The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-06-19
y TTl' II T7lFF'F-
Comments ano Incidents.

4 rial To the Legislature, printed In tbs
REPORTER Of May izi would sr-In u b.
/ IN order. 10 the hrst plAc. ! notice thai
/ the types have mixed the figures IN The
date badly, for -, read IL ! cal
7 1T DR.. VI titsILsfs BECAUSE hi- nsme i
fret on the committee, aud be was the
only well educated mao among them. II
may readily be believed that the early
settlers In Canaan were none Of them In
athuent Circumstances, that they were
compelled To undergo many hardship
and deprivations. and forego many com
forts and con venisnces, but 1t Ia not easy
70 believe the statement In this memorial
that many 90 almost naked; !" and Of the
children, many Of them living as naked
as they came into the world except some
old rag tied around the waist and tina,
there IL not a single house 10 town 50
finished as TO be comfortable most Of
the people living in little log hus.
Now I dare Say It right out loud
that there is nothing In the character or
conduct Of Dr. Whitaker, 40 far a. they
are brought 10 our knowledge By history
or tradition, that can give US any conf
dence In his truthfulness. In the very
outset of his career 10 Canaan, when he
had Induced the people who were almos,
II not quite all brought up Congregation
alists, to accept him as their minister
with the Presbyterian form Of church
government, In remonstrsnce written
by my father he was openly accused OF
deception and the use Of dishonest
means 70 effect this result And after s
whilt,he was,,charged with RIGHTEOUSNESS.
and this became 50 well known that It
led to his dismisson 10 1880. Twenty
Las. las.. a
corning his dissolute conduct, too gross
to be repeated. These things justify the
remark OF one Of my correspondents,
1.-THE signature Of DR.. Whitaker 70 the
Memorial gives 1t no moral force "
With regard TO mis- assertion that there
was not q comfortable house in town, |
call It Islander Oh the forefathsrs of many
Of the present dwellsrs in the IOWA. In
my young days, 20 70 IS years After his
dismlssion, he was stu 8 frequent sub
ject Of conversation and it vas always
understood that he lived from the first
10 the little hou.e built for him on the
lot donated by Esquire Haywood, the lot
sold by Noah Reed before his removal TO
the village. 1t was q two story house
of four rooms and large hail on each
floor, and all finished except the two
back chambers. II WAS the only house
at the time 1t WAS bull. that WAS painted
on the out side. Ny belief founded on
circumstances Is that there were i've or
SIX comfortable houses within one
mile Of him.
Here Is fact to demonstrate the ex-
treme poverty of the people. Hanson ;
| History informs US that it was the very
year Of the date of this Memorial. that
the meeting house was built 1t was,
| Judge, as much as 80 feet by 40 with 8
large porch at each end containing the
stairs TO the gallery. The main building
was completely flushed with the old
time square pews, the pulpit and front
OF the galleries painted, and the sound
ing board over the pulpit painted, the
bottom Of it In three colors. The ex-
pense was paid in part by the sale OF the
pews, and in part by a town tax on those
poor people of whom the Memorial says
Of the State taxes I'VE cannot pay them. "
Ind on the inventory OF my father 8
estate one pew valued at s25 and one at
81, probably the original cost suppose
it was to save the money for the meet
ing house, that the DR.. was SO anxious
to be released from paying the State
taxes
One of the complaints In the Mem jrial
was that during the war the town
was obliged 10 keep out scouts at their
own expense, without help from the
Government, though earnestly solicited
at the expense Of messenger sent on
purpose to procure ammunition. This is
evidently gross exaggeration as there
was no enemy to be feared except Indians,
and there was only one scare, and that
needless, when Isaac Smith, Samuel Yves
ton and Oliver Wilson were sent out,
who were absent few days but found
no Indians. See Hanson's History.
1t is great pity that DR.. Whitaker did
not continue to be 81 careful to spare ex-
pen.es to the distressed people. In
1890 after he was dismissed. 1t was found
to be- impossible to make fair settle
ment with him, and recourse was had to
an arbitration. l have the receipt of
Thomas Rice. Esq, Of Winslow for
sl2 10 for his services as one of the
referees.
believe Hanson has the name of the
other two, and If they were paid like
amount, 1t made pretty considerable bill
of costs.
But did the five other members of the
committee put their signatures 10 thsss
false statements, if they were false
Every body knows how business of this
kind is frequently done. 1t is not prob
able that auy of them ever read the docu-
ment; they may not sven have heard it
read. In the division Of sentiment on the
formation OF the church. they were all
partisans Of DR.. Whitsksr except VIM.
Steward; l dou't know how he stood
John White and Solomon Clark were
Elders, and they would naturally have so
much confidence In him as to sign what
ever he wrote believing 1t would Of
course be all right Ny grandfather
John White was our nearest nsighbor,
and was often at my mothers; | WAS a
boy VIXEN he died. Peter Haywood, Jr. ,
also near neighbour lived till l wa. man
grown, and | think l can estimate both
of them fairly. They were simple mind
ed, unsuspicious, disposed TO believe 9TH
er men as honest as themselves. The
others on the committee were probably
men of similar character, and At that
time the d. 5. Delinquent les were not fully
known OF believed in by his friends.