The Portland daily press., 1880-09-24

Ndic ldhQ along tilo UdHhS VI tuo OF. JOnn.
Travellers have often described the manners
of this simple people. They are as unlike the
Yankees fifty miles to the south of them as
can well be imagined. They have no genius
for accumulation, NO desire for Improvement
They were born without ambition, and enjoy
life correspondingly. "The Lord got along
well enough before we were born" they say,
land he will after we are gone" A New Eng
land man would call them shiftless Their
farming is of the most primitive order. There
has been 10 change in the style of their build
ings for century, and manufactures they have
none. Yet they are industrious in their way,
Their wants are few and easily supplied A
few months work at numbering in winter pro-
vides what ready money they see during the
year. The traders handle less money than
anywhere else in the country. Barter is the
rule, not the exception. They are happy
people. and the strains of a fiddle, such as can
frequently be heard by the traveller, will at
any time keep dozen of them in contented
idleness for half day. They are religious,
not to say superstitious. All are ardent Cath
ollcs, and the churches which they have erect
ed are i'll striking contrast to the prevailing ar
chitecture. A convent and school on the Now
Brunswick side of the river are noted through
out the whole section, and the latter is well
Falls to Quebec. 1t is sight to see the throngs
making their way toward church of Sunday
morning. Some on foot, some on horseback,
some in carriages which carried fashionable
people halt a century ago, some in gigs of the
rudest home manufacture. here halt dozen
III "a wagon, there larger party in hayrack.
They viii start, many of them three or four
hours before mass, and drive all distances from
one TO a dozen miles. The feast days of the
church are celebrated as nowhere else in New |
After
OF any coming occurrences likely to be of in |
terest to his flock such as the fact that trad |
er will be at designated place on given day |
to buy cattle, for the people, it should be re- |
memDered have no newspapers, and could not |
read them If they had. After mass, too, when |
an election approaches, the candidates for |
office are allowed and expected to harangue the |
people from the steps OF the church. One |
Sunday last year the writer saw the hat |
knocked from the head of young Portlander |
who was standing not in the church nor the |
vestlbule, but some feet from the door and IN |
tending no disrespect
An hour later, mass being over, an eloquent |
native was addressing his fellow citizens on |
his claims TO all election as representative from |
the very same spot. And this brings to the |
matter OF elections. The French vote has |
been practically solid for the Democratic par
ty. James q. Madigan, who died last year
could control every man of them In national |
issues little interest is felt. The speeches
which are made deal chiefly with local and |
county matters. A representative to the Leg |
iSlature who wants a reelection is held to a |
strict account for every act or vote of his |
which could have any bearing upon The well |
fare of the people.
A political convention is worth going far to
see The writer of this attended one last year. |
IL was for the nomination OF a representative |
to the Legislature from the lower Madawaska |
district. 1t was held in the open air on Satur-
day forenoon on beautiful green spot in |
front OF q dwelling house half dozen miles |
above Van Bnren. People began to go by all |
kinds Of conyeyances by O'Clock III the morn
ing. By ~ O'Clock the young men and maid |
were enjoying lively dance i'll the house, |
while their elders looked on approvingly. Soon
after the convention was called to order, some |
300 or 400 being in attendance. All the pro- |
ceedings were in French. There were two |
candidates fer the nomination., both OF whom |
had previously served the district at Augusta. |
One of them, John Farrell, who was after
wards elected, is of mixed French and Irish |
blood, and naturally fluent and forcible |
speaker. He and his competitor in turn set |
forth their claims to an attentive audience, |
gradually warming up as they discussed ques-
tons bearing on the schools, and the rights of |
the church, and the like. A few words were |
said by others, questions were freely asked and |
answered, and then the nomination was made. |
The defeated candidate bolted, but he was |
beaten when election day came.
In the afternoon, at Van Buren, village, as |
the crowd returned homeward, there was an
other characteristic scene. A hundred men |
and youths gathered in front OF one of the |
stores, most of them under the influence of !
white rum and there was much loud |
talk, yelling and shouting, and more chal- |
lenges to fight, than would have led to |
dozen broken heads in most communities. At |
one time four men were stripped to the waist,
wearing nothing but pants and shoes, but not |
blow stuck by either OF them. A man |
would throw off hat, coat and shirt, rush into |
the street and yell out in angry defiance, but,
after five minutes of waiting, they would sub |
side. They are not, it will be seen, a vicious
or dangerous people, though easily excited. |
The morals of the people are what might be |
expected in the members of a community so
isolated and SO controlled. Great crimes are
rare. Mr.. Keegan, who knows them as well
as anybody, pronounoes them the best hearted,
mildest disposed and most honest people in
the country. This may be an exaggeration,
but the general morality OF the population is
much above the average. little, petty
thieving, some slight Irregularities now and
then III the relations of the sexes, and an Oc-
casional knock-down or knife thrust, cover the
whole catalogue. OF course the prohibitory
law applies to this section OF the state as well
to Bangor or Portland, only it is better en-
forced on the st. John than on the Penobscot.
The 0in da pays goes sometimes by the name
OF whiSkey and sometimes of white rum. 1t
is all the same. The drink is sort of diluted
alcohol, cOloriess, and weaker than the stuff to
which the average Maine man is accustomed.
Probably it is a much safer drink, as the adul-
teration consists, SO far can be seen, of
water. But on this simple 81 beverage the
Madawaskans manage to get up good deal of
excitement.
1t is said above that great crimes are rare,
and this is true, but occasionally one startles
the whole region and is long talked of in the
winter evenings. There was an example last
year in the case of Bouller at Caribou, the last
town OF Importance before the French settle
ments are reached A little girl of some 10 or
II years was cruelty outraged one forenoon.
The whole country turned out. 1t was soon
found that, beyond Doubt the criminal was
a young Frenchman named Bouller. A pur-
suit was at once organized under the direction
of the deputy sheriff Teams were sen tin all
directions, men stationed at every point where
he would he likely to cross the highway and
parties sent into woods. AS Sheriff Barker
expected, Bouler, with the usual foolishness
OF hunted man, instead OF pursuing the ad-
vantage which some hours start had given
him, turned to the northwest and sought the
residence of his father, not knowing that even
there armed men were waiting for him. But
he failed to reach that place of fancea Secur-
ity. The sheriff driving rapidly along the
road heard rifle shots Ill nelghborlng swamp.
Abandoning his team, he started for the place.
and, on reaching it, found that the poor wretch
had been met by two or three citizens, and
when he refused to surrender they shot him.
He lived till the next day. The killing Great
ed great excitement throughout northern
Aroosto0k, but those who knew Bouller's
character and history justified it,, as the whole
country does now. lie was an athlete and had
travelled with circus companies That he was
desperate his crime proved, and, beyond
that, this was not the first case in which the
people of northeastern Maine had rid them
selves of an undoubted villain without wait
ing for the laws slow processes. This story is
told as Al exceptional and long-to-be-remem-
bered occurrence. The feeling among the
French population was exceedingly bitter at
first but soon subsidized.