The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-01-31
FARICIAL WINDING UP OF THE MAINE I'M.
BROGLIO.

The turmoil in Maine has from its inception
been so nearly continuous broad farce that it
is surprising the humorists have thus far made
so little use of it. 1t seems to have been left
for the wicked boys Of Augusta to be the first
to turn the abundant material at hand to &C.
count
In our last weeks resume Of the incidents
Of the Maine imbrogio we left all quiet on the
kennebcc, both the fusion and the republican
legislatures having come to a pause to await
the answer of the Supreme Court to certain
puzzling conundrums submitted to that body
by the fusionists As it would take four or
five days before the answers could be prepared,
something was absolutely necessary to relieve
the intervening dullness. This was the oppor-
tunity of certain wicked boys Of Augusta, who
had been in the habit of holding social meet
ings in a small hall, playing cuchre, casino
&c, and occasionally smuggling in and by
stealth imbibing little contraband beer and
firewate These sCamps, 1t seems, concocted
and put into execution huge practical joke
on Gov. Davis and his mob" legislature
Their first movement was to "let drop" in the
hearing of those who they knew would report
to republican headquarters, reports of threats
of slaughter and bloodshed on the part of the
fusionists. Next they manufactured pretend
ed kilograms from different quarters to prom
inent fusionists in Augusta informing them of
the departure OF armed men for Augusta
Then they tackled triangular bits of white and
red paper around town and gave out" that
these were cabalistic signs of the conspirators
and when they reached town in force the
houses thus marked were to be burned. Fur
thermore they reported that three or four wag
on loads OF Henry rifles were on their way to
Augusta for use by the conspira,ors, and they
actually procured and hitched up several
empty wagons, which they mysteriously trun.
died on Saturday night into town, and the
boys had oceans" of fun IN seeing the authori
ties seize them and find out that they were
sold But this WAS not their only fun. As
early as Friday Gov. Davis became thoroughly
alarmed, and by Saturday in addition to a
strong police force about the state house, had
ordered in no less than four volunteer military
companies from different parts Of the state and
placed them around the state house, and had
also adorned the front portIco of that structure
with Calling gun, loaded to the muzzle! BY
Monday morning the joke had grown too big
and broad to be held in any longer and broke
out in loud OUTLAW, Gov. Davis and his asso-
ciates in particular becoming the laughing
stock of the town.
Af,er this pleasant episode things settled
back into stdtu quo until Tuesday, when the
Supreme Court made known its answers to the
conundrums of the fusIonists. The character
of these answers We comment on IN another
article. 1t is sufficient to say here, that being
dead against the pretcnsions OF the fusion Gov
ernor and legislature. the probability is that
they will have the good sense now to yield and
As gracefully as possible step down and out
Whether they do so al once or not, however.
the "lnsurrection" in Name may be regarded