The Portland daily press., 1889-07-30

of electric lights into the village with horse
trots. base ball and dancing in the evening.
Many stories are being told in Sabattus of
the queer actions of insane Mary Ann Graf
fam, who was burned to death in her house
last week. She delighted in wearing all
sorts of fantastic costumes, often going to
church in some outlandish garb.
jackson Russell of East Waldoboro, has a
neighbor worse than the fellow in the Scrip
lures who sows tares in his neighbor's field
In moving this year, Mr.. Russell found rail-
road spikes and old iron SO arranged through
his field that 1t was impossible for him to es-
cape them with his machine. A cowhiding
would be too good for the scamp.
Squirrel Island, that ideal and peaceful
resort where Puritan primness does not in
terfere with good time, has a base ball
club Of rich and marvellous variety. The
battery is aboriginal, composed of James
Swassion and Louis Sockalexis, two Oldtown
Indians, while the other players are drawn
from Bowdoin and Bates colleges, the city
of Augusta, and the editorial rooms of a
Portland newspaper.
The election Of Colonel of the First Regi-
ment to succeed Colonel Lynch. will be an
interesting event, in view Of the muddle into
which the affairs of the militia have been
brought. Lieutenant Colonel Ballard of
Augusta, is working for the place, but Col.
Lynch's friends say a majority Of the COM
misisoned officers whoielect the Colonel, are
for Lynch. The election will occur August
9th.
They continue to pour hot shot into the
rumsellers in Bangor. The pnlpits did their
share Sunday. Rev. DR.. Field preached
another temperance sermon in which he is
reported as saying g;-"Bangor is the liquor
centre of the cOunty-a town that sends out
missionaries on one train to the small vii
lagos surrounding, and on the next train
keg of whiskey sufficient to destroy all the
good done by the good men who have been
sent BEFORE"
Mike Scanlan, Henry Mathews, John Jen-
kins, Fred Foss and Fred Hopkins. five Au-
gusta youngsters, came near participating in
serious drowning affair Sunday forenoon.
At about 10 O'Clock they boarded an old dug
out owned by AL Pedder of that city, and at
tempted to paddle it to the Hospital landing,
When about half the distance had been COW
cred and the boat neared the middle of the
river, one of the boys, who had become
rather reckless, commenced tipping the boat.
1t was nothing but shell, and not being
properly balanced, overturned, throwing the
entire party into the water. Scanlan started
at once for shore for help, and the others,
two Of whom were unable to swim, were left
at the scene of the accident. Both Of those
unable to swim went down twice. but by the
efforts of Foss and his companion were final
ly rescued and placed upon the boat, which
tion Of the two young fellows, who proved
themselves possessed of mettle as well as
common sense, q much more serious acci-
dent must have resulted.
An old woman, feeding her hens with pru-
dent care. is said to have made the begin
nings of the great menhaden industry in
Maine. Her name was Bartlett, and about
| half a century ago down in Blue Hill bay,
she was one day boiling some menhaden for
her hens, when she. found quantity OF oil
rising to the top of the water in the pot; She
SKINNED it off, bottled it up, and with un-
usual enterprise got aboard the old sloop
| that piled between Boston and the east coast
and took the strange oil among the dealers
Of the Hub. A man named Il. y. Phillips
bring him. She went home happy, and all
| summer the old gentleman Bartlett hshed
| and the old lady Bartlett tried out the oil.
| In the fall they had enough oil to bring them
| in several hundred dollars. This was the
beginning of an industry that yields some
wears 10000 barrels of oil, and is second only
| to the whale fishery. Ten years ago the in
| dustry was very 1ourishing on the Maine
coast, when suddenly the menhaden left and
| were not seen until last year, when they re-
| turned as mysteri0usly as they went. Thls
| year they are very plentiful on the Maine
| COdots duu tho PoASy ioNsoAiOo "Ao AN','o .
| again.
| "To one interested in making a careful
| study of the valuation BOOKS Of a town,
| somewhat peculiar state of affairs Is re.
| yealed," writes the Fairfield correspondent
| of the PRESS. 'Men thought to be wealthy
are found to pay only poll tax. Securities
| vanish before the assessors arrive, and the
visible taxable property, the real estate, sui
| fers heavy burdens. The changing conql'
| tion of farm work and methods may also be
| read In the kinds Of stock kept. For In
| stance, in this town there were the irst DAY
| of April 7S9 horses, SO three-year-old colts,
| Sc two-year-old, and Sc yearlings, making q
| total of horse kind Of 104S. OF oxen there
were but AZ pairs, and nearly all OF these
| were owned by the lumbermen for tneir use
| in the woods. OF cows there were 5S1 only,
| and vet this might be one OF the strongest
| and best dairy towns In the county. More
attention is paid to sheep husbandry and
| 2'777 were reported. Swine breeding is moi
| Thought profitable, as only 202 could be found
| in ali the town by the assessors. The drift
| is evidently towards horse breeding, to the
| injury of the other branches Whether this
| will add to the permanent wealth Of the
| town or not, time only can tell. The lesson
| of the past has been that stock growing and
| dairying gave the most substantial returns
| The low records made and high prices re.
| ceiyed for Maine trotters have combined to
| draw the attention of even the sturdiest OF
| our farmers from other lines and fix 1t on
4 trafftuu stock "