrect was by comparing the stumps Of the letters with those left in the book form which all the colony bills were issued Barber further says that all tAe ills issued by the. colony were form. and were cut out as they were wanted. leaving a portion of the printed matter in the book Kings Attorney Griswold in conducting the case against Buell. is said to have granted him all the indulgence possi- bIe. due. probably to his youth for he authori ies had to do something with the young counterfeiter. and he got jail sentence, cropping" and brand- ing ''Cropping" consisted in the good old days of clipping off a portion Of a mans ear, holding it on his tongue a short time to keep 1t warm. ana then put ing it back on the owners ear where it was stuck on and fin ally grew into place again. Buell. was branded on his forehead. as far up as posisbIe and this mode of punishment consisted of holding hot iron, in the form af a letter designating the crime the man was utility of On the culpri+ forehead until he could say the words, God save the King!"
 RuelPs hrain now began to get busy along leeitima te lines of endeavor, for he promptly made a lapidary ma chine. which was probably it is said the first contrivance of it's kind to manufacture jewelry in this country. With this lapidary outfit he made very beautiful and curious ring. which had one large and attractive stone set in the center, while it was surrounded E,y several of much smaller size He displayed his diplomatic ability by presenting the wonderful ring to Kings Attorney Griswold. who had prosecuted the cOunJerfetting case against him. The Kings attorney is said to have procured a pardon for Buell. immediately after he accepted succeeded Brother Jonothan" Trun- l1Illl as governor. had probably not heard of graft in those days, for he did not consider it out of place to ac- cept gift of jewelry from convicted
 Soon after this Buell. removed to New Haven, as he was apparently looking for larger field for his opera tions. Bernard Romans. the famous engineer. artist ard writer. had just started the job of making Q map of North America. and he engaged young Buell. to go to Pensacola and make a survey of the coast. Buell. promptly accepted the commission. althoueh nothing had been said in his previ- ous career about his being familiar