The Portland daily press., 1891-11-02

ford, eco, ard the weighing Ma
chine.
Correspondence of the Press.l
WEST BALDWIN, Oct. 30, 1891.
One who rides through that portion Of
Baldwin lying along the Saco river comes
upon watering place beneath huge elm
at the crossing of the old Pequaketl road.
Upon the elm is the sign, "The Deacon's
Fountain" This memorial is one of the
most useful and unique that good man ever
had. The fountain is huge cylindrical
granite block, load for fourteen oxen, hol-
lowed out to form trough, which is kept
hlled by lead acqueduct from two living
wells upon neighborng hill. The work.
manship OF the fountain is of the best and
most enduring form, as may be inferred
from the fact that the total cost was nearly a
Thousand dollars. Who was the Deacon, thus
honored? And who honored his memory?
FOR town meetings are not often ruled by
sentimenb and many good deacons OF Maine
nave mouldered in their graves without the
erection of such public memorials on their
account. An inscription cut into the granite
fountain tells the story that 1t was erected in
1883 by Cyrus Woodman In memory of Dea-
con Ephraim Flint. Deacon Flint was one
OF the first and most prominent settlers of
con of the Congregational church, the land
surveyor, the maker of most of the old deeds,
and the venerable performer of good share
OF the marriage ceremonies celebrated In
Baldwin in early years. He was one of the
wealthiest, most influential and best men in
this part of the State; and died leaving an
irrepr0achable name and numerous descend
ants. One of his daughters married the late
cyrus W00dman, a native of Buxton, who
became wealthy in the West, and testified
Of eh.a 1nl LII
Deacon by erecting the granite fountain I'M
DER the old elm at the crossing of the Pequaw-
ket road.
The Baldwin people have good story OF
gruff, square-edged old Squire Thompson,
one Of the first settlers of the peighboring
town Of Cornish, and father of the late DIR.
Thompson, for many years prominent
physician in that part of the State. 1t was
local saying about Cornish that Squire
Thompson had never been scared. Many
plots had been laid by practical jokers, but
all had come to naught. Finally some Cor
nish wags, made last effort. One night
Squire Thompson attended husking at
which the festivities were somewhat pro-
longed. 1t was midnight before the Squire
started Tor home, his way being by path
through the cemetery. The ways had been
busying themselves in digging big hole
uNAoco SuAo Putus anu dn lDo OQulIc pTOCt6ueQ
home he suddenly tumbled in. At the same
instant a sheeted figure appeared on the edge
OF the hole and exclaimed In measured, Sc
pulehral tones, "What are you in my grave
for?"
R"Wbat In hi are you out of it for at this
time of niRht?" ret0rted the doughty old
Squire, as he scrambled out and proceeded
on his way.
One of the most prominent citizens of Bald
win is Mr.. Oliver Murch. Members of the
Legislature of 1889 will remember him as
one of the most level-headed and witty Of
all the solons of that body. In the social.
political and religious affairs of his town his
shrewdness has never failed him, although
1t has not been always that he has come out
so we'll as he did in a little affair with the
Methodist minister several years ago. One
Saturday night OF summer came on finding
Oliver, as all the neighb0rs call him, with
several tons OF fine hay out. Sunday the
weather was SO threatening that he decided
ii to be the duty of a good man to get part
of the hay In forthwith The work was
hardly done when severe storm came OF
completely spelling what hay remained in
the field. The Methodist minister preaching
In Baldwin that year was Rev. Mr.. A.,
one of the ablest of his denomination and
since the Presiding Elder of one of the
Maine Districts. He seems to have b ard of
bu6 proceedings vi buo nuICu ldTl1, LOT Oh
the next Sunday he delivered red-hot ser
mon against getting hay 10 on Sunday, d.
recting large share of his attention to the
side of the church where Uncle Oliver sat-
Ii was better, the minister said, to leave the
hay in the field where the Lord would look
after it. than to labor on Sunday, a perform
ance worthy only of an infidel Uncle Oliver
gave the sermon serious attention, but after
wards referred to it only to the extent of re-
markingto one or two acquaintance that it
srTnC 50 IAW.rw had
weeks after, Rev. Mr.. A---drove up to the
Murch homestead about dinner time, and
Uncle Oliver at once greeted him Hospitality
and accompanied him to the barn to put up
his horse After the horse was stalled the
next thing to do was to feed him. On the
scaffold was some bright. clean hay and also
some as black as hat, evidently havinglbeen
exposed TO rain. Pointing to the two kinds
of hay Uncle Oliver thus addressed the
pars0n:
"Now, Mr.. A, which will you have for
your horse, this infdel hay or that Metho-
dist hay ?" pointing as he concluded to the
blsckeDed bunch.
Rev. Mr.. A. was too bright a man not
to see the point, and his confusion was so
great that he could make no reply. Uncle
Oliver relieved his embarrassment by say
ing:
swell, ParsoD, the horse isn't to blame for
our robustness. so will give him some of
the infidel hay"
enjoy their dinner in good humor.
One of the stories that the dwellers along
the Pequaket road delight to tell, is the
exploit of Fred d. Harding before the Court
of Patent Appeals. at Washington. Mr..
Harding is the happy inventor of washing
machine which has made its designer tide
pendent. He Is young man of about SO
years, and those who view his pleasant, COM
modlous home, with a little mill near by, are
quite likely to sigh that they also have not
invented washing machines. But is was not
all luck in the case of the Baldwin inven-
tor, as all will agree who are told of his ex-
plot before the Court of Patent Appeals.
Young Harding had been making applica.
tlons for two or three years without success
The examiners at the patent Office uniformly
threw his case out. Finally he appealed
from the decisions of the examiners, aud
date was set for the hearing. The most ex-
perieDced patent attorneys In Washington
looked grave and said it was of no use,
although they admitted that If the Judges
could see the machine In actual operation
they would be likely to grant the patent
But here was the rub. 1t is standing and
MEMORABLE rule of the patent office that no
model over foot square shall be brought in
to 1t. There Is another memorable rule that
the judges shall not go out side the building in
such cases. The patent attorneys could sug-
gest no expedient, and sadly advised Hard
Ing that failure was his portion. They did
not understand the resources and audacity
Of the State of Maize Yankee.
you say the judges would be likely to
grant the patent If they could see the
machine in operation" said Harding to one
of the attorneys. former Portland lawyer,
at one of the conferences.
YES" replied the attorney, "but the ma
chine would have to be put up in the Patent
Office, and that is impossible"
Then will get one up there" replied the
Baldwin Yankee.
The attorney protested that such an at
tempt would be defiance of the United States
Government, and would subject the offender
to heavy foe or Imprisonment. But when
he saw that Hardlng's resolution was not to
be shaken, ne volunteered to give any assls-
ance possible.
Then our friend began to look the ground
over. he found that the men who would be
likely to interfere most with his plan were
two officials who went to their luncheons to-
gether at about O'Clock each day. He also
ascertained that the elevator running up to
the upper floor ofthe Patent Office. would bold
one of the washing machines. These facts