Year: 1876




The Hartford Times says The quiet
OF the Connecticut State prison, at
Wethers1eld, was broken one morning
recently hy the discovery that one Of the
best liked and most exemplary Of the
convicls had hanged himself. In the
cell OF John Lee Powell the officers dis.
covered his dead but not entirely cold
body, hanging by n rope that was fas'
tened to spike near the ceiling, that
was used to fasten up the bed agaiDst
the wall in the daytime. Ono end Of
the rope had been made into running
moose, and this was around his neck.
The height OF tho spike was not sufii'
cient to suspend him clear OF the floor
Il be stood upright, and he had bent up
his knees to make surc work OF it. He
WIS promptly cut down, but life could
not be restored.


John Loo Powell WAS in his thirty
ninth year. He came Of a good family
in the town OF Trumbull, in Fairfield
county, his father having been member
OF the Legislature and a prominent and
esteemed citizen. He lived at Stepney
Depot.


He was said TO have been not bad
man at heart, and was led into tho COM
mission OF the crime for which he was
sentenced (placing tic across the truck
Of tho Housatonic railroad) by tho
bantering wager OF some companions,
when intoxicated. The act resulted in
no accident, but the offense is serious
one, and the conviction Of Powell, on
the twenty seventh Of August, 1875, was
Immediately followed by his sentence to
prison for term OF twenty years. He
had wife, ten years younger than him.
self, and two children; and he fopdly
loved his family. Durirg his imprison-
ment his wife more than once visited the
prison, and assured him OF her fidelity.
Two months ago Powell's iather died,
and the news saddened the son in his
lonely imprisonment.


A few weeks ago q legal document, in
the shape Of his wife's petition for di-
vorce, came to Powell in prison from the
Fairfield county superior court. This
formal notice, in which tho blanks in
the printed form were filled out with the
names Of himself, his wifo and his two
children, was wholly unexpected BY the
prisoner and utterly overwhelmed him.
he grew daily more and more detected,
and reached a condition which compelled
him to give up work. He had been q
carriage mixer and was an expert work.
man; and with the contractors who OBJ
tanned his work iu prison ho was IA
voritc, as lie was with Warden Hewes
and tho officers, mono OF whom had
ever occasion to use n hArsh word to
him.


In his pocket was found the legal
form OF the wifc's divorce petition, which
had been served on him as legal for.
mality. Between the open printed lines
lie Ind written in clear hand in pencil
these farewell messages to his wife and
family:


"0h, my dear wife Is this the way
you treat your poor Lec' l certainly
can't tell what this is for. tell you
truly, for the last time, that love you
with all my heart. You are too cruel.
I die for you. Goodbye forever.
Good bye, little IrYio. Poor papa will
never see you again on earth. Good.
bye, Charlie, Katie and mother Don't
think me too rash, for l can't live and
have Letitia leave me. Charlie, come
and get mo and take mo home, and lay
me by the side Of my poor father. Tel!
father and mother Burr and Henry good
bye for me.


at seems hard: it is terrible ven
gesnce she has taken, for what l used to
dol would perer do so again. You
look at the bad side. Wo have lad lots
and lots OF good times together, and
my hopes have been that We would
ngain-but my hopes you have blasted
forever. For oil you have done this, l
love you with all my heart. Whatever
l have written to you, have done 1t
thoughtlessly; would not bave done it
for ali OF this world il had thought
this ever OF you, my dear wife. Lett
tia, never think Of mo. Don't think
that you ever have done wrong with mo,
but eujoy yourself us much as you can'
Goodbye.


GAS wicked as I have been, I ilsver
could serve you in this way. ! thought
it was hard to be shut up here, bnt that
is nothing to this. You arc too eruel.
How mary good times We have had to.
gether. 1 always know your heart was
hard, but I never thought it was as hard
as 1t is now. You was untrue to me in
the first, and now the last"