The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-09-16

compelled to leave us by natural susceptible
ty to seasickness. He undoubtedly felt the
truth of the irritable mans declaration:
"a ship is a thing
THAI you never can
Be quiet in
BY wind or steam
~ Its all tho same.
Twas so with me.
At the island we were surprised to see the
American ensign hoisted at half staff, union
down. Mr.. Sewall explained that it was de-
vice of party of misses to bring boat to
take them off. We steamed for Georges river
with all sail set to steady the vessel, and took
pllct az O'clock from the steam yacht Isis of
Thomaston, in the person of Capt. Mills, Of
that town. This little steamer uses petroleum
for fuel, burning three gallons every ten miles.
but it is not yet perfect success We passed
the Kelleran house on the west shore of
Georges river. where Capt. Edward Kelleran,
formerly a noted ship captain of Portland, was
born. II Weymouth did not ascend this river
he ought to have done so-we were surprised
at its size and beauty.
We arrived at Thomaston at 5 o'clock. The
steamer woke the echoes with her twelve
pound Dahlgrens. In the steam yacht with
the pilot came committee of the citizens to
welcome our ship and party to their beautiful
river and town. A large number of gentie-
men in carriages took up the entire party and
drove to the site of the old Knox mansion.
Nothing remains but the farm house of brick,
nov the railroad station, and the carriage
house of the same material Under the bank
in front, was the fort which Pen follow says
was besieged By sixty savages in 1872, who
fought the garrison twelve days. while under
mining it, when great rain came and spoiled
their trenches and they left with the loss OF 20
Of their number. After viewing this locality we
were taken through the town and by the site Of
the house from which Gen Wadsworth was TAX
en- prisoner, TO the British fort at Castins,n the
revolution. The street now bears his name.
We next stood uncovered before the monu-
ment to Gen. Knox in cemetery the site Of
which was gift from him to the town. Pre-
vious to their burial here his remains had
been deposited in three different tombs, one
constructed by himself and two by his widow
This is the inscription on the original monu-
ment of Thomaston marble, with others of his
family who rest near: "The tomb Of Major
General Knox who died Oct. %, 1906, aged So
years.
IT'S fate's decree; FAREWELL thy just renown
The hero's honor and the go d mans crown
The family tomb seems to have been re-
moved from place to place with as little COM
FUNCTION as would summer house. Mrs.
Knox died in 1924. The monument raised by
the young men of Thomaston TO the memory
Of Jonathan Cilley stands near that of Gen.
Knox. He was killed in duel at Washing
ton in 1883, by Graves of Kentucky, who had
borne him challenge from Col. James Wat
son Webb of New York, whom Cilley would
not recognize as a gentleman of honor. Cilley
and Graves were members Of the House and
had no personal animosity. The weapons used,
by Cilley's choice, were rifles.
Gen and Mrs. Knox came into possession OF
her patrimony and bought out some other
heirs. In 1888 he brought his architect and
mechanics from Boston to build a splendid
residence. The house vase of three
stories-the lower one of brick and the others
of wood, with two tiers Of piazzas on three
| sides and a raised section for a lookout on the
roof The outbuildings were in the rear, in
crescent form, numbering nine on each side of
the main house The place was called Mont
peler" The family came in vessel from
Philadelphia in 1895. Here the General enter
tanned his many friends and numerous distin-
guished strangers in prineely style. He once
Toasted here the whole Penobscot tribe of In
| dams.
When the General came to Thomaston he
was 40 years old, tall aud corpulent, and
weighing $50 pounds. lie gathered around
him many mechanics and tradesmen, and en-
couraged by his liberality all industries. His
| family expenses were enormous, which with
unavoidable losses made him bankrupt. BE
| died in 1906 from a chicken bone he had swal-
! lowed, which penetrated bis intestines, caus'
ing modification.
There are many household articles and
pieces of furniture yet rem lining among the
citizens of the town, the richest of which is q
circular sideboard of apparently French origin
ornamented with borders of inlaid wood Of q
different color. On the top is a semi dome
which was formerly surmounted by silver
tea urn now owned in Boston. A wealthy
member of the Maine Historical Society for 8
large sum has become the owner of this ricf
relic, which will come to Portland, and al
effort will be made to obtain the urn to be So
in its original place. Several other articles o
furniture, of the same origin, will be place.
in the same residence. There is strong prob
ability that this sideboard formerly stood il
the dining room of Brigadier Samuel Waldo
the grandfather of Mrs. Knox, who at tn,
time of his death Q759 resided on Middle
above Franklin street, in Portland, then Fal
m Juth, and that il obtained by him at on'
of his seven visits to Europe
A gentleman of Thomsston has brass doc
knocker inscribed in large letters "H. Knox,
which PROBABLY adorned the front door of th,
Generals official residence in Philadelphi;
when Secretary of War.
After our ride we were entertained at pub
lie upper-informally-by the citizens, whC
afterward took us to Union Hall, where
speech of welcome was made by Mr. Christie
pher Prince and replied to in the same spiri
by President Bradbury and others, when the
meeting became social ending like an ole
fashioned Indian treaty, with a. dance.
The Dallas left Thomaston at II o'clock a
m. on Thursday for Georges Harbor, which W.
sailed through and steamed for ancient Pema
quid, favorite stamping ground of antiquari
ans-especially those of Maine. Here Govern
or Phips erected in 1892 the strongest stone
fortress which had then been built on thi
continent, with walls thirty feet high will
towers at the corners and bomb proof case
mates. This was cowardly surrendered to tn,
French few years later by Capt. Chubb ant
demolished by gunpowder. The stones will