and in all other cases, within fifteen days; and a letter, put into the mail, stating the name of the pauper, and that he is chargeable, signed by one of the selectmen of the town where he resides, directed to the selectmen of the town where he belongs, if there is a post office in the town, or if none, then directed to be left at the nearest post office to such town, shall be sufficient evidence that notice was given at the time that such letter would, in the usual course of the mail, reach the selectmen to whom it was directed; and actual notice, in writing, sent in any other mode, shall be sufficient; and when the selectmen have knowledge of the town where such pauper belongs, such town shall not be liable for any expense for the time in which such notice is neglected to be given; and Amount recover- such town shall not be liable to pay at a greater rate than one dollar and fifty cents per week for the support of a pauper, in lieu of all expenses.*

able.

1857.

1828. Selectmen to bury such paupers.

Expenses recoverable, &c.

1881.

Selectmen may

dispose of pro

SECT. 23. Whenever a pauper, not an inhabitant of the town where he resides, shall die, the selectmen of the town shall give said pauper a decent burial, and for the expense of such burial, the town, where such pauper belongs, shall pay a sum not exceeding six dollars.

SECT. 24. Every town, incurring any necessary expense, pursuant to the two preceding sections, for a pauper belonging to another town, shall have the right to recover the same from such town, by a proper action at common law.†

SECT. 25. Whenever any person, supported at the expense of any town, in this state, shall die, leaving personal estate, not exceeding perty of deceased thirty dollars in value, the selectmen of such town may dispose of the same, either at auction, or private sale, for the use of such town, unless some person interested in such estate shall take out adminis tration thereon, within ninety days after the death of such person.

paupers.

Town of last settlement, liable on return of paupers.

SECT. 26. Whenever any person, having a legal settlement in any town in this state, shall remove out of the same, and gain a legal settlement in another state, and shall afterwards return to this state, and become poor, and unable to support himself, the town, where he had his last legal settlement in this state, shall be chargea ble with his support.

SECT. 27. The several towns, respectively, or any two or more towns, by their agents appointed for that purpose, shall have power to establish asylums, or poor-houses, for the admission of such poor and destitute persons as may be judged proper, and to establish such by-laws as may be proper, not contrary to the laws of this state, or of the United States, relative to the persons to be admitted into such houses, and for the well ordering and government thereof; but such by-laws may at any time be repealed by the superior court, if said court shall deem them unreasonable or unjust.

*What amounts to a waiver of notice. Stratford v. Fairfield, 3 C. R. 588; Newtown v. Danbury, 3 C. R. 553. Notice insufficient, when. Middletown v. Berlin, 18 C. R. 189. What evidence admissible in regard to fact of putting letter into the post office. Litchfield v. Farmington, 7 C. R. 100. Express request, or promise, need not be shown. Goshen v. Stonington, 4 C. R. 209. Selectmen, named in the writ, can testify. Salisbury. Harwinton, 2 Root, 435. Omission to aver notice, cured by verdict. Spencer v. Overton, 1 Day, 183. No recovery for supplies furnished, when. Backus €. Dudley, 3 C. R. 568. Who are paupers. Newtown v. Danbury, 3 C. R. 553; Stewart v. Sherman, 4 C. R. 553; 5 C. R. 244; East Hartford . Pitkin, 8 C. R.. 553; Lyme . East Haddam, 14 C. R. 394; Wallingford v. Southington, 16 C. R. 431; New Milford. Sherman, 21 C. R. 101. The object of statute to provide for immediate relief. Trumbull v. Moss, 28 C. R. 253.

+ Expense "necessary," when. New Milford v. Sherman, 21 C. R. 101. Selectmen have full power to settle an account presented by one town against the town they represent. Sharon v. Salisbury, 29 C. K. 113.

1854.

Not to maintain an almshouse in

SECT. 28. No town shall maintain, for the residence or support of any pauper, an alms-house, within the limits of any other town, without the consent of the latter town, or of its selectmen, under a another town. penalty of fifteen dollars for each month said house is so maintained, to be recovered of the town thus offending, by the town in which said house is situated, in an action of debt; but the provisions of this act shall not apply to any alms-house or poor-house, which is owned, in part, by the town in which it is situated, and in part by any other

town or towns.

1849.

Manufacturers of paper liable to ploying persons

SECT. 29. Every person, who shall employ, in the manufacture of paper, any person who shall not have had the small-pox, or been vaccinated, shall be liable to pay, to any town in this state, all ex- the town, if empense caused to such town by the sickness of such person with not vaccinated. small-pox contracted while so employed.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE SUPPORT OF PAUPERS BY THE STATE.

ed by the state.

SECT. 30. The state shall reimburse to any town the expense What paupers incurred in relieving and supporting any sick and indigent person, are to be supportnot an inhabitant of this state, and who does not belong to any town in this state, and who is not by law the proper charge of any town or particular person, at a rate not exceeding, in any case, the sum of one dollar per week, for all persons over fourteen years of age, and fifty cents for children under that age. SECT. 31.

when.

No town shall be entitled to such reimbursement for State not liable, the support of any person born in this state, or in an adjoining state, or of any person who shall heretofore, at any time, have been an inhabitant of any town in this state.

deemed paupers.

SECT. 32. All infirm or indigent persons, discharged from the state 1851. prison, who, at the time of their conviction, were not inhabitants of Who are to be any town in this state, nor had resided six years in any town without being chargeable thereto, and who have no relatives in this state liable and able to support such persons, and all children born in the state prison, of any such person, shall be deemed state paupers; and the comptroller shall provide for them as such.

paupers, liable

the selectmen,

the state and the

SECT. 33. Every person, who shall entertain any person not an Persons enterinhabitant of this state, who shall need relief, shall sustain the ex-taining foreign pense thereof until he shall give notice of the condition of such for their support, person to the selectmen of the town in which he is entertained; until notice to and all expenses, incurred after such notice, if the person so enter- and afterwards, tained has relations of sufficient ability, legally bound to support town. him, shall be paid by such relations; if he has no such relations, all expenses incurred for his support, within the term of three months from the time of his coming to such town, (in case he shall, within said term of three months, have been warned to depart therefrom,) shall, except as provided in the thirty-first section of this act, be defrayed by the state; and all expenses that may be incurred for his support, subsequent to the said term of three months, on account

State not liable

if they support

years.

of sickness, or lameness, which shall have commenced within said term of three months, and which shall have continued beyond said term, to such a degree as to render it unsafe to remove him, shall, during the continuance of such sickness, or lameness, be defrayed by the state; and all subsequent expenses shall be defrayed by such town, during his continuance therein; but the sum allowed shall not exceed one dollar per week, for persons over fourteen years of age, and fifty cents per week, for children under that age.

SECT. 34. If any town shall incur any expense, in relieving and for such paupers supporting a person, not an inhabitant of this state, who has resided themselves six in any town in this state six successive years subsequently to his removal into this state, without being chargeable to the state, such expense shall not be reimbursed from the treasury of the state, but shall be defrayed by the town in which he shall have last so resided six years.

Selectmen may

pers to the town

resided six years.

SECT. 35. The selectmen of any town, into which a person not an remove such pau- inhabitant of any town in this state shall come to reside, may, at any where they last time within six years from the coming of such person into their town, remove such person to the town in which he shall have last resided six successive years as aforesaid, and for that purpose such selectmen may adopt any of the means provided by law for the removal of persons not inhabitants of this state.

1887.

1889. 1842. Duty of selectmen in regard to

SECT. 36. Whenever the selectmen, in any town, shall receive notice that any person, who is a state pauper, is reduced by sickness, or other cause, to necessitous circumstances, such selectmen, after such notice, shall furnish such pauper with the necessary support, and such town shall not be liable for the previous support of such pauper; and if such selectmen shall, immediately after such notice, from the state, give notice by mail, or otherwise, to the comptroller of public ac

state paupers, and how towns may entitle

themselves to reimbursement

for expense of

their support.

Comptroller to

the general assembly, &c.

counts, and shall forward to him an affidavit made, at or before the giving of such notice, by one of the selectmen, that he verily believes such pauper is a state pauper, and after such expenses have been incurred, shall forward to the comptroller an account of such expenses, with an affidavit that the account is just and reasonable, and lodge with him a certificate, subscribed and sworn to by at least a majority of their number, stating, as far as is known to them, when and from whence such poor and indigent person came into the state, and into such town, and whether any other town, or person, in the state, is liable for his support; and also, stating the time when such person was warned to depart from such town, and that the expense was incurred for sickness which happened within the first three months after his coming into such town, or, if afterwards, that during the whole of his continuance in such town, after the expiration of said three months, until relieved, such person could not safely be removed from such town, such town shall be entitled to reimbursement for such expense from the state, and not otherwise.

SECT. 37. If, on examination, the proofs and exhibits made shall draw orders on conform to the provisions of law, and the comptroller shall be satisthe treasurer, and make return to fied with the truth of the same, he shall draw an order on the treasurer, for the payment of such sums as shall be found to be reasonably and justly due; but if the proof shall not be satisfactory to him, he may require further proof, and if satisfactory proof is not produced, he may reject the claim; and the comptroller shall report to the general assembly, at each session, the names of the sick and indigent persons for whose support allowance has been made, and the towns in which they resided, and the amount allowed to each person,

and shall also, from time to time, as occasion may require, devise, and make known, to the selectmen in the respective towns, the forms in which the proofs and exhibits must be made.

contract for sup

SECT. 38. The comptroller may, from time to time, contract with Comptroller may any person or persons, for any term of time not exceeding five years, port of paupers, for the relief and support of any such sick and indigent persons, on &c. the best terms, not exceeding the sums specified in the thirtieth section of this act, and the person or persons, so contracting, shall be entitled to receive, at the end of every six months, the amount due on such contract; and the comptroller may, at his discretion, take from any town in this state the whole, or any part, of the state paupers in said town, and place the same with the person or persons with whom said contract for their support may have been made, and adjust any demands arising under said contract, and draw orders on the treasurer for the payment of the same.

take a bond from

SECT. 39. Whenever the comptroller shall make a contract with Comptroller to any person or persons, for the support of state paupers, agreeably the contractor. to the provisions of this act, he shall take, of such person or persons, good and sufficient bond, with surety, to secure the faithful performance of such contract, and that such paupers shall be treated with humanity, and shall have a competent supply of food, and decent and comfortable clothing, and all necessary inedical aid and medicine in time of sickness.

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE SUPPORT OF PAUPERS BY RELATIVES.

port.

SECT. 40. Whenever any person shall, by age, sickness, insanity, Relatives liable or any cause, become poor, impotent, and unable to support himself to furnish supand family, and shall have relations who stand in the degree of father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, children and grandchildren, who are of sufficient ability to provide such support, such relations shall provide the same; and if such relations shall refuse or neglect so to do, the superior court in the county where such person lives, on application of the selectmen, or of one or more of such relations, due notice of such application having been given, may order such relations to contribute to the support of such poor and impotent person, from the time of such application, such sum as said court shall deem to be reasonable and necessary, and may issue execution, quarterly, for the same, to be delivered into the hands of the selectmen for that purpose.*

*Relatives by affinity, not liable. Mack v. Parsons, Kirby, 155; Sherman v. Nichols' 1 Root, 250; Newtown v. Danbury, 8 C. R. 553. Grandchild not liable at common law, for the support of his grandparents. Whethersfield v. Montague, 3 C. R. 507. Relatives not liable for past expenses. Same; Newtown v. Danbury, 3 C. R. 553; Cook v. Bradley, 7 C. R. 57. Not responsible to a town in which the pauper has no settlement. Newtown v. Danbury, 3 C. R. 553. Action at common law does not lie against relatives. Waterbury v. Hurlbut, 1 Root, 60. This section relates solely to a provision for future, and not compensation for past support. Stone v. Stone, 32 C. R. 142.

Widow pauper

SECT. 41. Whenever any man shall die without issue, leaving a to be supported widow, and estate, real or personal, belonging to him, such estate

from husband's

estate.

shall be liable for the support of such widow during her widowhood, in case she shall become poor and impotent, and there shall be no person of sufficient ability liable to support her; and every person, to whom such estate, or any part thereof, shall be given, or descend, shall, so far as the estate, which has been so given, or has so descended, extends, be liable to contribute to the support of such widow, during her widowhood, in proportion to the value of such estate, which support may be recovered of such person in the manner prescribed in the next preceding section.

TITLE LI.

AN ACT CONCERNING PRISONS.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE STATE PRISON.

1827.

State prison established, &c.

1855.'

Appointment of directors.

1827.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Assembly convened:

SECTION 1. That the land, buildings, and appurtenances, belonging to the state in Wethersfield, shall constitute a public prison, for the use of this state, by the name of the Connecticut state prison. SECT. 2. There shall be three persons appointed by the general assembly, to be styled state prison directors, each of whom shall hold office for the term of three years, and until his successor is appointed and qualified, except when he shall be appointed to fill a vacancy; and the appointment shall be so arranged that one vacancy shall occur, and one new appointment shall be made, every year, and the governor may fill all vacancies that may occur during the recess of the general assembly; and the director, or directors, appointed by him, shall hold office until the next session of the general assembly.

SECT. 3. The directors shall appoint a warden of said prison, Appointment of whenever it may be necessary, who, before entering upon the duties of his appointment, shall execute a bond, with two or more sufficient sureties, to the acceptance of the directors, payable to the treasurer