The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-03-06
20 the Reporter.
Old Papers and Old Times,


have sometimes alluded In these col
umns to q collection of old papers that
belonged TO my father, and were kept In
a chest In the hail Of the family mansion.
They were Afterwards transferred to a
desk which was stored In the second or
third story of the Old Dlckman Store. y
While there 1t was broken open, (by
boys 1t was said, many things were car
ried away, among which were two CON-
missions to my father from Gov John
Hancock, one as Captain of Militia, and
one as Justice Of the Peace. From the
contents Of that desk, which Is now in
the keeping Of Levi w. Weston, have
learned much concerning early times in
old Canaan.
Among those papers there was one,
three or four inches square, which Is not
only curious In itself, but 1t has his
toric Interest. 1t is not Military order
but request from Gen. Gates for volun-
teer endorsements, dated short time
before the surrender Of Burgoyne, signed
Horatio Gates, General In command, and
countersigned James Wilkinson. Adjutant
General. The writing is remarkably neat,
the letters being uniform and almost as
nicely cut as the copies 10 school writing
books. think 1t well deserves decent
frame and the little space it would require
In the Library Building.
In response to this appeal two Regi-
ments it seems were raised in Massachu-
sets. gentleman living here in Canon
City, formerly from Leominster Mass
says his father belonged to one such
Regiment; but 1t was TOO late to be of
much service as it did not arrive at Sara
toga till after the surrender But Stephen
Holman, the father of the large Holman
family, described In the Reporter some
time ago, who was from Groton, Mass,
said he was in Regiment that was on
the ground few days before the sur
render, that he was in one brief en-
gagement, and under ti;e about half an
hour, heard him make this statement
many, many years ago.
This Adj. Gen. Wilkinson was impll.
Gated In Burr's conspiracy. One Daniel
| Clark wrote a book of over 800 pages In
Proof of the corruption of Gen. James
Wilkinson, and of his connection with
Aaron Burr, with full refutation of his
slanderous Allegations In Relation to the
Character Of the Principal Witness
against him." If he was brought to trial
the decision | suppose was much the
same as In the case of Burr himself; the
iury could not in conscience bring them
selves to say. "Not Guiily.n so the yerdic,
was acquitted, for want of sut,lcien,
proof"
stephen holman was well built man
iittie ABOVE the middle size. active and
athieuc, ana retained MS Vigor TO time
Oh 'ie Wheh inost men ieel the eHccts OF
age. ne was stanoibg win us. ioul
orothers, one evening 10 june Jul aftel
sunset wheh Den oiatk came along anc
JoIneu .ne company ne was q eai, strone
man III Tue prime Oh lIe, ana In the habl
OF Dragging OF ms wrestling aoiilty. Ny
orotner oohh w. VINO was tne oides
oro.ner ~ nome ana ooss OF the farm
saiu W Mr. II. ! WIN give you nan
ousnel ot potatoes II you WIN 'hrow Ben
(ne hau oeeh buying potatoes OF u.s.
holo, ana gov good ready the iirst pass
INA, NC n'aue' oe iaiu liie ooaster hat OF
|
years oiu' hau several grown up chiioren
According to los q. Wyman who /.
getting up a history of the family Han
sons History ia In error in the statemen,
that Seth Wyman's father was in the
aght at Iovewelrs pond and that h,
hiled the cb,ef p.non o" Int au than ,nAs n,
officers of that name there. G. q. CoftIr
|
onies." He states that Ensign Wymar
that Lieut.. Wyman killed the Mrdicin,
man and Paupus.
Coffin places the destruetion of the In
,,,,,s,, ,,!!..s OK. pa.a. a,....... n ZOO
which NAV lead US TO consider him no
the best authority. since documents ar,
extant to prove that IL was August "a
l774
| notice that the writer of An articl
along the Kennebecr in the Reporter n
September PC. 1889 saws IT. was Aupn.
H. Wonder where these men get thci
supposed facts or do thew lust guess A
It.
In the early DAYS OF Canaan there wer
some queer teachers and oueer WAYS
When j was small boy the Academy a
Monmouth was very popular the Pre-
ceptor was a brother OF Hon. Timotb
Boutelle of Watervjlle. We had seyers
from Readheld had "Rules Of tn
School," fastened up over the fire place
and one of them was, mo one will b
allowed to stand at the fire after he i
SUFFICIENTLY ,oorm.' believe he was
passably good teacher, II he did have
very bad spell.
When l was eight or nine years old
Mrs. Stephen Holman kept our summe
school. She was old enough to hav
nine or ten children, so she had the way
OF much earlier times. She kept switcl
fully yard and a half long, (beech be