The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-07-11
CAUGHT At LAST.
Arrest of a Noted Desperate.

For nearly year the coast of Maine from
| this port to Eastport has been the field for the
active operations of coast pirate who is at last
| caught. Two vessels in this harbor were strip
ped of their rigging early in the season, and on
the Dist of June 40 fathoms of rigging were
| stolen from the yacht Undine. While here the
pirate sold a lot of fish, which were stolen
| from Harpswell and cured at Sandy Point
| Early in the spring number of coastiDg YES
| sells lying in the Penobscot river where they
| were hauled up for the winter, were stripped of
| sails, rigging, chains, anchors, etc. Several
stores, post-offices and places of business in
different villages along the banks of the Pen
obscot river, have been broken into by these
outlaws. AT Winterport store and the post
office, at Bucksport Centre the post-otfice and
store, and the town liquor agency at Bucksport
village were broken into and from one to two
hundred dollars worth of the towns liquor car
ried away and deposited at one of his hiding
places. These acts becoming so frequent with
no clue to the perpetrators. about the last of
June Marshal Bridges of this city was notified
and he Immediately set about hunting up the
thieves, and in very few days he found that
one Charles G. Gray of Brooksvile, skipper of
pinkey schooner named Clemeptine, sailing
from Bucksport, was the man he wanted. and
the marshal Immediately notified Deputy
Sheriff J. W. Patterson of Buckspo,t to be on
the lookout for him. and last Sunday afternoon
he ran into the port of Bucksport, where his
wife and child are now residing. Officer Pat
terson at once called upon Constable J. P.
Ames and Gen. A. B. Squirting, formerly High
Sheriff of Hancock county, who happened to
be in town, and informed these gentlemen that
he desired their assistance in capturing this
man Gray. They readily consented to render
what assistance they could, and armed wi til a
warrant issued by Trial Justice Pillsbury the
trio sailed forth to perform the duty required
at their hands, we'll moving that the man
Gray was desperate, word having been re-
ceived from Rockland that he was a powerful
map, and had outdone several of the police
and citizens in physical contest and overpow-
cred them all and got clear.
They found his trail on one of the back
streets and followed him along down to Am
brose Whites wharf, reaching there just in
time to see him putting out in his boat, which
he had hailed, with two men pulling at the
oars. Gen. Squirting hailed him saying, 81
wish to see you" Gray answered, II will see
you next Sunday and ordered his men to pull
for life, when Gen. Squirting drew a revolver
and fred shot, commanding the men to stop,
whereupon they did. Gray then renewed his
command for them to pull, but they refused,
when he himself took the oars and pulled for
the vessel. Sheriff Patterson seeing that they
would soon reach their vessel, proposed to his
assistants-Ames and Spurling-that they take
boat and pursue them. A boat being near at
hand, they were soon out in the river, nearing
the vessel, and coming near, Gray stood with
an iron bar about three and half feet long
and large dog at his side saying, "D-n you,
I'll beat the brains out of the first man that
dares to come on board" Squirting stood in
the bow of the boat, and as the boat came
alongside Gray set the dog at him and he soon
laid out the dog with heavy cane, when Gray
raised his heavy bar and struck at the General
who parted the blow, and with left cut (cav-
airy term) be struck Gray on the head, stag
gering. him, when Squirting clinched with him,
and both being powerful men lively time was
had for few seconds. When officer Ames
went over the side on deck, Gray managed to
strike at officer Patterson and hit officer Ames,
but the bar glanced down the right arm of
Ames and just hit the hammer of Patterson's
pistol, which he had in his hand unlocked, and
exploded the charge, but no one was hit by the
ball. Gray was soon overpowered and hand
cuffed, and was taken to the shore bleeding
quite freely. On reaching the shore they pro-
ceeded to the lookup and seut for DR.. A. F.
Page, who was soon on the spot and in short
time he had the wound well dressed.
Marshal Bridges received despatch Monday
morning informing him of the arrest, and
started at once for Bucksport. He returned on
the Pullman train this morning having the
two prisoners in custody. The fish stolen at
Harpswel were the property of L. o. Prince
and s. e. Smullen. There were 500 pounds of
picked paddock and 75quintals of cod.