Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-08-08
fCharles E. Alien, in The Beacon. ]

Of Romance woaIi have been better des-
| ignation, although the material with when
propose 20 deal il no; fiction indeed,
history oftentines has a more romantic cast
! than does pure fiction, and fiction, 50 called,
| is sometimes true history
In former paper. aiIusion was made TO
Sgan Island and the locality must not De
confused wish Swans Island, which lies of
Gre coast Of Hancock county. A traveller
passing into the heart Of Maine by the
railway tin1s himself on the banks OF Hen
neiee river at the town of Richmond. The
railway folioss the banks of the river for
nearly forty miles each mile Of which re
veais some new beauty or presents some
point of historic interest. DUST above
Richmond village a glance from the railway
past the site of tits Oil fort of l1l9. now
marked By i beautiful dwelling house and
fianked bv a large black barn, gives one =
view of the head of Swans Island, the
island toxnship Of Perkins, four miles in
length, aud in its widest part mile in
breadth. The kennebec and Boston steam
ers pass ND the western or narrow channel
Of the river, and thus their passengers see
nothing OF the island except pasture and
woodland because the green fields and
eastern side. The town, named in lsi7
for gentleman whom tins paper will
mention further on, ha. some eighty inhab-
itants and perhaps sixteen voters. 4 single
-choolhomse, living the American flag, and
situated near the centre of the islanh, serves
as educational institution, polling place and
for religious services, although the distance
across to Richmond churches is not great
IL. 49, 4
but four miles from its extreme limits. Nor
is the tow either blessed or troubled with
lawyer. clergyman, doctor or paupsr, al
though iurt now there is O,me discussion as
to whether the peculiar wording of the new
Australian ballot law does not technically
disfranchisc It's less than score of voters
for the reason that the single voter of Dem
ocratic preferences in the last election has
since then left the island, and therefore
election officers cannot present the two po-
litical parties according 10 law. But this
is question for legal jugglers.
The farms are all good, the soil product
i've and the dwellings and their surround
ings tasty and pretty. The town has had
no debt for years: and when, some years
ago the State refunded to towns some
portion of their war expen-
diture, this little munich pslity declared
dividend instead of assessing tax. The
people although geographically isolated,
are by no means mentally provincial. The
town has a history quite as extensive as is
its area, indeed more so. Ny record,
| however, commences with tragedy, and !
| fear will close with one.
/ The map drawn under direction of the
! Plymouth proprietors--as they are often
! called-from surveys made in 1850, repre-
sents a single settler at the foot of the
| island near where the celebrated Jacob
] Barker was born TWENTY-FIVE wears after
ward. That settler they called Captain
1 Whceden.n About that time the Indian,
made a decent upon the few struggling
/ settlers in the vicinity, and with Others
they carried captive 10 Canada all OF
James Whidden'~ (as he spelled the name
family, excep, himself and wife, who es
capped. Mr.. Whid,len's petition to Massa
chusetts government for aid in ransomns
his family dated MAY %, l1il, and il
which he complains that his loved ones ar,
being converted to Romanism,' he men
tons Timothy and solomon, and his son-in
law, Lazarus Noble, with lis wife Abigail
and their seven children and two servants
a. VI WY " ~ ' ~ Nv,
an" rn'"'''e' ""h '''' ~
rfa''eoiS ,ii"e VI i'''i'ans' amy was III
'"iah'' No"' ~ nv, 0'P'"'S iva so"S ~
"ooie i"nS VI '"o'i'iea'' WIZ" 'i'e :, ~"
ahoP,ei her Us her o"" ann caitAui'S e'.u
'a''" iNi' ''he iV'"'"'" " nei "''''
hehnepee ai'ef many years anu l nope II
Nv '''v 10 ii,'' '''e i'',i' o' nv 7el.'ci'''i
Oh wealth "no'ii Si'c 'it'r" ''us u'airie",
4
inis ianns was carrier oi' NV H'a''" ''i"i
were the he"hfpec Proprhto.s VINO a.
iaho coi'PanN were 'egisiat'hs III boston
lrs' at some tavern III Mug street. anu II
i''ef years ~ thf rooms OF me Ha''ach"
sets tiank' They were bo;i.l To FeSpec
Whiddeh ute anu grant iinl 90 acre.
OF lana III iH,o. Two years af'erwar"
they granted all the resi- Oh this Wohtrr'u
isianl-"ahoul SAT- acres to one OF thrl
humber' pr. sylvester Hir1inef OF h"st"n
together with llttie swan island Tor thl'
immature township ls group or three
Islands, the smallest o. wlneh i Spauil
ing lSiatli, mer" Woodfd rock, named
/ possibly from Ann Spduldlng, sp.nster oil
boston. 10 whom land was granted o!
( Dresden shore.
''acoh Barker was born on the lower enc
of this island in l112. although iie left thcI,
when six years old, with his widGwed moth
rr, for Nantucket Events connecte | witt
his career possess more than ordinary IN
( terest, and brief mention may properly be
made here, although he claimed the island OF
/ Nantucket us hi home. He WAS of Quaker
ancestry ou his maternal side. AMI from the
same stock rs was Dr. Benjamin Franklin
whom, IN personal appearance, ne much re
sembled, \ very good sketch of him Il
given in Appleton, Cyclop"dlia of american
/ Biography, but incidents in the Life OF
Jacob Barker" published in Washington il
/ iS15. is filled with incidents of romantic
interest. He was Il well-known banker
/ first in New York, and afterwards
! in New Orleans, He vas The r7n
signce Of the stram-cng.nr which was
the motive power for Fultons first steam
boat on the linlson. Few who trave
in the magnificent North river steamers OF
today know that the BUTLER OF the hrs
steam craft on that river was too poor tt
pay for his engine AMI 1t lay IN Mr. Bar
ker's warehouse for some months III
financial operations were Immense, espec
tally for that tune. The government
negotiated a loan of $40 1908, Vl0 through
him, with which to carry on the War OF
( ISL. lie retained the quaker girb fol
many years and also the Quaker form OF
speech, "a Is seen ~ note addressed tc
/ Secretary tAH1rb'l, commencing rs
teemed FRIEND, lncioscd hand thee pro
posa', etc. f"trrafY- No 'aS the TREND
of jefferson IN "f De WAT linton and
/ he aided IN the discovery OF Burr :
Conspiracy, indeed inc'ents connected
with hs long and r"'narsabic career
might property he the subject of a
paper but they are rot concerned with the
locality IN whIrh he WAS horn and f"rhcaF
He died IN 1871 at the residence ot his
| grandson, barton iiaiker IN fhii@teip','a