Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-06-02
A PAUPER SETTLEMENT.

Maine has Il singular illustration Of the
tendency OF mankind to relapse into bar
barism whom cut of from the influences
Of association. More than forty years
ago, family named Bubor lett Lewis
ton, and took to the continuous woods
where rolls tho Dead river. Whether
they were disgusted with the world aud
longed to be at rest, or thought to lay
tho foundations of a thriving colony by
going whore land was to be had by tho
square mile with no one To dispute the
title but wild cats and owls, We know
not; but they penetrated into the forest
prmeva far from habitations of othe
men, and built n log hut. In the course
OF years applications began to reach tho
authorities OF Lewiston from the settle
ment of Rahgely, for indemnity for re-
lief furnished to the Bubiers. They were
some miles from that settlement, but RS
it was the nearest organized community
they had obtained assistance from 1t, and
such authorities as the plnce boastrd ot
made application to Lewiston for indem-
nifty. This .hing went on Tor some ycar-.
Lewiston sent sometimes 500 sometimes
5000, sometimes more and sometimes less,
in n year to its tar of paupers, at the CaI(
Of tho seectmen OF Rangely. Finally
the Lewiston overseors of the poor con-
Guided to investigate the condition of tho
lost tribe and to bring such paupors II,
they felt called on to support to tho fold
at home, that is, to the almshouso under
their supervision.
| They set out for tho northern woods in
person. They reached the borders of cl-
vilzalion and passed the last lone hamlet,
| they followed lumber trail until it di.
minished to a squirrel track and ran up
tree, and then, with tho help of a guide
who knew the Bubiers, they made their
way into the forest primeval near Saddle
back mountain. Finally tho huts aul
novels of the Bubiers were reached, scat
tered about in the patches of cleared land
which they had made. Hero they found
the effects of lodging in n vast wilderness.
The vagrant family had increased and
multiplied into several families, iuclud-
ing over fifty persons, and was dwelling
in ahjoct povorty, utter Ignorance aud
unconquerable sloth The log houses
were shabby, Glthy and unprovidcd with
anything that could contribute to human
comfort. One OF them consisted Of tWu
rooms, Of which one was occupied by II
COW and the other by man, his wife aud
five children. The COW had tho best of
it. There was no furniture except blocks
and pieces OF logs, no clothing but shred'
and patches, no provisions but II peck OF
potatoes, and the filth and vcrmin wcro
sickening. Other families were scarcely
better off. But one person IN the whole
plantation could read, and he wouldn't.
n ot book or scrap OF printed paper was
to be found in the place. Mono of tho
younger generation had ever been to tho
nearest town, and rumors OF unsuccess-
ful war had never reached the place. Its
denizens were profoundly ignorant Of tho
world, and utterly devoid of either re-
lgion or morality. Virtue and decencV
were unknown. Whisky had never found
its way into that retreat, but tobacco wa,
the only luxury for which the people
would make an effort. They obtained u
precarious subsistence from such scanty
crops us their lazy habits prompted them
to obtain, and from the game OF the DOR
est and the fish Of the Dead river. \
few cedar shingles were the only pro-
duet OF industry which they ever sold,
and for that they obtained chiefly tobac-
co. Men and women alike smoked their
black pipes, and INDUCED in filth OF l,u.
guage and OF conduct and, in short, tho
Bublers, under Ithe benign influence Of
nature aud solitude, had relapsed into "a
barbarism more depressing than that y
the sayages that dwelt in those woods
three centuries ago.
Two Of these families have been
brought forth from the wilderness aud
lodged in the Lewiston almshouse, and
the rest are sadly in need OF missionaries.
The women who were brought away
showed that the better instincts OF humul
nature were moi dead within them. Thei,
chiet solicitude was lest their childre
should be taken from them. and the
were glad when told that the neglect
little ones would be sent TO school. "
know of no more striking illustration
the effects Of retiring to lodge in som
vast wilderness, or being placed beyol
the influences of society, than is afford
by the sad effects upon the Bubior fam
ly Of living full generation and mo
in the woods of Maine Boston Gtol