The Portland daily press., 1886-05-27

Mr. Bryant was ready to go in that day but
his wife, who had a baby fortnight old
said she would risk her scalp one day more
if lie would stay out and make a. cradle
The McIellans were sitting with the doors
open when William came in from the spring
with a pail of water, and had just sat 1t
down when the dog, who had followed him
ran in growing and showing his teeth, and
as he was known to have strong antipathy
to Indians their suspicious were aroused al
once, and they fastened the doors and shut
tiers. The night passed without disturb
ance, and when morning came Mr.. Mcclellan
yoked his oxen to finish the work before go.
ing in. Just then Mr.. Reed came, and ne
told him about the actions OF the dog, and
he said he didn't believe there were any In
dams around; he guessed the dog smelt a
wolf. On his way home Reed got down or
his knees to drink from a brook, when two
Indians made him prisoner and carried
him away. In the morning, Bryant's sol
told his father if he would go and help hin
cover some potatoes he was planting he
would help him make the cradle During
the night the Indians had made a hole in the
brush fence, and concealed themselves be-
hind it, The cattle went in through the hole
and the Bryants went to drive them out. The
told his son to go and hide himself, and he
ran for the fort, pursued by the savages, who
fired and broke his arm, and then oyertooB
and killed him. Mrs. Mcclellan heard the
gun, and told her daughter to go and see
what it meant but the little one had listened
to the conversation about the Indians the
night before, and was afraid to go, but hel
mother boxed her ears and told her 1t was
nothing but someone firing at mark or Ola
Mrs. Bryant scolding her young ones, When
she reached there she found the family muir,
dered. She returned home and exclaimed
INDIANS and tainted Her mother put her
on the bed and threw cold water in her face.
She then fastened the door and blew the
horn, and the men the moment they neard
the horn left the cattle and came home.
Eight Indians concealed themselves behind
the brush fence in which Cloudman was
sowing grain. Five of them got between
him and his rifle, and he started to run fol-
Bryant's, but in trying to leap the brush
fence he fell back twice, and then turned
and faced them. He was man of great
strength, and he knocked down two Of them
and beat them so they died before they got
to Canada, and had got another under his
foot when the others shot and killed him. .
During IA or 10 years of struggle and dan
ger these people with mistaken fortitude
maintained their religious character. observed
the Sabbath and held their meetings in the
meeting house with their guns between their
knees.
When, after the capture of Quebec the in
habitants of this town were in condition of
extreme poverty, their cattle had been de-
stroyed, their fields grown over with weeds,
were mere bride paths, they set about with
cheerful but determined spirit repairing their
fortunes and engaged in numbering. The
McLellans especially obtained property in
this way, cut masts for the Royal Navy, and
when WillismMcLellan had hauled to Stroud
water all the masts he could get in Gorham
he went to Topsham. William and his broth
er cut masts on the banks of the Androscog-
gin and took them to Portland through Mer-
rymeeting Bay. To take raft OF such sticks
SO inches in diameter with no better craft to
tow them with than log canoe was no light
undertaking.
No land had been cleared during the In
dian war and much of that previously cleared
had grown up to bushes and the land left to
come into grass itself was largely covered
with weeds. They were anxious to raise
oxen to lumber with but they had no hay to
keep them in the winter. They went on to
the intervales.in Fryeburg in summer and cut
the grass, drove the cattle up there in the
winter and fed them driving them back in
the spring.
Scarcely had the settlers begun tolive COM
fortably and look forward to better days,
when the trouble with Great Britain com
menced, and it was then that 1.-THE patriotism
of Gorham manifested itself. AT one time
every third man in the town was in the army,
and when a vigilance. committee searched
they found but two tories in it, They raised
money and supplied men for the army. They
sent provisions to aid poor people shut up in
Boston, and during the whole war they
strained every nerve to aid the cause OF lib
erty. And during the war of the rebellion
the same spirit animated the inhabitants of
mechanic his bench, the husbandman his
land, for the toll and dangers of the field.
The inhabitants of Gorham have been Pc
culiarly alive to the Importance of education.
When it was mere plantation ample provls-
ion was made for schools, and at the first
mating after iupnrnOrqfiOD forty
pounds was raised for schools, and as the
town grew mere was appropriated. | was a
student with Sargent Prentiss, and Cyrus
Woodman, and Albion Andrews, and the
Smiths, and the Stevens. whose names are
legion Many are still alive, occupying i'm
portant posts in the country, who there re-
ceived their early training at the old Gorham
Academy. What fond associations cluster
around that old spot. Incorporated in 1903,
the building as it now stands was finished
and dedicated.
Mr.. Kellogg here gave description of the
old teacher, Reuban Mason, and humorous
account of the jokes that the boys used to at
tempt to play upon him. 1t was the custom
to warn a person out of town unless they had
real estate or had such character as render
ed them useful member of society. There
was prejudice against the McLellans, and
some said they were Catholics, and if not,
they were Irish, for they came from ireland.
Capt Phinney was sent down to Investigate.
They received him Hospitality, asked him to
stop to supper, although they had but little
to eat, and when he returned he said, s'These
are the kind of people 1--WE want they are
poor, wretchedly poor, but unless am much
mistaken they won't long remain 500
Mr.. Phinney, who was accustomed to
judge of men, instantly conceived liking
for William, the younger son. And he was
right, for under the rough exterior OF Will
liam Mcclellan lay the noblest traits of char
acter. His outside was as rough as the hide
OF the rhlnOceroS or alligator, but there was
a good sound soul in the man. He was al
ways spoken of as ''Uncle Billy" He mar
ried Rebecca Huston, and she in later days
was called Aunt Becky"
No character ever stood out so prominent
in my mind as "Uncle Billy" who was my
great uncle, as man, master, friend to the
Door, and above all, who could foil Indians
farm in this town with a nephew of his for
some years, very exacting man who wanted
IA hours for days work. When there was
any night work to do or any peculiar ex-
posture to undergo he would tell me l was
Just like Uncle Billy, and that was enough
did it. Hot or cold, wet orfdry, it was all
the same to me. | have been foolish enough
to undress and go in swimming off from the
ice because they told me Uncle Billy did it.
Uncle Billy was accustomed to furnish
lumber to the McLellans of Portland to load
their West Indiamen, and his wife and him
self used to send onions, cheese, beeswax and
Barbara tallow to be exchanged for West
India produce Capt Joseph Mcclellan said
one day AUNT Beccy what do you want for
your venture this trip .s II don't st n!!o%w'
I've got barrel of sugar from the last
coffee left over" "Why don't you have
nigger?" said Uncle Billy. 81 don't know"
said Aunt Beccy, "but I'd as soon have a
Niger as anything" When the Captain! re-
-. H. D.,s, Ntaax,
called him Prince Mcclellan and Uncle Billy
bought a negress Chloe. Prince ran away
during tie revolution and shipped aboard
privateer and was discharged in Boston and
of his own accord he came back into slavery.
When slavery was abolished in MaSsachu-
sets Uncle Billy told him he was his own
master but he didn't send him away empty
handed. He gave him a horse and cart and
told him to take what he wanted. lie loaded
the cart, took Chloe and started but they got
no farther than Wells where they settled
down. In less than year Gorham was noti-
fed by Wells that they were in distress and
to Gorham but Uncle Billy said
the town of Gorham shouldn't take care of
his niggers and he went after them. Prince
said he never was so glad in his life as he
was to see his old master. His master brought
him home and settled him on ten acres of
land. Prince. lived to be nearly 100 and his
wife Chloe died only two years before; they
lived together three-quarters of q century.
My father married Uncle Billy's niece, and
when father wentthere Uncle Billy used to
request him to read the Scriptures, and
would put into his hand an old King James