The Portland daily press., 1895-09-28
TWO LANGUAGES IN ONE FAMILY.
Peculiar Situation in the Home Life of
George Powers of Caribou Who Acted as
Interpreter in the U. S. Court Yesterday
Powers Recent Talk with Nadeau the
Outlaw.

George Powers of Caribou, the inter
prefer in the United States Court, In
Yesterdays case against the Aroostook
Frenchman for retailing liquor without
United States license, has served as an
interpreter before in this court ana else
where and has done so occasionally IN
the last three or four years, since ne
graduated from the Kicker Classical In
stitute at Houlton. His life has been such
as to render him peculiarly fitted to be
an interpreter between those VINO speak
French and English
His father was born in Ireland ana MS
mother in France. They were married
in Canada and now live in Caribou. The
father saw the advantage to his chllaren
of possessing the ability to speak Doth
French and English perfectly ana SO I'M
pressed it upon tbs IN from their earnest
childhood to always speak to their moth
err in her native tongue, French, ana TO
him in English. Thus the children grew
up in the use of two languages IN their
home and it became as natural TO tnem
to speak French to their mother and
English to their father as to speak either
language to both, like other children.
George Powers yesterday told the
PRESS reporter that he had never talked
to his mother in any language but
French, or to his father in any but Eng
lish. He said that he could converse in
one language as well as the other,
In conversing with each other his par
ents sometime use French and sometimes
English.
Powers makes a regular business OF
interpreting and finds employment there
by for most of the time. Whenever any
of the Aroostook Frenchmen have occa-
sion to appear in court on legal business,
they generally send.for. Powers to act as
interpreter. In this way. he does good
deal of travelling over the country. Last
month he had occasion to go to Fort
Kent, in the woods just north of which
town is the home of the outlaw Nadeau.
He. entered grocery store there and
short, stout man jumped up quickly
and put his hand like flash to his hip
poket. That was Nadeau, the outlaw.
Powers was stranger and that is al
ways Nadeau's greeting when a stranger
comes near. He always carries a revol-
yer and knife He had just come to the
store, as usual, to make purchases. As.
s11red of Powerss harmlessness, Nadeau
conyersed with him at some length,
among other things he spoke OF the
shooting of Collins of Pressure Isle and
spoke of it as a very wicked act.
Powers noticed while in the store,
Nadeau never allowed any man to get be-
hind him, and when he left. he went out
of the back door backward. His mind
and eyes are ever on the alert Powers
says that his eyes have peculiar, insane
expression, and he has no doubt that the
man has become orazed by the constant
vigilance aud fear of arrest. His mind
has been occupied in that intense way
for so long that. it has become unbalanced
in that respect.
Powers said that not only is Nadeau as
vigilant now as ever he was. never al
lowing any man to get behind him and
always ready to shoot on approach OF
stranger, but also that there is always
somebody awake in his house and that
the members of his family are all good
shots. His home is some miles north
of Fort Kent, i'll the wilderness, where
he has a wife and children. Think of
a home where some member of the fami-
ly is always awake and on the watch
with deadly weapons No wonder
Nadeau's eyes look as if he was crazy.