The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-05-09
ar the RFruE1KE.
Notes About Men and things.


PORTER know that there was once a man
ufactory OF iron in Clinton, between
rishons Ferry and the line of Canaan, as
il then was, If rightly recollect, it was
carried on by a MIR. Peayy. but the pro-
duct was sometimes called Cobb iron. and
most likely man by the name of Cobb
had some Interest in the concern. The
ron used In the country was mostly i'm
ty from Sweden. After the passage of
the Non-intercourse and Embargo Acts
about the end of Jeiferson's administra-
ton, importations were so difficult, that
the price of iron was very high, and so
continued till after the peace In 1915.
They made some good iron and some very
poor; the difference depending ON the
thoroughness or want of 1t 10 the work
Ing.
We had on our farm two large, heavy .
crowbars, bought about 1914. One of .
them broke and was welded two or three .
times, and was finally thrown aside a.
useless; the other was kept in use till |
ls41, when | sold the place. The ore
was supposed to be of good quality, and
was obtained from the south end of the
bog three or four miles long lying partly
in Clinton and partly in Skowhegan,
mile and half from the river 1t was to
this bog that we used to go for blueber-
ries; and the high bush black huckleber
ries grew on the borders. 1t is the only
place where ever saw the pitcher plant,
side saddle flower some call it, Sara
cenia purpurea@.
On the farm where lived the McDer-
mid place could point out, the spot
where iron ore can be found within fe. |
inches of the surface-the plow some |
times struck 1t. 1t was of She granular |
variety, the grains being about the size of
large beans 1t is not known how extern
siye the bed of ore may be.
Another almost forgotten event which
caused considerable excitement at thu
time was an insurrection or defiance OF
law in part OF Somerset County. man
by the name of Pitts owned large
amount of lard in Canaan, south of the
village. 1t was sold to settlers mostly on
credit. After the war of 1912, times
were very hard, and they could not meet
their payments The proprietor, after
trying in vain to have his claims settled,
decided to bring writs of ejectment. The
nation to prevent the service of all such
writs, in which they were entirely sue
cessful. The experience of one Deputy
Sheriff, a man who was well known to
me, shows their manner Of proceeding.
He called with one of these writs at the
house of man who was expecting 1t,
and was informed by the woman that the
nan inquired for was at work out in a
clearing, which she pointed out to him.
He had gone but few rods, when he
| heard peculiar blast from tin horn at
the house he had just left, which was an
swered by a similar blast from almost
every house within hearing distance
Before he found his man, he saw himself
surrounded by dozen or more disguised
men, all armed with guns. some of which
were pointed at him He hid behind the
fallen trees at first, but seeing them clos
ing around him, he sprang on to a log
Strengthened up to his full height and
called out, Fire and be BANKED If you
want to-" One of the nearest said they
did not want to kill him unless he forced
them to it, but those ejectment writs
could not be served; that he might depart
in peace If he would promise not to at
tempt 1t again. He felt that they meant
business, that he was entirely in their
|
feat, he complied with their demands.
believe the final result was that Mr.. Pitts
withdrew all his suits, and In course of
time got satisfactory settlement of his
claims.
| Several years previous to this an affair
having its origin in similar conditions,
occurred in kennebec County, | think in
the town of Palermo.
proprietor to whom many persons
We're indebted for their purchases, was
| having his lands resuryeyed, 1t was
thought preparatory to ejectments. The
surveyor was shot and instantly killed by
one of a number of masked men. He
WAS very promising young man, and the
newspaper, in speaking of his ability and
his earnest desire for knowledge said
that he had read Guthrie's Grammar
through while yet boy. | believe his
name was Chadwick. A man supposed
to be the murderer was arrested and put
In Jail in Augusta-perhaps there were
more than one. Soon there appeared In
the streets and around the Jail a number
of men disguised as Indians. OF course
1t was presumed they we're confederates
who intended to break open the Jail and
| liberate the prisoners; large force of
|
called out under the command of Gen.
Chandler, and guard kept until the dan
ger appeared to be past, perhaps till after
the setting of the Court. Evidence could
not be found sufficient to convict the &C
cused, and the terrible crime went unpun-
| ished, SympathiZers with these law
breakers were numerous in all that vi
clnity, and even Gen. Chandler himself
was not free from suspicion.
The old adage says, 1.-The young should
remember that they will one day be old,
and the old that they were once young"
Let those who are Mortified by the law
lessness in new settlements In the far
West, bear in mind that there were once
neW settlements in moral, law-abding
Maine.
Some may ask, What was Guthrie's
Grammar" 1t was geography. large
octave volume of eight or nine hundred
pages, by Mr.. Guthrie, a Scotchman. 1t
was published in the last part of the last
century, and was probably the best work
on that subject that had been written at
that time, embracing Form of Govern
ment, Laws, Education, Sketch of History
etc. of every nation and people. 1t gave
the Lords PRAYER In the language OF every
nation IN Christendom. 1t was almost an
Encyclopedia of Geography. never I'M
dertoOk to read it In course, but often re-
fered to it for information on particular
points. One of Webster's definitions of
grammar is, "a treatise on the elements
or principles of any science"
That Mr.. Pitts it seems owned lands in
other parts of Canaan. There was one
lot about a mile from the river, east of
Herrin's ferry. that was called Pitts land
as late as 1925. Several parties had lived
on 1t at times, but none had been able to
pay for it, And have now before me
Deposition of Abraham Steward, the
scope of which seems to be to prove that
his father, Phineas Steward, receive lit
tie benefit from his possession of emile
lot G. l." The parties to the suit were
David Cops of Wakefield N. H., and
Samuel Pitts of Chelmsford, Mass. This
deposition was taken In July, 1900, be-
fore John Harlow, who, | think, was the
maternal grandfather of DIR. S. A. Patten
Phineas Steward was an early settler In