Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-12-04

FOUND themselves without anything in III
house for breakfast, they would repair
the shore, dig mess of clans aud coo
them and so appeasc the wants of natur
Eleven years had elapsed since Charl,
Hutchins settled In Penobscot With pc
sistent energy and iron will he had cleare
considerable portion Of his farm. gatl
cred around hun good stock Of cattle an
respectable supply of farm implement.
and had begun to live ia comparativel
comfortable circumstances when the Brit
lsh took possession Of that section in l719
This was during the famous battle Of Bag
aduce. now Castnc. Charles Hutchins wa
among the few patriots of that sectio
who joined the American forces an,
fought Tor independence. part Of tn
time he WAS stationed at what was know,
as Haynes Point. While there party O
English came to drive the Americans
away, and most of the latter speedily re
treated; but Mr.. Hutchins and few 9th
ers remained 10 give a parting shot wher
the English guard boat should come with
IN good range. At the second shot Mr.
Hutchins killed an English soldier For
this and for refusing to take the oath of al
leglance at the close of the engagement in
which the Americans were defeated he was
pursued by the English aud obliged with his
family to flee for his life While the Eng.
lish were searching for him on the Brooks
vile side, supposng him TO he lodged
IN the woods, Mrs. Limit shouted to him
on the opposite shore from where he stood.
distance of nearly mile, informing him
that the British were after him He quick
" repaired to his home and with his wife
| and siN children walked to the shore OF
west fenohscot. Here he took canoe,
crossed the Penobscot river to Fort Pownal,
. tfort Point Stockton Springs. and walked
through the wilderness to Damariscotia,
, the present town of Newcastle Where he
resided until the peace Of l7s3. In this
/ journey through the wilderness. a distance
/ oi MY or sixty miles. two Of his chill
I dfen We're 50 small that he and his wife
were obliged 10 carry them In their arms
( ground; their coyer!et the starry canopy;
I their only cooking uten>n was camp-kct
/ tie holding about two gallons their only
{ means OF obtaining food was afforded by
the gun.
At the close Of the Revolutionary War
he removed to Pcnoh,cot to md Iii, buljd.
ng> burned and his fences dcsteo,cd.
He was among the first fruits of Mctho.
dlSm, and for thirty five year. maintained
hs membership In the church without cen
sure. His daughter Mary is said TO have
been the first white female child born Of
English parents within the present limits
Of the town Of Penobscot Mr. Hutchips
died in Penobscot In June. 1885, aged %
years and months. At the time of his
death he had living 10 children IS grand.
children and 23j great grandchildren ana
l. great greatgrandchildrcu; total. $50
descendants
At the time OF his death Mr. Charles /
Hutchins had two sons who had, like him I
self, suffered for their loyal devotion to |
their country in the great wars Of Our |
history. Capt. Eben Hutchins. who died .
muePen9 Gears, anu' n iiitAm the dls.in-
guished Revolutionary hero la loll
when the British took possession OF the
Peuooscot region. where were those citi- 4
zers who would not timdly "doff their .
hats to kings" or acknow ledge Old Eng /
land mistress Of the world;' Among 1
that gallant few stood Eben Hutchln@' 1
who for refusing to take the oath of ncu- /
trslity and for assisting British soldiers TO I
desert, was seized, carried 70 Halifax anu
confined in dark dungeon a prisoner OF
war until June, ISIS He suffered Intense
w. The prison was crowded with lousy
populstion. poorly ventilated and dirty be-
vond description The prisoners were
Obliged TO live on hard tack 80 hard that
YOU could hardly crack II, and water TO
drink that was poisoned with the NTH
from the prison But Mr.. Hutchins was
endowed with remarkably strong constl-
tuition which carried him through the or
/ deal. though with health much impaired.
| He was commissioned captain IN the
/ militia Of Gov John Brooks Of Massa-
chusetts in 1916. lie held the position I'M
/ Ill le20 when he resigned. Capt. Hutch
ins was Justice OF the peace fourteen years,
and twice represented his town in the leg
1 islature.
William Hutchns, the special subject OF
this sketch, was born in York, Me, Octo-
Der 6, l76i, and died in Penobscot, May
2. 1866, aged l0l years, months and
26 DAYS In his early youth he had
drank in the bitter experiences of poverty
He had felt the touch of British cruelty
and tyranny in his own home HE, unt
along with these bitter draughts he had
imbibed lessons of patriotic loyalty from
his fathers lips and example. lie had
learned to love and venerate the nag OF
his country as the brightest emblem OF
human liberty, and the herald of coming
nation grander in its principles and richer
and broader in its development than any
that had preceded it. At the age oil NJ
} teen he witnessed the capture OF Castnt
by the British. He saw the British a'
: they first stepped on shore near the 100
e of Main street hesitating and turning
: looking first to the right and then to thu
. left, as if in expectation of an opposing
9 force. He was pressed into the service o
d the enemy and compelled to assist in draw
a ing the first stick of timber in the founda
y ton of Fort George which crowns tn
= eminence of the peninsula. From heigh
u outside the British lines he witnessed tn
# landing Of the American forces at Castine
u July 2S, of the same year He was wi
ness to the engagement which ensued l
iy which was wounded Sir John Moore. ce
ir ebrated in his life and death in the famot
e; campaign of the Spanish Peninsula.
t; make this extract from his own accoul
tn of the transaction "Quite numb
p were killed on both sides. l afterwar'
ng saw up by the Narrows some bloody u
n forms tied up in blanket, uniforms VI
er had been stripped from the English IL
he diers that had been killed that night. MOI
ry Lower was killed or drowned in >a'
re that was sunk by cannon ball fired ON
nd the fort while it was passing fromthe
his fleet to Nautilus Island. A cannoIoa'
die shot from the battery on Nautilus laho