Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-02-27
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Foot Prints In The History OF Maine.
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When Madame de Guercheville was
moved To send the gospel TO the be-
niahted Indians, they had no religion.
They believed in a good spirit, and In an
evil; but in general. these were confused
in one. Hookon0ek was their word. to
signify the devil.
The Indians found the French to be i'm
bued with good spirit, and in return. the
French found the Indians to be docile and
friendly. and strong In their attachments
TO their friends. They lived with them af-
fectionately as brothers, and coniidingly
travelled among them. The English. seem
ingly possessed OF an evil spirit. treated
them as the outcasts Of creation. They
would cheat them, kidnap and sell them As
slaves. They sold. in Spain. for sl0O each.
They caught. and hung them at the yard
arm for "the fun Of It," Bye and bye. the
terrible days OF retaliation. came. The
hideous war-wboop was heard tomahawks
CLEANED, villages blszed; blood flowed !;
women shrieked beneath the war-club
The English. with these scenes OF ruin and
wos. outspread before them, began 70 real
ize.
That the most terrible Of terrors
Is man himself In his wild wrath"
Early In sixteen hundred, . terribl e
plague, fatal As the "black DEATH" swept
over Maine, which annIhilatsd many OF the
Indian tribes. Not enough were left to
bury the dead, and their carcasses were
lett above ground for wolves and crows to
prey upon. This loathsome scourge-
either small pox, or yellow fever-was the
most fatal, from the Penobscot River to
Narraganset Bay.
In the early days OF English settlements,
there we're five Indian nations In Maine,
each. being sub-divided Into several tribes.
Thus the Penobscots were the Tdrratine
tribe and Of the Eteehemis nation. EeecAem.
ins in English, Is canoe men. Some Of the
tribes fed on human flesh which may ex.
pisin. why human bones have been found in
the shell heaps Of Damariscotta, Lamoine
and Brooksville.
II Is said, that not cOrpulent. deformsd,
or cross-eyed Indian, has ever been met
with in Maine. The sanups (from "sa-
numbee", the Indian word tor mani were
beardless. Whether this was natural, 10
not known. Some think. that an ointment
which they applied to their faces IS pro-
lection against flies. prevented the growth
Of the beard. The Indians subsisted chiefly
on nsh and flesh. The sQuaws raised
some corn. beans. and crookneck
squashes. They had no regular meals.
eating when hungry. They were very
fond Of q dish called ssccosasA, made
By boiling green corn with new beans.
They did not know how TO make corn bread,
until taught by the Europeans. Their meth
cd Of conveying information, was BY means
Of rude drawings on rocks and trees. On
. sea-shore rock at Machiasport. are some
remarkable Indian drawings. A cross,
chiselled in the rocks In an easterly direc-
ton from where. In the town Of Penob-
scot, 10 1910, some 5000 pieces Of silver
coin were found. II often discovered.
Resuming the ''foot prints, !" the)next, IL In
1914, when Capt. John Smith Of Pocahon-
tas lame arrived. Four years before, one
half OF the col0nists In Virginia, perished Of
famine. This 10 remembered In hissory. as
the starving time" Smith examined the
shores from the Pcnobscot 70 Cape Cod.
aud made map Of the country. to which
be gave the name Of New Easiaad The
Pilgrims hsd copies Of Smiths maps with
them when they came. Several settlers'
beginnings. - st Pemaquid. Brunswick.
Yarmouth and York, were marked upon
~ maps. u July 1914, Soita ystafpsd