The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-11
And His Death, and Burial al
Augusta.
tBon. William Goold. I

Mass, in 1888. His father, Levi Lincoln,
was one of the most eminent men OF Massa-
chusetts. He graduated at Harvard College
in 1772 settled as a lawyer in Worcester,
and was President JeffeIson's Attorney Gen.
eral from 1901 to 1905. He was chosen Lieu
tenant Governor of his State in 1907 to 1903,
and on the death of Governor Sullivan while
| in Office, became Acting Governor for the
remainder of the political year. His son,
Levi Lincoln. was Governor of Massachu-
sets in 1923 and 1924. The son Enoch Lin
coin entered Harvard College, but left before
| graduation, and after studying law settled in
| Fryeburg, Maine, and afterwards removed
to Paris HILL Mr.. Lincoln was elected to
Congress in 1920, then only SO years old, and
held the Office by reelection until he was
elected Governor in 1926, there being less
than 400 votes east for all other candidates.
Governor Lincoln Immediately removed to
| Portland, then the Capital town of the State.
He took up his residence at the boarding
| house of Mrs. Gage, the widow Of Major
Gage, merchant. 1t was the house adjoin-
ing the residence of William Pitt Preble,
Jr, on Congress street. When the Gov
| ernor left Paris he took with him Otis Paine
one of his neighbors, as valet coachman and
man of all work. Paine was a man of in
telligence, but was low in stature and had a
| depressed shoulder, which gave him the APP.
pearance of master Walter" in Sheridan
| Knowles's play of the Hunchback. There
| were often questions arising in the Gov.
ernor's domestic affairs that lone word from
(this) Master Walter made clear as day
light"
The Governor also brought with him from
Paris his two-wheeled. yellow-bodied chaiss
and white borse He soon obtained mate
for the horse and barouche, and Paine in
stead of riding at the Governors side, rode
forward, driving the official eQuipage to the
State House, which was handsome wsoder
building on part of the lot now occupied by
the City Building.
Governor Lincoln was twice reelected
without opposition. At neither election were
there 500 votes cast against him in the State,
but he declined a fourth nomination. Paine,
the Caleb Quotem of his employer, left hin
and returned to Paris, and the Governor re.
duced his establishment to the original ''ont
horse shay About the time the Governor
left Paris, another townsman of his, Timoth,
Chase, mason, also removed to Portland
| Having several boys, and the Goyerno
wanting youngster whom he could trust
Chase consented that his son, E. P. Chase
then II years old, and now the well known
| real estate holder, should serve his friend
the Governor, in place Of Paine Although
he was bachelor, the Governors failing
health admonished him that he must seek
| he i,,an ~
| large tracts of wild land in the
towns of Lincoln and Garland in Penob
scot county, Columbia in Washington county
and Letter Z. in Oxford county. Two
months before his death, Governor Lincoln
| exchanged three thousand dollars worth OF
| these lands with Samuel Burnham, for a
| farm on the west side of the mast road" in
Scarborough, adjoining land of Amos An
| drews, Ebenezer Burnham and Asa Seavey.
Anticipating bis retirement from Office, the
| governor had employed young Chase with
the capacious chaise, in removing his large
| library to the farm until the call to Augusta
In September, 1899, the governor received
a pressing invitation to visit Augusta, and
deliver an address at the exhibition exercise.
of the Cony Female Academy. Although in
| poor health, the governor, with chaise, white
horse, and young Chase for driver, left fol
Augusta on Sunday noon, Oct 4th. He
went to Brunswick that day and called on
his nephew William Sever Lincoln, mem
Der of the sophomore class of the college
The next day he drove to Augusta, and by
| invitation put up at General Cony's, on the
east side of the river. The academy was
situated on the same side: This building
Wa N O horr lie
for the Cumberland county troops, while
| waiting orders to march to the boundary, in
| the Aroostook war. Governor Lincoln was
| very unwell when he arrived at Augusta,
| but felt compelled to fill his engagement at
the institution. So weak was he that he
| was obliged to deliver his address seated in
a chair. He grew rapidly worse, and died al
the residence of Gen. Cony on Thursday of
the same week in which he left his home
The death of the chief magistrate and
one so much beloved, caused painful sensa-
tion throughout the State. A question arose
about the selection of place Of burial. The
Augusta people had purchased and offered
| to the Stale for the capitol building the LOT
now occupied by the State House, running ne
to the river. The memorial history of Bos-
| ton says this lot was purchased for 123 cents
per acre. This was a wide mistake, which
| probably arose from the fact that the ten
| townships sold by the State to build the
State House, were disposed of that insignif-
| cant price.
The Augusta people offered site for the
| Governors burial on their proposed State
| House lot, which was acceded to by his rela-
| tives. Great preparations were made for the
obsequies. Nathan Cutler of Pennington
was president Of the Senate, and, Of course.
became acting governor. His first official act
| was to order five companies of uniformed
| light infantry and one company of
| rifemen to attend and lido escort duty at
the funeral. The services were held at the
| Congregational church on Thursday, the
| 18th; DR.. Nichols of Portland, the Govern
or's pastor, officiating Following the
hearse came the Governors favorite horse
| with military trappings, led by Master
band of music came too near, the youthful
/ groom required some assistance to keep the
| excited horse ia his proper place in the pro-
cession. There is a handsome monument
over the Governors grave, erected, think,
| by the State.
| Young Chase brought the Governors
| brother to Portland In the chaise and the
home at Mrs. Cages was broken up. The
Scarborough farm was sold by the heirs of
| the Governor in 1888 to Nathan Tilton.
There we're superstitious people who be-
lievcd that the fatal termination of the Gov
| ern0r's visit was owing to its being made
with white horse. There are now intelli-
gent people who will not ride after one, fear
Governor Lincoln had fine poetic taste.
| While he resided at Fryeburg, the mountain
| and river scenery inspired him to write a
| poem called 1.-THE Village" of more than
| two thousand lines. 1t was published in a
small volume in 1916 by Edward Little d
| Co. Portland. No poem of equal length and
| beauty had then been produced by citi-
| zen of the State. There is a copy of the
| poem in the library of the Maine Historical
| Society Governor Lincoln was one of the
original members Of this society, which was
| organized in 1922. He contributed two able
| papers to the first volume Of the society's col
iections, which were not published until 1881.
| One was entitled, Remarks on the Indian
Languages" and the other 'An Account of
| the Catholic Missions in Name" For his
| abilities and literary work, Bowdoin Col
| lege conferred on him the degree of A. M.
LIbelIing the City of Richmond.