April 1 - Rutland Jailhouse Fire 1867

April 1 – Hattie Blakely wrote home to her parents on Nov 5^th, 1867:

   Perhaps you will wonder at my writing in class.  The reason is that I have a little more leisure than usal on account of the fire this afternoon.

Later in the same letter she wrote to her 9-year-old brother: 

            Dear Brother Herbie

                                                                       

            Perhaps you would like me to tell you about the fire at the jail this afternoon. 

The Rutland County Jail, built circa 1812, was located at 43 S. Main St.   In an article for the Rutland Historical Society Quarterly, Paul J. Grossman described the building:

“Constructed of rough blocks of marble, this jail consisted of eight rooms, four below and four above. The two front rooms on the lower floor were used for parlors and a hearing room. Two dungeons, one above the other, with marble walls several feet thick and lined with boiler iron were located in the southwest corner. The upper southeast room housed female prisoners.  In 1857 a 50- foot-long by 30-foot-wide marble extension was added to the west end of the jail.  The new section housed two rows of cells to accommodate 30 additional prisoners.”

Grossman’s article tells this story about the jailhouse fire:

“In 1867 the Rutland County Jail caught fire. As prisoners were being evacuated it was noted that O.B. Clark, a celebrated forger and considered to be one of the most dangerous men in the country, was still confined in the upper cell. Clark was saved from certain death due to the heroic rescue efforts of three individuals who crawled upstairs through blinding smoke, unlocked the cell, and released him.”

Here’s the rest of Hattie’s account:

It was nearly time for recess when the alarm of fire was given.  We went down to it.  I saw the prisoners as they were led away.  Someone said the murderer said he would rather stay in the jail.  When I came away, it was nearly extinguished.

           

Hattie and her classmates heard about a notorious criminal in the upstairs cell, and believed that he was a murderer.  In fact, it seems unlikely that a mere forger would have been “considered to be one of the most dangerous men in the country”.  Both versions of this dramatic story show him being ungrateful for the heroic rescue effort.  The man may have been more afraid of an agitated crowd than of asphyxiation in his ironclad cell.

I’d like to see the newspaper accounts of this incident to see if there’s any more detail available.  Hattie offers the story to her little brother because she knows how much he enjoys excitement, but the incident does not hold any lasting importance in her life.  We have no indication that she developed a fascination with fire or criminals or heroic firemen.

info:  Grossman, Paul J., Jr., Rutland Vermont Jails 1784-2000, Rutland Historical Society Quarterly (2000).
Nickwackett Fire Station image:  http://www.donnawilkinsphotography.com/p254425529/h2A818659#h2a818659