The Republican journal., 1874-02-12
ANNALS 0F BELFAST FOR NALF A GENTUff.
BY AN OLD SETTLER.
CHAPTER VII. (lSO7.)

| os.A -
der date Of July 7th, 1907 ''was attended
with much buster and stir The Company
Of Artillery and Cavalry turned out, and
there was a public. dinner at the Hall Of T.
Whittier, Esq. General Timer and Major
iona. Wilson made their appearance in
uniform r'-Gcnerals, Colonies and Majors
were not as plenty as in these days All
the territory embraced in the present
counties of Waldo. Hancock, Penobscot,
and Washington was within the limits of
the Tenth Division of the Militia of Mas
sachusetts, and General George Timer
was the first OF that rank, probably
who ever made an appearance in uniform
before the eyes of the good people of the
place, Gen. Timer was a man of note in
his day. He resided in Lincolnviile and
| represented that town in the Legislature.
He was Senator from Hancock before the
| Separation, and in the first Legislature that
convened after Maine became a State lie
was once Sheriff of the county, and early
as Major General on being appointed by
| President Madison to the command of the
troops at Fort Sullivan, Passport with the
title of Colonel-commandant He was
succeeded Is Major General by Gen David
Cobb Of Revolutionary fame.
For some years prior to 1907 CONSIDER
aI.I l., |, 4 /
Proprictors of the Wild lands, as they were
termed, lying between the PcnobScot ard
kennebec rivers and the settlers ON those
lands Some of those settlers had gone
into possession under conveyaces from in
diyiduals who assumed 10 be the owners
of the soil, but in reality were not others.
under verbal license, or contracts to pur-
chase, the conditions Of which they found
themselves unable TO perform; others had
knowing what parties held the title, act
ing on the belief that when the rghttul
owners did appear they should be able to
| procure title TO their land at n fair price ;
the last named class We're denomnated
'squatters' Il was not always an easy
matter for the settler TO decide, in the null
| titude Of conflicting claims, what party
really held the title with whom he might
safely negotiate In many instances the
| proprietoIs Of lands We're not disposed to
trade with parties who had taken up lots
| i,,i,
We're regarded fair and reasonable Next
in course Of time followed suits at law
/ brought by proprletCrs to eject settlers
| from their lands and next, opposition and
in some instances organized resistance to
the service Of legal process, and to the eX-
ercse of the ordinary acts OF ownership
by proprietors Surveyors sent on by them
to make surveys of lots, officers attempt
ing to execute legal process, We're resisted
and in some instances assaulted hy parties
disguised as Indians Some Of the earlier
settlers of Greene Plantation We're Of one
OF the other Of the classes before named,
and were known as 'Greene Indians" An
agent Of some OF the proprietors was as
saulted by parties thus disguised and
severely beaten the horse of an officer who
was attempting to serve legal process was
shot under him. The lawyers who brought
these suits Of eiectment for proprietors
and the officers employed to serve them
resided in this place, and it was not strange
that they We're regarded hy Che squattcrs
as in league with the proprietors who
We're adopting measures which in their
view were unjust and oppressive; neither
was it strange under the circumstances
that there should exist to some extent 4
feeling Of hostility against Belfast This
Very briet and imperfect statement is neccs-
sary in explanation of the local excitement
| which pervadpd the little community here
tor the greater part OF night and which
| Is still referred to occasionally as the
Serene Indian War; it might, with much
I greater propriety be styled the 'Greene
| Indian Scare There is some slight diff
ference in the recollection Of our Oldest
| inhabitants az to the time when it occur
red the conclusion arrived at Is that it
wa in l80.
One Of the most prominent Of the Set
tiers in the Plantation had been arrested
| by an officer residing here for an alleged
breach of the peace, OF violation OF the
law, and brought here on his way to the
| i1i1 If { tat in tba IaN-
and the wind being untayorable fol the
packet TO cross the Bay, lie was placed in
charge of keepers for the night Such an
event was not of frequent occurrence and
Of itself created some little excitement
that excitement was increased by a report
which began to circulate about sunset that
men disguised rs Indians had been seen
| skullling in the woods and stealing across
the road Just beyond Wilson's Hill Fuel
was added to the fire by still another re-
| port, purpolting TO come from ''ont back,
that the Greene Indians We're coming in to
rescue the prisoner and burn the village a
| remark from the prisoner to the effect that
| ii9 N'fPclA Noui'il h'Gl' nun more tiis'h
fifteen minutes after midnight, famed the
fire; and when soon after dark the report
OF 4 gun here and there in the woods, or
among the stumps on the side-hill was
heard, the whole village was ablaze The
fighting men turned out fully armed and
equipped, pickets were sent out, guards
| stationed, and every precautionary meas
ure taken to guard against q surprise and
to repel any attack that might be made
One highly excited individual, intent on
rallylng to the-tlont every available man,
came upon another y more phlegmatc
temperament who was very deliberately
mixing his glass of toddy; Selling the