The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-04-07


the History of Doddletown when it becomes prop
er to treat of its
SUBDIVISIONS.
They are four in number, namely, The Forks, |
skunks Landing, Swamp Hollow, and The Falls. |
The population of Nutmeg Ridge is 80 scattered
that 1t IS not regarded subdivision of the town
in truth it amounts to little more than vulgar
fraction; and decidedly vulgar one at best. The
villages at The Forks, skunk's Landing. and |
swamp Hollow have legitimate right to claim that
they are covered with the cobwebs of antioutv,
that at The Falls is Of more modern oriein it was
not conceived until long after Doddletown was |
born.
The Forks is so called from the fact that it is the
point from which the two great thorouehE.res one
leading to Skunk's Landing, the other to Swamp |
Hollow, diverge; not exactly at the same angle as
the tines OF fork, but ut angle that varies with
the time OF day an acute angle until afternoon and
approxlmating to mixed angle until midnight
after that hour it assumes serpentne character
10 prevent any Misrepresentation, NAV AS well
add that it is the point to which the thorouchfares
before named converge; at this point the Linuor
Agency is kept.
Inc Forks is the metropolitan village of thu town
Here we have two dry-goods stores, eight w. /.
goods and groceries, shoemaker's and one
blacksmiths shop, one public house-thc Dodde
town Hotel-tWo doctors, no LAWYER the Old Red
School-house, used for town meetings caucusses
conventions, &C., one meeting house. and the
Liquor Agency. 1 must not omit to mention that
here also is the Post Office over the ,estin es of
Which, as you are well aware, although YOUR read
ers may not be, your correspondent and. in his ab
sence, Mrs. Doddes presides.
Here also is the Town Library; containing
among other valuable books the Revised statutes
the Acts and Resolves of the Legislature passed
since that volume was compiled - the works of
SylVanus Cobb, Jr-a complete set of the ..Saynos
OF Schoonck,' the celebrated Persian Philosonhnr
in twenty-three volumes, folio,-Walker's Diction
ary-Reports of the Patent Onice-Helpcr's Crisis
an odd volume of the Congress sional Globe-spec
linens of books left for examination hv trnvolIino
school-book agents. broken sctt of the Farmers
Almanac, Sc.
1t is here also that the Forks I.yccum "and the
'DoddetoWn Ladies' rack-whcel and pinion cork
screw Union" hold their regular meetings of these
associations may have occasion to speak hereaf-
ter; perhaps furnish you with phonographc re-
ports of their proceedings.
These are not the only associations located at The
Forks. We have another styled the " Secret Ser
vice Club" the Constitution and Bylaws of which
provide that every member shall make himself
thoroughly ac1 uainted with the business the out
gongs and incomings Of all his neghbors The
members are divided into three Committeeman
equal number on each denominatcd the Peeking
committee, the Smelling Committee and the Com
mlttce on Social Evils. Your correspondent il Il
member of this Club et-oHcio
lhe principal cmpl oymcnt Of the people at The
Forks, aside from the discharge of their duties rs
members OF the before named associations consists
Ill attending political caucuses keeping 9 reckon
ing OF the voters on the checklist discussing crops
and the affairs of the nation passing Resolutions at
town meetings, and holding Office. The employ
meht last named has so exclusively occupicdthe timed
and thought of your correspondent, that he has been
compelled to abstain entirely from the methods
adopted by some of his simple but well-meanino
fellow men, to earn what they call san honest iv-
ing without sublectng mySeif to the impuaton
OF Vanty would here remark. that the sclf.sacri-
flcmg disposition of some people is really lstonsll-
ing.
/ Next to The Forks, in population and business
is Skunk Landing, located about one and one
fourth miles to tn South of u.s. The occpation of
the people at that llagc is almost exclusively
Hdrttme. do not mean by this remark that they
are polygamists but it would be next to impossible
to lind among them so litary adult, male or female
unmarried; hence We look to Skunk's Landing as
the " reserve fund.- on which Doddctown, in rase
OF emergency, may draw for population.
| The Landing Is situated about one mile above
tide-waters, on the westerly side of Snake River
which has its sou rec in Swamp Hollow and is fed
by the numerous str cams flowing into it from Nut
meg Ridge. The exact amount of tonnage hang
from it does not appear in the official returns from
the Custom House; probably from the fact that it
| continually changing from year to year. the btlsi-
ness in which it is employed-the Horll-Pout Fish
eries-being very uncertain n well as perilous.
The number of quntas of that valuable marine
product cured annually on 0 Id Skunk's lish-lakes
may be ascertaned by examination of the statistics
compiled at the Treasury Department, and extern
sively distribu ted under the frank of Members of
Congress. Since the repeal of the Act emitted "au
act to encourage the taking of horn-pout in Snake
River" the catch has gradually diminished; but
under the benign influence of the act providing that
:" one sculpin is equal in weight and measure
to two horn-pouts," it is believed that the hardy
mariners of Skunk's Landing Will venture farther
cut to SEQ, and that business will revive.
| There has been Il suspicion to use the mlel
toTl, pIeVallIllp IOF some Lle That the business of
| smuggling" is carried on somewhat extensively
| at the Landing; originating, probably. from the
fact that the liquors in there for medicinal and
mechanical purposes of !; superior quality to
those kept for sale at the Agency. As Il truthful
historian, am constrained to express my convc-
ton that there is in reality no foundation for the
suspicion. How can any intelligent mind enter
tain different belief when the fact that the Gus
tom House is located there is taken into considera-
ton! To carry the business of smuggling at
SUCH locality would be, in the language of Pope's
Essay ON Man, "bearding the lion in his ,lcn"
Beside that, a wholesome fear of punishment would
deter the boldest of the Skunks from Il violation of
the Revenue Law, for at Skunk's Landing resides
the only gentleman of the legal profession in town
Lawyer Spoopsy.
Next in seniority and population comes Swamp
Hollow. The principal employment of the residents
at this village is the cultivation of gar,en-sace and
music The longest cucumbers, the largest cab
bages, the earliest peas, the sweetest corn, the
Juciest tomatoes and the driest squashes you find
III your market are raised in Swamp Hollow. The
Swamp Hollow Brass Band, as you are well aware
has worldwide reputation. Here is Il meeting