Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-28
Escape Of Crook Who Imper-
sonated Sec. Fessenden,
A Much More Absorbing Theme Than
Legislative Topics.
A Busy Week Ahead Looking After Plantation
School Funds.

",
few remained over and some sought te
kill time by tramping through the snow
to the State House, where they sat around,
wrote letters, sent home public documents.
took occasion to read some of the printed
bills, got together in little groups and
talked.
1t is doubtful if those who went home
will be SO fresh to undertake the work Of
this week as are those who have remained,
and there will be plenty of work before
recess adjournment on Friday.
Woman suffrage will be an absorbing
topic, and "Woman's" day, on Thursday.
before the judiciary committee, when the
women interested in municipal suffrage
for their sex will be heard, will doubtless
sec the largest assemblage of visitors in
Representatives hall that will gather
there this winter. There may be as
many before the fish and game commit
tee relative to propagating and protecting
the denizens of the forests and inland
waters. 1t will be big hearing. if all
those interested attend.
Impressions arc gaining ground that
this won't be short session; that this
Legislature will have to consider more
new measures than did the previous one.
1t Is not an uncommon thing for the land
agent to learn that plantation officers as
sumo through ignorance Of the law that
they have charge of the reserved land in
their plantation and have been selling
permits to lumber operators to cut the
timber ON this reserved land, appropriat-
ing the money for plantation purposes
rather than turning it into the State
treasury for the plantation school fund,
as the law directs. The land agent has
sent sub-agent into Washington county
to make seizure of lumber disposed of
in this illegal way. The State has charge,
according to law, of this reserved land
until the plantation becomes a town. and
proposes to exercise it's right.
Those who have followed the Legisla-
tive proceedings of the past week may re-
member that Col. Dickey of Fort Kent in
troduced n measure, which, If 1t becomes
a law, will make it mandatory upon the
land agent to demand and collect one
twenty third part OF the revenue received
from the stumpage cut in the plantation
since it was legally organized, sbut in
which the reserved land has not been set
off or located. In other words, in some
plantations the 1000 acres of land reserved
out OF the $4,000 in the township, the
proceeds of which 1000 acres are to go to-
ward schools, has been held in common
and lumber operators have cut upon it as
they have on the other land which they
own. The State gave permit to cut up
on this township, including this 1000
acres until the plantation was organized,
but after this organization was perfected,
in some instances the operators have CON
tinued to cut upon the reserved land as
they did before. This is not strange, as
the boundaries of the 1000 acres have not
been defined, the reserved land being held
in common But according TO the Dickey
bill, the State shall collect its share of the
revenue. This may affect two or three
plantations, among which is the planta-
tion of Allegash.
There was one theme about the Capitol,
Saturday, of more absorbing interest than
any Legislative topic, and 1t will be
strange If it does not afford argument for
those who advocate the State detectives
and district police. Reference is made to
the escape of the "Nicholas Edwards
Fessenden, who is believed to have forged
the name of the secretary of State in or
der to secure an order for $500 worth of
furs Naturally Mr.. Fesscnden, the
genuine, was little chagrined after he
had worked up the case so clevcrly and by
shrewd cross examination had extracted
enough admissions from the suspected
man to have him held, then to have the
rascal so easily escape. Chagrined
hardly expresses it, for he repeatedly eau
toned the officer in whose charge the
prisoner was left to be very careful in ms
supervision, as he believed that they had
knave OF more than the mediocre sort
But the element of the funny about the
escape somewhat made amends for the
escape 10 think Of an officer left in
sschaxge * 4 man held on tho charge of for
gery, oontens withswatching the prisoners
hat! ForA wss the way it happened. The
prisoner and tho man who was in charge
Of him duling the absence Of Deputy
Sheriff, Cornish sat in the hotel Office.
Cornish had gone to Portland While
there he was to look up the story OF the
prisoner to the effect that he was mem
Der Of Bosworth Post Mr.. Cornish would
soon return and the crook knew that If he
made his escape he must be about 1t, and
he had but few minutes in which to do
it, for the train would be in from Port
land and Mr. Cornish, with his suspicious
cnpflr,nad INV xuhat he had 1enrned in Port