Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-01-25

funny affair has been going on for week
or two involving the question :, to towns
right 10 collect a AK. one Brown OF Verona
it seems. refused 10 pay hi, poll tax. The Sc
lectmen OF that town, for reasons that seemed
sufficient TO them. directed the collector OF
taxes 10 collect the tax or send Brown to Jail
Not being able 10 collec, the tax. III collector
re-orted to the other alternative. arrested the
ohs,reperous Brown. and lodged him In the
county jail In Ellsworth. Brown took hl. in
generation cheerfslly. and one day last week
gave out the following for publication
William W. Brown. Verona, sent from that
place 10 Ellsworth for $50 tax Is taking solid
comfort a, the county lail with the genial Jailer
to administer 10 hi every want The hotel st.
= good table and Is provided with all the modern
improvements such steam heat h., and cold
water shower baths. electric bells. colorc,
waters and other Indications otthc steady march
Of progress. that has not struck Verona yet
"W hile the battle goes in the outside world
while congress l. still wrAngling over the lila
waiisn difficulty and the Wilson bill ia l,cing ar
gued pro and ooa on every hand. while thousands
az -ufrering with the grip and the rebellion ia
Brazil -till lc-qurlched, he sits comfortably in
hi- room with his fee, Oh the steam pipe and
while be smokes his after dinner cigar the oniy
thing wanting 10 make him supremacy happy il
to be assured that Verona will not have him turn
Ell out In the cold cold world before the robins
come back next spring"
After languishlng In "A dungeon cell for Il
week, martyr, as he claIm., to principle, be
was released, and returned to Neroua. The
affair created 50 much stir that one of the board
Of seectmen, ;. ID. Bridges. felt called upon TO
make public an explanation OF the aft iir.
This j. substantially what be says
Brown said he was an old soldier, and a
Grand Army man. and the law did not allow u
to tax him. and we could not put him In jail and
he would not pay cent and he would not 20
before the seectmen TO ask 10 have the abated.
The selectmen did not think 1t best for the
Interests OF the town 10 have one man bulldoEe
whole town, SO they told the collector to collect
the tax or put him in jail which he did $50.
1t appears 10 me that he IS the worst kind Of
bum. for he wanted the town OF orland 10 feed
his family and Verona to pay his board and the
government 10 ind his clothes and tobacco, and
he wanted the use of the roads and his children
schooed, and he did not want to contribute one
cent towards ii. In fact, he wanted the earth for
nothing.
III the president at headquarters in Verona aud
Bucksport's chimney corner law club had kept
their advice for sale instead OF giving it away,
Brown would have paid his taxes without any
trouble They say we let him ont because
got scared and thought they would come on the
town for false imprisonment. We let him out
for this reason We thought the town did not
want to pay his board there for any great length
of time, a. our town Is SMALL and taxes
high enough now, and 1t Is jast as bad to be In
jail one week IS 1t is one year far as the name
goes, and he wanted Us to board him this spring;
but he can come home, for We have had the sat
isfaction of assessing the tax on him and OF
putting him in jail for the tax. and II he got any
satisfaction by riding to Ellsworth with the
mercury twenty four degrees below zero at noon,
he 4 perfectly welcome TO 1t far as | am con.
cerned"