New Britain herald., 1915-09-22
COMSTOCKATTENDED LOCAL 3! HIGH SCHOOL
Famous Crusader Against Vice q Student Here in 1861

That Anthony Comstock, famous the country over as the tireless enemy of vice and imm orality, was at one
 time a member of the New Britain
 High school was brought to light
 with the news of his death, which l occurred in Summit, N. J., last night. ! Local investigation proved conclusive | ly that the famous moralist did attend 1 the High school here, but it took con- 1 siderable effort upon the part or Sub
 Master J. c. Moody of the school fac-
 ulty before the record was discovered l and the statement fully authenticated. MT. Comstock was a native Of New 1 Canaan, this state, and gained ms | elementary education in the schools l and academy of that town. How ne | came to be connected with the local
 High school could not be ascertained. l The school records show, however,
 that he was a second year student
 there in 1861, the year the Civil War broke out. The war probably dis
 rupted his plans to omplete his edu-
 cation in the local institution for
 there is no further record to show
 that he continued to study here after 1 1861.
 1 Two years later, or in December, 1863. Comstock took his place among l the defenders of the Union, becoming | a member of Seventeenth Connecti- cut Volunteers and served until the l close of the struggle. His regiment l was mustered out in July, 1865. A l fuller account of his notable career 1 as an anti-vice worker, is contained in the following dispatch from Sum- l init, N. J., where he died.
 Died in New Jersey. Summit, N. J., Sept. 22.-Anthony l Comstock died here at his home in l Beekman road, at 8:15 o'clock last evening. His death was caused by l pneumonia, which developed a few l days ago during an illness in which
 he had suffered from an intermittent 1 fever for ten days.
 i Mr. Comstock, who was 71 years old was taken ill while he was here on
 his vacation in August. He returned 1 to work at his offices at 40 Nassau 1 street, New York, however, but again 1 fell ill and had to come here. His wife, Mrs. Margaret Comstock, and his daughter. Adele, were with him
 last night when he died. Dr. John Burling had been in attendance at least twice day. l Veteran of Civil War. | Anthony Comstock was born in New
 Canaan, Conn.,, on March 2, 1S44. He was the son of Thomas Anthony and ] Polly Ann Lockwood. He received l his education in district schools, and
 academy in New Canaan, and the New l Britain High school.
 In December, 1863, he joined the l Seventeenth Connecticut Volunteers
 and served in the civil war under Gen.
 Gilmore in the Third Separate Brigade l Department of the South, receiving
 an honorable discharge in July 1865.
 From the battlefields of the civil war l returned to New York city in 1867 to
 pass through various stages of work l before he found his real battle in life the fight against vice and obscene
 literature, as he saw it; crusade 1 against the atrocious in literature and l the base in business; Activities which l made him a national character and l one of the best known figures of his ] time.
 l Worked in Dry Goods Store. 1 Before he made his first arrest of vendors of obscene books on March 8, 1 1873, he worked as porter, stock clerk
 and salesman in wholesale dry goods houses, from 1867 to 1873. In 1873 he
 became secretary ad special agents of 1 the Society for the Suppression of 1 Vice. He held that position until his ldeath.
 In addition he was appointed a spe-
 cial agent in the Post Office Depart l ment on March 5, 1873. He held this l position which is now known as an 1 inspectorship, and served the govern ment without pay until January, 1907. l During that time he made more than
 $500 arrests and, according to figures
 published, he seized more than 155
 tons of obscene literature and other | printed matter.