The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-01

on fire; but the fire was extinguished. This
trumpet and the shot were kept there as me,
mentoes of the burning. One shot is still
preserved. have never seen this trumpet
alluded to in any account of the lombard
ment.
only one was wounded Widow Alice Circle,
who kept the fashionable tavern OF the town,
saved her house by remaining in it and ex-
tinQuishing the flames when 1t caught fire.
The seleetmen, in a published statement, say
that about three-quarters OF the DulIdlngs
including 100 dwelling houses, 81. PauIs
EpiscopaD church with the bell, the town
house. a new fire engine, and the public
library were consumed.
He claimed to use the sovereign's rod
In battering down the house Of God
And sent men to the lawless siege
Whose best success was Sacrlese.
Only one or two wharyes escaped the
flames What vessels were not consumed
were taken away by the enemy, Ior Such VIC
must now call them. ,.,
The first tears ever shed for public mis-
fortunes were, | think, for the sumerlng
women and children of Falmouth. When
boy often heard their story repeated by an
old lady, who lived near my tather 5, until
was afraid to 90 home in the evening ior
fear of meeting MOwatt, or some OF his In
cendaries, with a fire brand ms good
woman, at the time of the burning, llyeq IN
the town, in "Clay Cove" Her husband mad
enlisted in the continental army, intending to
leave his wife and child in their snug nome
in Falmouth. On the arrival OF the snlpS ne
was one of those who went to the ISLANDS 10
guard the cattle and sheep, and could not re-
turn until the firing had commenced. his
name was Barton, and he was then about
twenty-eight and his wife twenty years OLD.
Mrs. Barton remained in her house waiting
for her husband, until the hot shot and shell
began to fall near, and several of the neigh
boring buildings were on fire, and her own
dwelling had become untenable. She could
wait no longer She tied up her only feather
bed with some small articles in sheet, and
slung it over her shoulder. She then took
her little boy on her other arm and fled from
the burning town. To reach place OF safe
ty she was obliged to walk nearly mile
through the most'thickly settled part Of the
town, with the ships in full view. several
times bombs with their smoking fuses fell
near her, and she quickened her pace to es-
cane the explosion. With many others she
took shelter under the high lodges near the
Casco street church, which have since
been blasted away. The vicinity was then
grove of oaks which gave Oak street its
name. A three-pound shot fell near her,
which she secured. Here her husband found
her on his return from the Islands, and here
they remained until nearly night. When the
firing had slackened, they ventured out and
after depositing their bed in place OF SAFE
ty, walked to her fathers in Wlndham, ii
miles, one carrying the child and the other
the cannon shot, and occasionally changing.
burnt, and they were compelled to begin the
world anew. Barton built small log house
half mile from the fathers, and here he
left his wife and joined Captain Richard
Mayberry's company as corporal, ms was
of the Massachusetts Bay forces, in the army
commanded by General Gates at the cap
ture of Burgoyne in 1777 This company
was also in the battles OF Monmouth
and Hubbardston. At the end OF his term
of three years service, Barton left the army,
and was paid off in paper money which was
almost worthless. He came home and went
to work with a will, but was soon after killed
by falling tree. His widow suffered many
hardships in her poverty, but government
pension very much relieved her declining
wears. She died in 1871, aged eighty-six.
On the day set apart for the commemora-
ton of the soldiers services and sutrerings,
1 am careful that Barton's grave Is not Tor
gotten.
The old meeting house on King street
served for court house from 1746 to IVA,
when the town presented the lot TO the c0un-
ty of Cumberland, which had been estab-
lished in 1850, ON which to erect a new court
house. The new court house was hand
some building, not quite finished when the
town was bombarded by Mowatt in IT'S,
when both the old and new court houses
were burned. The old one mad been re-
moved to Hampshire street for town house.
During the Revolution the courts were held
at Mrs. Grele's tavern on Congress street, In
1777, she was paid two pounds, eight shil.
lings 'for room for the use of the court
In 1887, Samuel Freeman was paid nine
pounds "for his great chamber for the use OF
the courts After the happy termination OF
the Revolutionary struggle, the county oth-
GERS looked forward to better accommoda-
tions. The block-hOuse Jail had escaped the
burning and lot was sought for court
house in that vicinity. A committee OF the
Court of General Sessions reported in 1875,
''that the land between the jail and the hay
market appears to belong to the county;
that the land on the north side of the street,
opposite the hay market is not to be pro-
cured. Mr. Larrabee's land near the jail is
to be purchased. Voted to take Mr.. Plum
mer's lot on Back street, four and one-quar-
ter rods in front and four and one-nat RODS
back" On July Is, 1885,, Moses Plummer
of Falmouth, cordwaner, executed a deed to
the county of this lot of four and one-quar-
ter rods on Back street, for eighteen pounds
lawful moneys, paid by Joseph Mcclellan,
treasurer of Cumberland county. 1t is de-
scribed as the south corner OF the three
acre lot / lately bought OF Rev. Thomas
Smith" The lot was granted In 172O to the
first settled minister, and extended to Back
Cove. The lot then conveyed to the county
is the central part of the site of the present
city building.
Moses Plummer, who sold this land, kept a
store and obtained the nickname Of "Old
Way from his rigid adherence to the barter
system of dealing, when all others were aDan-
doning it. On this small lot of about rods
square, a wooden court house Ut forty-elght
bv thirty-fOur feet in size, with twenty-tour
feet posts was commenced. Parson smith
records the raising, October ., d1So. Inc
Court of General Sessions of the Peace, COM
posed of all the justices of the peace in the
county. then exercised the same functions as
our present board of county commissioners.
They ordered 'the roof to be so framed that
beifry may be built upon it at some future
time" The second story, containing the
court room and offices, was finished IN lISS.
The belfry OF cupOla was soon added. Ii
was surmOunted by carved weathercock.
st. Peters testimony in denying his Master
NAV have suggested to the county fathers
the propriety of surmounting the new tenn
pie of Justice with a representative OF the
historic bird, as a caution to the witness,
when he entered the portal, not to deny the
truth whatever might be the provocatlon
from contending counsel
This weathercock was carved in Portland.
Mr.. BENJAMIN RadfOrd, aftel he became
aged described the carver's process to liyen
up the living bird which served for model.
He had him confined to the end of treadle,
and when he wanted to make line he put
his foot on the near end, which lifted the
living model. This historic cockerel, af-
ter several removes, now surmounts the
clock-tower of the First National Bank.
The first floor was an open hall, In when
were kept in sight the gallows and the
stocks, ready to be erected for use. Near the
front of the house stood the whlpplng-poSt,
with cross bars for securing the arms OF Ine
culprit. The whipping-post was removed TO
theIparade ground, now covered by the norsh
part of the Eastern cemetery in about 1900
The Eastern Argus of October 6, 1908, con-
tains the following: George Peters, black
fellow, who broke open the shop Of Abner
Rogers. matchmaker, will receive his pun
ishment ON the training field between II and
/ o'clock today" On this training field were
eronned the town pound, the whipping post
and the nillorv. The latter was tall post
about d feet high About half way up from
the ground was a square platform, and two
blanks crosswise of the post, with an open
INC for the neck, and two below for the
wrists. Two culprits could be pilloried at
once. Boys were allowed to pelt them with
eggs. ..,.,4 - 4. 80.
the criminal on the galows with rope
around his neck. When this was done the
gallows was taken from the court house and
set up near the pillory. 1t had one upright
post and projecting arm on each side.
Corporal punishment was abolished in
Massachusetts by the recommendation Of
Gov. Gore in 1909.
In this court house of 1875, in 1890, Thorn
as Bird a foreigner, was sentenced to be
hung for piracy and murder, although his
trial had been in the Westinghouse near by.
He had been confined in the old block-house
jail more than year, waiting for the organ
ization of the District Court of the United
o. E 4 L L H..