Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-01-11
For the Journal.
9lden TIme.-A Scrap OF History, No. 5.

0lden Tlme.-A Scrap OF History, No. ).
On the east side of the river, within what is
cllled the North Parish there lived some sixty
Gilley. We are not positive as to his christ
ian name, but think we are right. He was
said to be l24 years old when he died, The
writer well recollects seeing him helped out
of wagon on one occasion to cast his vote at
the State election Massachusetts them,
which was his constant practice. He having
no genealogical history of his family nor even
the record of his birth, was unable to decide
upon his precise age, but said he recollected
the great frost in Ireland which took place
when he was a boy ten years old This cir
cumstancc gave a just clue to his right age,
as it is now known that the frost alluded to
happened about two hundred years ago. The
writer was well acquainted with one of his
sons, and used to transact business with him.
We omitted to mention in its proper connec-
ton some things in relation to the Edmund
Forts affair in Vassalboro'. As soon as it
was known that the young lady was missing
WHO'LL lie InuIuclcu. thtiS was SiSat SAeiS-
ment and CONSERVATION in the neighborhood,
and many persons turned out to make dill
gent search, among whom and foremost was
Edmund Forts. After an unsuccessful search
for number of days they thought they would
try one day more. Edmund still leading the
van. 1t so happened that towards night most
of the party came together near a large log
which. lay across a small cavity in the earth.
Forts Immediately jumped upon it and said II
will hunt here and you all can proceed further.
This circumstance raised instantaneous sus-
picion, when one of the party discovered
small mound of leaves in the cavity under the
log, which he dispersed with his hands and
there found the body of the murdered girl
This event was the main feature in his con-
viction, although he afterwards made full
confession. 1t may not be out of place in this
connection to relate another event rather
more novel than tragical. There lived a
lawyer in Augusta about that time more noted
for his knowledge of the science of law than
that of agriculture. 1t so happened on one
occasion that he saw his neighbor standing in
his own little patch of cabbages which he had
previously cleared of the weeds, when the
lawyer Intercepted and said, "Mr. H
how happens it that your cabbages are
SO free from weeds when mine are entirely
overrun what shall do to clean them OUT !?
As they were on terms of great intimacy,
Mr.. H ironically answered, turn your
COW in," without the least suspicion that he
would. He did however order his servant
man to turn her in, which he did, when she
soon devoured cabbages, weeds and all The
lawyer instead of playing off some like trick
upon Mr.. H, sued him at the law and
bought up every bit Of paper he could find
against him for this purpose. Mr. H
being resolute would not pay except upon
the tail end of an execution. The result was it
cost Mr.. H about two thousand dollars to
get out of the scrape. When the lawyer had
done his best in his persecution and abuse,
Mr.. Il, holding behind him horse-whip,
soon after met W, the lawyer, in the
street, and gave him severe whipping. A
trial before Justice of the Peace resulted in
Mr.. HIS paying fifty dollars and costs.
On leaving the Court Mr.. H was heard to
say,i"cheap enough, too" Another incident
in relation to the lawyer will go to show that
he was better versed in Bigelow and Black
stone than in Agriculture. Among the stuff
he raised upon the small farm he then inn
proved were beans which he had harvested
and put upon his barn floor, but instead of
threshing them out, which would occupy only
an hour or so, he paid a man good wages per
diem to shell them out by hand, which occu-
pied him number of weeks.
We intended to say something about two or
three more items of local history in this con-
nection, such as the salmon fishery, which
was a great interest at that time, as also of
the patricians of Augusta, and one or more
others still remembered, but as we have not
the time and as your columns will be mainly
occupied during the winter with Legislative
matter, we will decline for the present with
the hope that our forthcoming history of
Augusta will be so full and complete in all
these and every other particular that it will
not be necessary for us to continue or resume
these local scraps of history. We therefore
close with the hope that what we have said
will beget strong desire in the mind of many
persons to subscribe for this popular work,
soon to be issued from the press.
AN OLD CITIZEN.