The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-16
THE FIGHT AT the FORKS.
The Affray Not so Bad as Reported
Bob Beams Part In 1t.

The recent trouble at the Forks commene-
ed between the river drivers and the Cana
dian hay makers on the 4th of July. 1t
seems that some of the river drivers station
ed near the Forks on the Kennebec river
were laying off during the day. They procur-
ed some liquor and after they had got well
under the influence of it they commenced to
amuse themselves by attacking the Canadi-
ans who were passing, overturning their
buckboards, and at last taking from them
any liquor they could find. 1t is reported by
the Forks stage driver that from one party
of Canadians they took by force a five gallon
keg of whiskey, which they drank during
the day. and after several fights, they sta
toned themselves by the road near dark to
watch for the next party of Canadians. Sew
eral teams soon drove up and one Paddens
took the horse of the leader of the party by
the head and demanded his whiskey. The
Canadian ordered him to let go his horse,
and when Paddens refused to do so the Cana
dian, whose name was Roderick, hit Pad
dens over the head with loaded whip fell
ing him to the ground and severely injuring
him. Another driver was knocked over into
the river, falling distance of some forty
feet and two others were knocked down,
when the drivers decided that they had
SIrucK the wrong party and left.
1t appears that there were three or four
lights during the 4th in that vicinity. The
light in which the Beans were engaged did not
take place until the morning of the 9TH of
July. That fight came off in the highway
near Beams house, about two miles below
the Forks. Jonathan Bean, the father,
Hosea Bean and Manley Bean, two sons,
and Mrs. Mary Bean, the wife of Jonathan
Bean, were arrested and brought to SkoWhe-
gar, last Friday to be tried for participating
in the fight.
The Canadians claimed at the preliminary
examination, that while their party, consist
Ing OF some twenty persons, were going by
Bean S, the old gentleman came out of the
house and attacked them, and threw stones
at them. They say they threw stones back
again. AT last the old man was reinforced
py his wife Mary. and the boys Hosea and
Manley. They claim that they drove the
whole family into the door yard and got the
advantage of them, but that the Beans got
gun and when they saw that they ran, but
that the Beans followed them and one of the
boys fired the gun at them and hit one of the
Canadians with bird shot lin the back and
breast
The Beans claim that the Canadians were
the aggressors and had been drinking, but
offered no proof at the examination before
the magistrate and were held to appear at
the September term of court in the sum of
$500 each. They procured bonds and were
discharged. Several of the Beans were hit
with stones, but none of the Canadians were
hit except the one who claims to have been
shot. Paddens seems to have been the only
man seriously hurt in any of the fights, and
liquor seems to have been at the bottom of
all the trouble. The road to the Forks of the
Kennebec and all other highways in Somer-
set county are perfectly safe for the traveller
to pass over, day or night and any attempt
to magnify such affairs into tragedies is
ridiculous