The Portland daily press., 1892-08-05
WAS MRS. GUsTIN A FLIRTs
A West Gorham Affair Gets Into the
Municipal Court-Frederick Plaisted's
Account of His Battle With George Gus
tins Amazonian spouse-Parthian Tao
tics of the Pursued,

Account of His Battle With George Gus
tins Amazonian Spouse-Parthian Tao
tics of the Pursued.
The municipal court yesterday fore
noon was entertained by dramatic &C
count of the differences between the
houses of Plaisted and Gustin, the
Montagues and Capulets of West Cor
ham. The head of the house OF
Plaisted is Frederick S. Plaisted, tall,
angular, gossipy and acrid patriarch,
who is known locally as ''the man who
once froze his toes off, The principal
members Of the house of Gustin are
George Gustin, aged about 40 years, and
distinguished in appearance by huge,
black beard, and his wife, Emma Gustin,
aged about 80, and rather stout and pre-
possessing.
The feeling between Plaisted and the
Gustins does not seem to have been
cordial; but it was not until last Thurs
day that open hostilities came about.
Plaisted told on the stand yesterday the
story of the affair. The old man had
evidently rehearsed the story with care,
and embellished it with all the oratory
at his command. He said that last
Thursday Mrs. Gustin came up to his
house to demonstrate with him about his
COW, which persisted in getting into the
Gustin field. The remonstrance finally
took the form of a battle Of words, dur
ing which they twitted one another of
various failings. In particular Plaisted
accused Mrs. Gustin of being a firt. 1t
seems that some alleged firtations of
Mrs. Gustin-notably one which is said
to have taken her to Portland-had been
food for reflection among the neighbors
for some time. Plaisted's words stung
her, and she went home feeling much
vexed.
Act II. occurs on the same day, when
Plaisted, cane in hand, takes a stroll
down the road past the Gustin home
stead. II had just got opposite the
house, testified Plaisted, "when l heard
Gustin say to his wife:
Now Emma, Go For Him
and give him the devil and 1 will back
you up" Continuing his narration
Plaisted says that Emma thereupon
charged out into the road, with her hand
behind her back, and thus addressed
him: Course you, why did you tell those
stories about mer' He held his peace
and tried to get by, when with the hand
which she had kept behind her back, she
produced club. With the club she
struck him, and an affray followed.
Then came MI. Gustin onto the scene.
Plaisted drew a very dramatic picture of
the husbands dash to the rescue. HE
came tearing up at full speed said the
aged belligerent, waving his scythe
above his head in the air. And as he
came up to me he made mighty swing
at me, the point of the scythe just graz
ing my bowels. / thought my last day
had come, and beat mastery retreat y
Plaisted's retreat was towards the
friendly doorway of Neighbor Manches-
ter. Mrs. Gustin pursued, while Plaisted,
with Parthian tactics turned now and
then to hurl back at her some observa-
lions about her firtations. The Man.
chester doorway proved no refuge, for
Mrs. Gustin pursued and struck him
with her fists. He clinched her, and
they rolled to the ground. Now again
comes Mr.. Gustin to the rescue, puts
his knees onto the aged Plaisted's
stomach and his fists into the latter's
face.
Mrs. Manchester here appeared and
procured short cessation of hostilities,
the belligerents departing to their
respective homes after Mrs. Gustin had
tried to throw large stone at Plaisted.
At that kind of warfare she was not a
success.
Mr.. and Mrs. Gustin do not admit the
entire truth of this story as related by
Plaisted. Mrs. Gustin admits that she
went out into the road and stopped
| Plaisted, telling him that he could not
90 by until he retracted his SANDERS
| To this Plaisted made satirical sound: :
| "Hoo-oo-oo-ooo.'' When she persisted
he struck her. Then Mr.. Gustin came to
the rescue, but says he did not use a
scythe. Two boys, one named Manches-
ter and the other Charles, gave reluctant
testimony that showed Mrs. Gustin the
aggressor at the Manchester house
affray.
Act III. opens at the Plaisted home
stead. Gustin is going by with rake.
According to the Plaisted version the
old man goes out and peaceably asks
why he is prosecuted, whereupon Gustin
charges on him with the rake, forcing
him to flee for safety to his house.
'Then I determined to have the law on
him. says Plaisted.
Gustin tells the story differently. He