Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1855-02-16


a small sized. inirln and feeble man
who besides being clergyman, was
protessed non-resistant, knocked hin
down and repeated their blows till inter
rup.ed by others. The excitemen
through the whole town was electrical
and universal, and was not quelled ant
scarcely received any abatement for sew
eral days. The office Of the Landmark
was attacked. and an attempt made te
burn it down; even the editor Of ths
Landmark seemed greatly intimidated
and as an excuse, denied that he hac
ever read the dream" before it went te
press.
Up to the next Wednesday. not news
paper had taken any notice Of this extra
ordinary and reprehensible movement
except the Boston Recorder; which bare
ly and ,imdly mentioned, that there had
been such an excitement in Salem, anc
iu,imating that agitators were carrying
matters too far.
The Lyna Record was published the
next Wednesday, four days after the at
tack. The editor before writing on the
subject, reflected moment with heavy
heat on the criminal cowardice, and
remissness of the newspapers, in passing
unnoticed such an act of violence and
breach Of the public peace, and the heavy
responsibility which mi ght fall on alone ;
and reasoned with himself thus-"Shall
| do my duty on this trying occasion, OF
ingloriously shrink from it, as all the
others have done! l WILL DO Ir-"fat
justitia, ruat cocium."
With these views, after deciding TO
pnblish the Dream, in spite Of all the
threats Of prosecution, he sat down and
wrote nearly a column and half, view.
ing the subject OH all sides, and treating
the representations and arguments o: the
Salem papers, sometimes seriously some
times SO ironically and sarcastically, and
in such manner as to make them appear
irresistabIy, and in high degree, rldicu'
lous. This leading editorial was head
ed The Salem Outrage" thus throwing
the responsibility Oh the town Of Salem,
and no, merely on Ham and his comrades
as the Salem journals had declared, that
all the people there were of one Of one
mind on this subject.
The article is TOO long for insertion
here, hvt something Of the style, man.
ner and spirit Of it, may be seen in the
brief extracts which here follow:
THE SALEM OUTRAGE.
"The ancient town of Salem seem:
destined 10 be the seat Of violence ant
disorder. Another instance Of daring
outrage, unparalleled in this part Of the
country-ot personal and savage vlo
lence, an assault committed upon cler
gyman, in the open street, occurred il
that devoted town on Saturday last
which we hope will NEE, with merlted
rebuke. AS lawless violence is lifting
up its head in various forms, IN murders
mobs, riots, and personal assaults, let the
supremacy OF the law be proclaimed, and
its salutary correcilves dealt out with all
unspariug hand. Our boasted liberty is
getting to be farce-our Bill Of Rights
a dead letter.
The ostensible cause Of this outrage
we understand, was communication
published in the Landmark of the Bis
ult in the form of dream or allegory
which we have copied nlo this paper, ell
tiled Enquire at Amos Giles Distilery,
which was supposed by some to alude
10 a. certain Deacon in that neighborhood
who was distiller Of New England rum
This, however, appears TO US impossible
The dream appears TO be a high
wrought and highly ingenious fiction,
full OF Imagination, clothed in bold fgu'
ra,ive language. II it applied to any
real person and case-if there did really
exist, in this age of Temperance reform,
deacon of a Christian church, who had
taken from the hungry the staff Of life
whose employment was converting a
wholesome article Of food into liquid
poison, on an extensive scale, and deal.
ing out destruction to his fellow-beings,
for money, while one and another Of his
own family and friends, were falling
victims in the general ruin--who then
to cover over the glaring iniquily Of this
internal traffic. added the hypocrisy o.
selling bibles also-(rum and bibles y
the fury Of the people in that usually
peaceful town. we are very sure. would
be directed against the vile destroyer o
his race. the rum.selling deacon himself
and no, agains, the exemplary christian
who had the commendable honesty ,e
tell the truth, and warn the victims o
.her danger. But we cannot suppose /
possible that such state of things cou!t
exis, in a civilized community at th'
present day. None but madman vii
throw about fire. We must believe IN ;
dream.
Ii the allegory applied to no one, theI
no one need feel himself injured
Whether i, did or did not, it could fur
nish no justification for this brutal attack
II it was inpudent, uni ast or unlawful
public sentimen, would have corrected
the error, il that would not, the Law
would. The newspapers aud the Courts
of justice were open to the affected party
We know nothing Of the 'distiller. II
this case bat we do know that rum ina
king, rum selling run drinking deacon
Gather Abraham!) we're tor long TIM