The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-08-04
Two Noted Maine Men.
"REMINISCENCES OF ELIJAH r. AND OWEN
IONEJoN.

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: In
my perambulations through the several
towns in this vicinity, in the capacity of
an insurance broker, my business took me
to the home of John Sylvester at South
Freedom. The family of Mr.. Sylvester
consists of himself, widower, (having
lost his wife a few years ago., his mother,
a sister of the late Hon. stephen Strout,
of South Freedom, and the late Mr.. Strout,
of Belfast, and his sister Abbie. This
family have quite a museum of antique
relics. We were shown by Miss Abbie
dress worn by her great grandmother
when she was a girl, and as the record
shows that she was married Nov. 30, lbs
the dress must be more than $50 years old.
The fabric is linen and the design and
texture are very pretty and not unlike the
Dolly Warden patterns of a few years ago.
The style is unique. and would he inter
esting to those understanding it, but ow-
inc to our limited knowledge of the diff
terent parts of the female harness, we
are unable to give a true description of
it. 1t must be seen to be understood.
The lady to whom this dress belonged
was also the great grandmother of the
wife'of Hon A. F. Nickerson, of swan
Vile Her maiden name was Eleanor
Wardwell, nd she married a Clifford in
17.'S, as ab, We mentioned
<,f+ 90
also shown us. 1t was kept in book
printed in London in 1882. 1t is entitled
Butler Analogy. and is dedicated to the
Right Honorable Charles Lord Talbot,
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
by His L0rdship's most loyal, most low
ing and most obedient servant. Joseph
Butler.
We were also shown a chair $50 years
old. and a singing book entitled The Viii
lage Harmony, published in 1906 But
that which interested us most was an in
PRODUCTION to Mr.. Amos Sylvester brother
of the late Moses Sylvester, Gather of
john. who arrived in town the night be-
fore from Rushville, Ill. He left his ma
tive hearth (the town Of Palermo u years
ago, and this is his first visit to Maine
since. He returns to find his brothers
and sisters all dead and nearly all of the
connections and friends of his generation.
lie learns that he has two cousins living,
viz. Elemuel Grant. of Palermo. and Dr.
p.I+. =, Il,
mo all these years not a day has passed
that he did not think Of his native home
among the hills of Maine and long to
visit il. But. having married in the West,
the cares Of family prevented him from
doing 50, and now, after his family are all
dead except one son, and though - years
before he died become too strong to resist
and So he came, all alone He says there
have been great Improvements in Maine
since he left. He is carpenter by trade.
and left Boston with his kit of tools
(many of them made by his brother
Moses in the bark Sultan. of Boston, for
New Orleans: then went up the Missis-
sippi river, landing at Alton, H.. in 1871.
1t was at that place that a man from the
town adjoining his native town in Maine
was brutally murdered for his opinion S
sake, but short time before. The con
yersation with Nh Sylvester in relation
to thar event led me to look up its his
tory. and though it may be familiar to
some there are others. more especially
the younger portion OF your readers. who
have never heard of it. Hoping that it
may be as interesting to your readers as
it has been to me. it is respectfully sub
mitted:
Elijah 7. Loveioy was born in the town
of Albion. kennebec county, Maine. in
1s0Z graduated at Watervile College in
1926, and went to st. Louis, Mo. where
he was engaged, first as teacher then as
a political editor. He studied theology
at Princeton, and in 1893 was ordained as
Presbyterian minister, and returning to
st. Louis became the editor of religious
journal called The Observer. Anti slav-
cry agitation was then rife throughout the
free States, and Mr.. Lovejoy, while dis
claiming any connection with the aboli-
tionists, was yet endowed with the old
time New England hostility to human
slavery and inspired with an earnest zeal
for the freedom of the press Occasional
paragraphs in The Observer gave great
offence to the people of St Louis Cen
sured and menaced for this exercise of the
freedom of speech in slave holding COM
munity he reminded his censors that the
blood in his veins was kindred to that
which flowed at Lexington and Bunker
Hill, and declared that he would not CON
sent to be chained. In the spring of 1896
a negro criminal was taken out of the St.
Louis jail by mob, chained to tree and
burned to death. An attempt was made
to indict the authors of this crime, and
the Judge in his charge to the grand jury
laid down the doctrine that when a mob
is hurried by some mysterious metaphys-
ical and almost electric frenzy. to com
nit deed of violence and bloodshed, the
participatorS therein are absolved from
guilt and therefore not proper subjects fol
4.