Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

150 RAMBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
ures the time, he knows the day when his friends are to
enter their prison house-he marks with feverish excitement that dreadful day when the pangs of starvation are to
commence. Accounts received gave evidence that poor
Bennett suffered the extent of the penalty imposed. This
was too much for humanity to bjear, Leigh's mind feels the
shock-but it did not at once cut him off from his regular
business. At length, however, he becomes insane, and the,name of Bennett is one the most frequent ol his lips in
his ravings. In the last century there were no,asylums for
those bereft of their reason, and the quarters of the alms2house were the best abodes to be found for those who,could not safely be kept at home. Sixty years ago, when
William Vaughan took the superintendence.of our almshouse, among the unfortunate persons under his charge was
Capt. Thomas Leigh, who had bevn a boarder in the institution for more than twenty years. His son, a distinguished
merchant of South Berwick, who bore his father's name,
did every thing for his comfort a son could do, but there
was no return of that reason which the dreadful end of
William Bennett tended to overthrow; the remembrance of
which was manifest in his violent ravings to the close of
life.
The sister of William Bennett was the grandmother of
William Bennett Parker, Es., of this city.
Joseph Leigh, who was the only brother of Thomas, was a
Commissary in the Revolution, and afterwards a shipmaster.
He was truly patriotic in his feelings, and prided himself in
being a citizen of the Republic,-the title so pleased him,
that he was better kaown as " Citizen Lee" than by any
other iame. He died about fifty-eight years ago.