The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-04-16

the Islands-A Capture the Boxer Did
Not Make-How People Lived so Years
Ago. =
| At 105 Fore street there are TWO aged
women, both of whom have passed the
great age Of so. One is Mrs. Lucy W.
Dyer, widow of Mr.. James Dyer. and the
other is Mrs. Jane Niles. Saturday Mrs.
Dyer celebrated her e0th birthday. Mrs.
Niles is six months older.
Mrs. Dyer was born on Long Island,
on what is now the Robert Wallace place.
Her father was Captain Ezekiel Cushing,
who was son of Colonel Ezekiel Cush-
ing, who commanded the militia of this
| section of what was then the province of
Observation-Disclosures the war of the Re-
| volutiOn.
Mrs. Dyer has been out of health for
some years, but does not have the ap-
pearance of a woman Of 20. She lives in
the house built by her husband almost 60
years ago, and delights in looking out
over the harbor, and in talking with her
| friends.
| She is very bright and her memory is a
store house of interesting facts. She
recalls the war of 1912, and saw the
English ships when they burned some Of
the schooners of the poor fishermen of
Maine. She also saw the two ships when
they were taken up the bay after the
hight between the Boxer and the Enter
prise. and when the flag that had fioated
| kI,a 81 GcIo
down before the fire of Yankee man-of
war. 1t5was an easy thing for the boast
full English to burn fishermen. just as
it had been easy Tor them to impress
American sailors, and then whip them to
death if they refused to fight against
France, but W hen it came to facing Yam
kee lead the English flag went down.
Many man on board an American pr.
vateer. or man-of-war, paid back in those
day a bitter debt of vengeance he owed
to England for that impressment sys-
tenn.
In those days Captain Cushing owned
| an old schooner called the Nancy. and
he was seized by the Boxer shortly be-
fore the fight that ended the career of
that burner of fishermen. For some
reason they did not burn the old schoon-
err, but they did steal all the fresh pro-
visions they hads on board, putting on
/ board some of the rotten meat, and
tainted bread of their own. Fortunate
Ely the Long Island people had no occa
sion to eat it.
| Had the Boxer taken the Nancy July
4th, the English would have captured
a prisoner, they would not have allowed
to have escaped. The young men of the
island celebrated the day by taking the
girls there outside on a fishing trip.
They just escaped falling into the hands
of the enemy for few hours later the
British flag was off the coast, and many
a little fishing schooner was bnrned.
In those days and in the better days
after the war it was one of the pleasant
social events of the day. the taking of
aschooner and the making up4of mer-
ry party for trip outside. 1t was much
like taking trip to Portland, it was
easy enough to tell when they would
| start, but at times little uncertain
hen they would get back.
| The uncertainty attending the keeping
up of communication with the mainland
was another of the draw backs attending
life on the island of Casco bay. and
along the coast in those days. and the
island residents had in the fall to lay in
stock of everything for the winter.
Wheat, and in fact almost everything
was raised by them on their farms, and
they had to do without many articles
that are regarded row, as among the
things even the poorest must have. For
example during. the war of 1912, -four
was $40 barrel, corn meal 50, so a, bush
Ell, and as Mrs. Dyer said "Tea and
coffee were too high to buy. We had to
have make believe coffee, barley roasted
don't know but 1t was just as good
though. That was when the English
were off the coast, and dear they were SO
mean.n
Then everything was home made that
could be manufactured by the indus.
trious women of the day. Then they
woye their own garments, and sent them
10 Il HILL dG 3 hlmOuGu 10 w COIOIGQ ana
pressed. The cloth was nice and wore
much longer than cloth will now" said
Mrs. Dyer. My mother wove the cloth
and it was handsome cloth too of which
they made an outer garment for me.
Everybody had to work then, and was
rather smart, at least they said SO. I
suppose I'm not of much use now, but
worked then" q
but mother you forgot how much
patch work you put together yet" said
the daughter, and then the venerable
woman told in an interesting way of
their home life. how she had two
"stints" of spinning day, 10 skeins."
Now can put together some patch work
she said with smile believe put
together 20 pieces last Friday.
She recalled some very cold weather
in past days. 1t was then no uncommon
thing winters for the Long Island people
clz In, 81