The Portland daily press., 1869-06-05

Somerset ............J AMES BELL.
Waldo ...............S. L. MILL-KEN.
washington. I'D. X. HOBART.
YORK. y. Bu fLER.
Republican State Commsttee.
franklin County---Someihing n5out Far
minston and its History and surrouad-
ings, Curiosities of Crime, &c.
FARMINGToN, June 8, 1869.
! TO the Editor Of The Press:
| After attending to my strict reportorial du-
ties at this place found, or rather took time
to go about the village and the immediate
surroundings and found some things that may,
perhaps, be read with interest. In passing,
must not forget the beauty of the ride from
Brunswi over the Androscoggin road, and
upon which l received very cordial attention
from Mr.. Brown, the Superintendent, and
Messrs. Golf and Anderson, veteran employees
| of the company, whose faithful services have
been so widely acknowledged and commended
during period which measures the whole
life of the enterprise.
At Lisbon Falls there is to be a decided at
tempt to build up larger manufacturing in
terest, a canal is soon to be begun which will
make a vast water-power available. And all
the way up the river there are water powers
of almost measureless capacity that only
await the application of capital and skill.
Livermore Falls is another inviting place, but
l regret that there IS no immediate promise
of enlargement of business. This whole val
ley, clear up to Sandy River, is fruitful for
farming and rich in other wealth, as well.
The Granite Quarry at Jay should be more
generally worked. The supply is inexhausti-
BILE, and we expect some day to find vast
business made profitable there.
The season, after all, is forward, and the
| air was laden with the matchless perfume ol
first June days. Frdit trees were whitening
into blossom and the hllsides and valleys
were gorgeous 10 velvet green. Perhaps il
was more grateful to me because had not
before, this season, been among the hills and
| farms of the interior.
Pennington 1 had seen only once be-
fore and this was IN the dead of winter
A different place it is now. doubt i
there is a prettier inland town in the State
1t clusters in the entrance of the valley and
behind it is a wal of hills. The villag,
has grown greatly since the railroad
was built, and is still growing. Near
ly one hundred houses We're built last year,
was told. An the Dwellings, are patterns o
neatness and thrift, and there is a large meas
ure Of wealth among the people. 1t is sal,
that, at a valuation of fifty per cent, on'
man in seven in the town pays a tax ON S.,
600. The whole surrounding country il
thrifty and pays tribute here, and will so Ion:
as this is the railway terminus, which it mus
be for many years to come. / cannot prais,
inunbounded measure the public spirit of tn,
people, for the most beautiful commons eve
saw are, like certain consciences, void OF
fence. The beautiful one in front of th,
"Forest Hotel,' where thrive under the car
OF my friend Milliken, Is planted with maple
OF surprising beauty, but the fence has 81
long ago crumbled away that new surye
could alone determine the boundaries l d
not know whether this is any of my busines
or not, but it strikes me that it is F! and move
by the strongest impulses of good wishes
have dared to express my surprise that thi
one token of neglect is not removed, tha
harmony might come to one of the mos
beautiful spots ON this earth.
Last evening, as the sun was sinking,
climbed to the top of Powder House Hill
where I could see eighteen miles of the Sand
River Valley. 1t is worth journey there t
see such a sight. Twelve miles further up
the deepest snowdrifts still lie in the ravines
but here the leaves are larger than hay
seen elsewhere this season. 1t is not para
disc, but poets would call il so. Ava
in the west is Mt. Abraham, whose bold side
are edged about with ermine, and it was
notable sight when the lightning playe
among the black clouds that hung abolt it. /.
A little way to the left is Mount Blue, til
first land made by the ocean steamers ap
preaching the northern coast, 1t was upol
this grand old mountain that Professor Bach
made SO long stay and first made use of tn
great telescope sent on by the government
Among the people who camped here will
him was Jefferson Davis, a1d the peopl
hereabouts relate many anecdotes of tha
party. One gentleman who was there upoI
the occasion, told me that the names OF steam
ers plying the Penobscot were distinctly mad
out, and that ships were seen a hundre,
miles beyond Portland.
There are not many ancient institutions il
this town, but some of considerable interes
on account of age. Opposite of where
write is the old Presbyterian Church, nov
used for Court House. a gentleman sittin:
beside me says he can remember the colt
winters long aso during which the people
worshipped there without any attempt a
heating the great room. The stove was sup
piled only a few years ago. So it would
seem that such things are not left to the i'm
agination of Mrs. Stowe and others who have
latterly pictured early life in New England
i The Jail, or rather the old part of it, has
something of interest about it. The lower
cells are two-thirds under ground, and are
built of immense blocks of unheWn granite
In one is the bolt and chain put in to tame
Doyle, the murderer of the little girl il
Strong, whose case will be well remem-
bered. At present there are only two occu-
pants. and will tell you about them.
boy Frenchman three years ago rob.
bed the express office here of $500, and
got away to Canada. A few weeks ago he
returned into the vicinity, and without call
ing in the aid cf officers at all he was taker
to the jail-virtually giving himself. up.
asked him how he came to return and he said
| he "ddn't feel right about it." He will have
to lie there until September before his ease
can be inquired into.
1 The other case is one of the most interest
ing in all the "curiosities of crime.v Jesse
Wright killed neighbor by the name Of
Tuck, ten years ago, in Phillips. They quar-
relied about some sheep, and meeting one
day they had an alteration when Wright
shot him. He was tried and convicted Of
murder and sent to Thomaston where he