Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-03-16
n, Peek nernlr,,ion.

i'te W N' Nomuhttco WI Ahc he'a'S'hv"
Ol u. ID. Peek aud his confession;
| shall shrink from 40 responsibility m
th,. matter. neither shall | tndeavur IN
shift from my own shoulders any blame
which rightiully belongs to me TO bear. ]
am The sinner IN those matters before all
Others. ought % have had frmness
enough 10 have resisted ~ temptations 10
misapprupria,e the Tubhc funds. whether
ihcss temptations came h. hondsmen or from
whatever quarter they came.
By papers which herewith present, you
vail 80 what = catering exhibit WIS
presented Of 'pecdy receipts and large prof
us by men who | Supposed then. and sup.
pee now. were compeivui to Judge. and 20
know whereof ihcy affirmed. These receipts
and thee profits. have not Lccn rralitd.
henco an before YOU to-day IN the la.
initiating position IN which ! End uysrli.
Il ia. hccu saii--Indsed the public mind Is
vcry generally entertaining: the belisi-that
have hSen brough, into This ruinous..pccu'
laiion hy my Partners. who Cat, not ,Or
mo. NOR Tor The IL. which thy boud.mcn
and ths State may suffer un nv acc1unt.
onN wish 10 state tie precise ruth ~ this
connection. and leave you and the public
a. Judge how that may b. ln the hrst
place. then. dill not. and am confident
nay partners did not. enter upon this enter
rri.1 with the intention g. take u single
dollar from IN treasury 10 carry u on.
TIT, enterprise IVES carried on mainly
from funds raised upon notes Of my own
and notes furnished me 10y my associates.
which my credit and my position cnatlei
the b use i1un no dihculty, generally.
in raising money ~ the banks where kept
NV dep,,lts, even upon notes that were OF
doubtful character DO not sly that !
dil not. at any time. take money iTom the
treasury AMI employ Il IN this Canada or.
,ratiun hscaus, that would not bc true. |
d,d ~ frequently. hus always sought 10 -
place IL by the di.couuting OF notes, and 10y
placing tie proceeds VI lheso notes o. my
credit as treasurer.
repeat here that lii not commence
iii. enterprises with the Deliberate intention
at hkins t~inelc dollar from the treasury
in carving il on. had no doubt AZ tic
start. that could with my private means
and nv credit. carry forward nv part Of
the money without trouble
$3.50 AZ the commencement of this
cuicrpiisr. some Vt ms associates agreed 10
furnish muncy or - equivalent IN aii OF
the operation. some OF them have iurnisa'
ed notes aud securities. hut none Of them
have furnished money. do not say that
any vt tho men associated With me IN thu.
business advised mo O. Use. iu any instance.
the State funds IN tie ,ut,tIri-, They
dil not Whether they knew that | was
dong 10. you can JUDGE S,mo ct them
have rendered me very essential AID IN rails.
ing money on note. and checks aud all oi
thcm have seemed DESTROYS ~ bel me in e'.
cry way.
Evidence urrouE iuT covvIr-tE.
The Canada speculation w,s the great
feature u tic hl,,ti'n. Tho Witnesses
80 testified concerning this transaction
were Dadlcy I. lea,lI, Gep VI. Weston,
Th,orhiius Cushins, Amor Il. llal''S u.
and George T.. Sm,ih. lta'.,.rF 'h-t o.
lsi- Ir1uard Jones ani Ahuct 4 ''.' "a.
ell ot Bangor. corrc.pUndsd with L-a.ri
Scallsn of Industry Village, canada East.
o. purchase Ut bm timber "limiis' on the
As.umreion tiysr l~a,itt trclmc inter.
o.i.i M the PROJECT, and 10 lsjN he ssni an
explorer O. s.ccriain ,hc value ol tie land.
I.aayit lad 4. Inyersed with Weston about
too speculation a. early as June. 1857. aud
Wet became interested ia tie enterprise.
Soon after llallov,ll Tro, lrgd from Salhn
= ruiusai or tho int I,st OF llallJNcll,
ISa,ilt and Jones, N,ssun became a Iart.
u.r, aud thus there Vas - partnership oi
four 10 the refusal" Of this great pur-
CHASE. There was almost no capital m The
y hole sQgal LrA,iii t,.i.lr' tu th' COM
m. tl,.--' ~ Co capital. bal nuu0 wc
did uotr a'y Uu NC.. ID iuni,h any
Jones c0.l u.s. oulaIi much means
Ilal,1wsIl could have made tie fret cash
payment D.. 10 bad lscn isposcd. 'ut iva
not ,xI c,,I g., il... and lhey looked round
Tor somebody Who uad money 20 sn.bl,
them O. carry ou their scheme
Weston va. thr iir, 90 discover thc pig
con whom They might Iluck. lie 'ay-that
10 July. ISIS, be- VS. informed that Mr..
Peek lad four 90 I've thousand dollars
Which Dc would ike e. INJECT n land'.
Just tlcn. ~ a r,markabls coincidence @
Weston had Letters from lea,Iit and Hal.
Lowell. c1,Dllins the Canada lands. With
tbc., letters Weston pictured golden spec
ula,i0n 10 Peck. AZ which {. victim snap
ped a, once. aud after having lad an inter.
view with llall0wcli. iuals the fret pay.
m,ut ui 5000 IN tao u.Gral check. Iial.
lowell. lot one check cash,d, took $4,000
%. Lea,,tt's notes. payable IN $500. ]. :, j,
aud I Tor $500 each. and went O. Canada
and bought the property Tor $4,000. Tic
verbal aye, ment Was, that ~ Pcck vas all
the munsycd man t) ia tho corr IN, tie
title should ycst in him alone, and the 9th
o. partic. were 20 b. secured hy paper,
from him. lie made the 9th partner, and
NJ Thc0philus Gushing. Of Frankfort. an
experienced lumhrTmgu. was made the siIth
partner. Who was 10 participate equally IN
the profits. and TO have SlSO0 year for
managing tie property. The agreement
was. that alter r,ck VAS reimbursed. zach
partner shnuld receive one.sitih Of the net
profits An Obligation 10 this elect was
given hy Peek g. each OF the partners.
Peck and smith Afterwards bought out
Jones. - that Peck owned fourth and
Smith twelfth OF thi, property, which
cOnsi.IeI OF permits 10 cut timber on 200
square miles Of land on ihr Assumption r,.
rr. ~ miles from It's confluence with the
~. L,wsncc. and mil lite and an old
mill n miles IRON the ~. Lawrence, and }
from Industry Village.
In August, 1858, Peck, Leayitt, Gushing
aud IlallOwell went 10 Carada and made
arrangements 10 erect now steam mill,
with capacity 10 manufacture five millions
ol lumber IA season. Mr. Cushing re.
NAMED on the ground To- manage the affair,
and up To December 10, 1889. the enor'
nous sum Of sos l73, Co was laid out here,
's.d,s the original 5000 advanced by
Peck. and 10000 more advanced by him To
anticipate the LraUtt Notes h,ld ~ Seal.
lau, who va. willirg 10 sell them for -
PER o-nt IN tie summC. Il 1850. T. this
mus, O, add,d a note OF $500 given for
saws. AID $1,000 reserved by Cushing from