The Republican journal., 1874-12-31
ANNALS W BELFAST FOG HALF 4 CENTURY,
, \ 4 y OLD 5 ETTLEE
CHAPTER Xiv. (lSISA

SoI anu lholhaStoh HE llrst printed
despatch which came over the line from
Bangor read as follows; NOV. %, II -
A. NJ The kenduskcag stream has some
ice in it but the river is free YETI II NJ.
Bears plenty. Poultry abundant since
Thanksgiving Day. Mutton chops hot and
above par Shocks well shaken up by the
late gale Boards boarding out Tor the win
ter along shore. Fish froze up. Daguerre-
otypes taken by lightning at half price.
Sugars riz." The first printed despatch
which passed over the line from Thomas
ton was on the 3Oth it announced the ac-
cidental and instantaneous death of Edward
Merrill, brother Of Nathaniel and Curtis
B. Merrill then residing here. News by
the British steamer arrived at Halifax for
Warded by express to St Johns, passed
over the line thence to Boston and the
south on the 10th of February following
for the first time The Maine Telegraph
Company organized under its charter on
the 4th day OF January 1919. The Office
OF the Company in this place was opened
IN the second story Of the building since
known as the Telegraph Building; it re-
manned there until it was removed to the
room in McClintock's Block W here it now
is. William II. Simpson, now proprietor
OF the journal, was the first operator here.
Manasseh Sleeper, ESQ, Familiarity
known as Judge Sleeper. father of our
fellow citizens sherburn and George r.,
died this year on the 2Sth of June in his
slxty-ninth year. He was born in Poplin,
n. H., and came to this State in 1902, re-
siding for while in Bath where he taught
school for two or more years In 1914 he
came here to reside, having married a
daughter OF one Of cur earliest settlers.
Thomas Whittier, Esq, the first landlord
of the Whittier Tavern lie opened a
store in the building on Main street then
called the Edmunds shop, since that time
converted to a dwelling house and now
occupied by Messrs. Howard and K ittridge.
He removed from that to the building
which stood at the intersection of Market
and High streets, on ground now belong
ing to the North Church, of which men
ton has frequently been made in previous
chapters 1t was while he was occupying
this store that it was broken into one night
by one Morang, who had been in his en-
ployment as hostler, and quantity OF
merchandise stolen The thief was ar
rested, convicted and sent TO the States
prison. The stolen goods were accident
ally found some time afterwards partially
buried IN the forest in the town of Hope,
but so much decayed us to be yalueless
In connection with this larceny there is an
anecdote which Mr.. Sleeper was accus-
toned to tell with much gusto, although
it told rather hard on himself "Morang. !
said he to the criminal, after he WAS con-
victed ''while you was about it why didn't
you steal more goods ~ wv ell, Squire. =
was the reply, II would have taken more
dry goods but they were marked so id
high that | couldn't afford to; there wasn't
any chance for profit" After the robbery,
on the principle of docking the barn-door
after the horse is stolen" Nh Sleeper put
a lock OF extra dimensions on the store
door; any one DESTROYS OF seeing the KEY
to it can do so by calling on Mr.. Daniel
Haraden, at his store, at any time in the
day except during the "ten minutes when
he is 'at the wharf
Mr., Sleeper was for some time landlord
of the old Whittier Tavern and afterwards
of the Huse Tavern He opened the last
named to the public ON the fourth of July
1920, raised a sign bearing the Coat OF
Arms OF the new State, and gave to the
house the name of the Maine Hotel; a
name by which it was ever afterwards
known, When he left the Hotel he re-
moved to the house which he built in 1878,
at the junction Of Church and Spring
streets, now occupied by Dr. Flanders.
1t was the second house built on Church
street; the first being the one now oc-
cupied by Edwin Salmond He continued
to reside there until his decease. He was
often elected to important municipal Off
ces. In the memorable Small Pox year
he was chairman Of the board Of select
men; the onerous and delicate duties de
volved on him in that season OF excited
public feeling were performed independ-
emily and tearlessly but to the acceptance
of the community at large. He was one
Of the founders of Belfast Lodge of F. and
A. MasOns, which was chartered in 1916,
was its first Master, and delivered the first
public address before it on the Anniversary
of st. John the Baptist, 1928
After leaving the Hotel he devoted the
larger portion Of his time to surveying
land the duties of Notary Public, and
Justice OF the Peace, until the almost ex-
elusive jurisdiction of criminal offences
committed within the town was conceded
to him; he became i'll tact the Police
Court of the village. When the law
creating Town Courts was enacted he
was appointed by the Governor to the Of
fee OF Judge OF the Town Court of Bel
fast; an office which he held until com
PEELED by failing health to abandon the
discharge Of its duties. In the exercise
of his judicial duties no man ever had
reason to complain that in Judgment he
failed to remember mercy. 1t is told Of
hin, hot int w !, a, LODI
by the evidence before him to impose a
fine for violation OF the law on a party
who was so unfortunate as to be destitute
of the means to pay it, he would set him
at work in his garden and assume the
payment himself Out of this habit grew
the jocose remark, that THE Judge has
sentenced the party to two days hard
labor in his garden. His manner OF adj
ministering an oath was peculiarly inn
pressive; the following is illustrative OF
the fact He was trying a case in which
an elderly female Of not very refined
character or impressible temperament was
a witness to whom he administered the
oath in his usual manner and resumed his
seat There was deep silence pervading
the Courtroom, broken only by the ex-
clamation of the witness, My God how
solum =
Although not ordinarily sportive in his
demeanor he possessed a large fund OF
quiet humor on which he often drew,
even in the Courtroom, as the
following anecdote will show. Some boys
were brought before him charged with the
heinous offence of appropriating to their
own use certain tarbarrels for the purpose
of bonfire on the evening OF Fourth Of
July The little fellows were in a terrible /
state of trepidation, anticipating nothing
less than confinement in the county jail
as the sentence of the court Their sur
prise may be imagined when the Judge
with great solemnity, but with a merry
twinkle Of the eye, ordered them to be
discharged on giving bonds to keep the
peace against all tar-barrels for the term
of one year." AS truthful annalist it
becomes the duty Of the compiler to add |
that one of the young culprits was the
present editor of the Republican Journal |
10 this event in early life may be at
tributed his passion for the rooster, rather /