The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-05-05
The ArOosto0k Tragedy.
FULL AND AUTHENTIC PARTICULARS OF THE
SHOCKING cRI,IE-THE LYNcHING BY DIS
GUISED MOB.

Under the date of May LIST, the Presque Isle
Sunrise extra says:
This morning the whole chapter of awful and
astounding facts burst upon our community.
Terrible as we apprehended the facts to be. the
reality excelled even the worst apprehension.
We give the narration, as we have with care
collected the facts. As soon as it was known at
the mil. what had happened, men started for
the camp. On arriving there they found it
burned, and all there was to be found of the re-
mains of Mr.. Hayden and Mr.. Hubbard were
few bones, all of which would not weigh ten
pounds. Some keys which Mr.. Hayden had in
his pocket were found in the ashes. The men
who visited the camp returned to the mill about
o'clock in the evening, with what remained of
the two men.
The camp belonged to Swanback, made of
dry cedar logs covered with splits, and occupied
for making shingles According to Swanback' $
statement he was in his camp when Cullen
came there towards night, Monday. Early in
the evening Mr.. Hayden arrived with Hubbard
and Bird in pursuit of Cullen. Mr.. Hayden
was much exhausted, decided to stop at the
camp until morning Previous to his retiring
to sleep he took Cullen out of doors and told
him that he had warrant for his arrest, as it
is supposed he would be frightened and leave
the country. They, all, however lay down to
sleep. About daylight Swanback was aroused
by hearing blows, which proved to be Cullen
inficting blows upon the persons of Mr.. Hay
den and Hubbard. 1t is impossible to know
just what the wounds were, but they were, no
doubt, what strong and perfectly reckless and
desperate man could inf1ict with sharp axe
upon two defenceless men sleeping side by side.
Swanback seeing what was going on fled from
the camp. Bird, who is mere boy, attempted
to follow him, but was met by Cullen with axe
uplifted, when Bird said, edo not kill me-"
upon which he dropped his axe replying, 81
will not if you do as tell you and not tell
about this" He then placed the two dead
bodies upon the fire which had been burning
during the night, lit is common in these camps
to keep fire through the night. Cullen then
piled dry hard wood upon them, with quite
quantity of dry cedar, rolled cut some barrels
of flour and pork belonging to Swanback, and
setting the camp on fire left in company with
Bird and Swanback, all the time threatening
that if they informed of him he would kill
them. Having got nearly out of the woods,
they got away from him and gave the alarm
Cullen was found about ten O'clck in the
forenoon, in the cellar ofDSamuel Williamson's
house in Castle Hill at which place is his wife
and Child. He was brought to Balls Mill,
where he made full confession of all he had
done, and said repeatedly: "He was glad he
had done So" About nine o'clock in the even
ing, what could be found of the remains were
brought to the mill village, and Cullen, in view
back and Bird if he could"
The people had become terribly exasperated
with him. About ten o'clock, b. j. Hughes,
constable of Mapleton, who had Cullen in his
keeping. with guard of six men, among whom
were DIR. Parker and James Phair of this vii
lage, started for this place with the prisoner
| About one-half mile this side of the mill, and
seven miles from this village, they were sud
denly surrounded, as DR.. Parker judges, by
| seventy-iye men in disguise, who seized and
held Mr.. Hughes, also the Doctor and others of
the guard, and Selling Cullen, dragged him
out of the wagon and very short distance into
| the woods, and hung him to a tree DR.. Parker
says it was all the work of a very few minutes,
nor could any one tell who were the perpetra-
| tors. A circle was formed around him SO that
no one could approach him until he was dead,
when he was put into box and brought to
this village.
This terrible tragedy, which in all its horrors
was never equaled probably in New England,
never before known. Mr.. Hayden was one Of
| our best citizens, who has lived in this town
from his childhood, universally respected and
beloved. He leaves wife and child, father
mother, and numerous other relatives. He was
of the firm of Hayden & Pratt, merchants, had
been for years Deputy Sheriff, faithful and
true in all the relations of life, and we could
hardly lose more valuable citizen. His age
was 36 years.
Mr.. Hubbard was recently from st. Adams
in Somerset county. He had taken up land in
| Chapman, for the purpose of making farm,
and was known to many of our citizens as a
very worthy young man. We hear that he was
| the only support Of widowed mother His
age was about % years
Cullen, who was twenty-seven years of age,
was from New Brunswick, and belongs to a
family OF rough and hard men. 1t is said his
reputation was very bad in the Province, and
that he came here because he could not safely
remain there. lie has been in the vicinity OF
| the place where he committed the crime some
| two years. Those who knew him best saw q
was regarded by them as q reckless and danger
GUS man. Those who knew less about him re-
| garded him as quiet and inoffensive. Probably
Mr.. Hayden had no idea of his reckless charac-
ter, or he would not have afforded him the OPP
portunity to commit the dreadful dead
| We cannot close our account of the terrible
| tragedy without putting on record our earnest
| condemnation of the summary vengeance which
has been inflicted upon Cullen. For him per-
| sonally we care not straw. We share in the
deep grief of our whole community over the
death of the worthy and good We sympathize as
| deeply as any one with the family and friends of
| our murdered neighbor and townsman. But
nothing can justify or excuse any person be-
coming one of mob for the purpose of taking
the life OF another in cold blood, however val
| ueless or dangerous that life may be.
| Amidst the oppressive sorrow under which
we write, we have ray of pleasure in saying
| that no citizen of Presque Isle is suspected OF
| being party to that mob 1t was done seven
miles from this village. Who they were, we
have not the remotest idea, and personally we
wish never to know. But we hope THAT whe -
this excitement shall be allayed, and men
minds shall become capable Of sober reflection,
that our Sheriff, County Attorney, AtCoano y
General and Courts will vindicate the laws u
our State and teach lawlesS men OF every oiaoS
that they cannot take human lie Will inip'n'