Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-07

0f<..-
80 In the early part Of mi. "a
men who paid for farms wortsd by
reared families objected 4 a,
when they were ousted fronn . -
homes. and soon the pcopIe con., sae'r
10 resort to another than statute ,u
the law Of self preservation In a~'
- cneck thess rising troubles, the leo.
.u'e Oh Massachusetts. In 1907
Enacted law to the effect that IL ar.
uon were begun against a tenant WIN,
n".o neid ms land six years, IL In.
complainant were successful, the value
oI the land before settlement should h.
ascertaihed, also the value of the i'm.
proVements. Then the claimant couIa
ether sell at the ascertained first val
ue, or pay the value OF the better-
ments. Practically the same law now
prevails. improvements of course wer.
reckoned high and wild land low. I'm,
IN spite OF this, the proprietors man.
aged to make things very bad for TN.
occupants until resistance was deliber-
ately planned. Armed bodies Of men
were organized and equipped in Wind.
sor, then called Malta, Palermo jeff
erson, Alma, NobebOrO and Brsto,
The insurrection was no joke, for these
men were people of good character. and
| mighty muscle, the pioneers of our
State and they meant business. They
looked upon the surveyors and Dro
prietors, much as lobster fishermen
look upon fish wardens. Still at this
distance, the act of bloodshed which
brought these matters to a head looks
like a cowardly murder. September
8. 1909, just eightyfive years ago. Paul
Chadwick, man employed by sur
veyor to carry the chain, was shot in
cold blood while at his work The
deed was done in Malta.
Seven men, Elijah Barton, David
Lynn. Jabez Meigs. Prince Cain. Ansel
Meigs, and Adam Pitts, were indicted
for murder at the October session OF
the supreme court, the same year. OF
course these men had the sympathy OF
the community and preparations were
at once made to rescue the prisoners.
Therefore the militia was under or
ders to proceed to augusta, at any
time and a number of companies, under
arms. were stationed in the town and
around the Jail till after the trial was
over
Stories of all sorts were circulated as
TO the intentions of the insurgents and
everybody was terribly scared. At
the close of the first day Of the trial
20 armed men, disguised as Indians,
came from Malta and threw out
skirmish line within a half a mile Of
the bridge across the Kennebec.
Major Weeks was stationed with a
small force just east of the town. He
captured one of the enemy, but
his comrades, with a wild whoop
charged and recaptured the man to-
gether with the gallant major. Weeks
was carried off into the woods and
there released. They We're releasing
prisoners. not taking them. But the
capture of the major set the military
in motion. The bells of Hallowell and
Augusta began to ring at midnight
and the inha bitants were reused and
turned out in a panic. Augusta was
said to be besieged by thousands of
squatters. Burning, pillage and mas
sacre. We're at hand, cavalry. artillery,
infantry and guerrillas started on the
double quick to the aid of the be-
leaguered town. Drums ratified. bug
les pealed. lights flashed and the
words of command echoed through. the
frosty autumn air from Vassalboro to
tensified by the accidental discharge. of
a flint lock, but the rebels were fright
ened away and did not make any at
tempt to rescue the prisoners.
Major General Henry Sewall of the
heroes of '76 was in command and had
a full brigade of soldiers at hand. No
further trouble was made, the prepare
ton for defence made any attack hope
lou fool
Daniel Davis was the prosecutor and
the prisoners were defended by Samuel
S. Wilde of Hallowell and Prentiss
Mellen of Portland. There was abun-
dance of evidence. Six of the prison.
ers had made voluntary confessions
and poor Chadwick had testified before
his death as to their identity. Never
theless forty-four witnesses were ex-
amined and ten days consumed.
Finally verdict of mot guilty" was
rendered. King of France.'- etc.
Has there ever been in our day such a
farce. such a miscarriage of justice as
followed this horrid muddle in the
good old days more than four score
years ago?
Still. good grew out of the matter.
The general court and Gov. Elbridge
Terry were petltlOneQ 10 Inu soile
remedy and to prevent the expulsion
of men who had held their lands from
forty to eighty years. for which they
had paid taxes. defended them against
the savages in 1855 and fought against
the British from 1715 to 1888, when
every fourth man in Bristol was drawn
a soldier" The settlers proposed to
defend with their lives what they had
acquired by their blood. The next
year Judge Thacher ordered survey
and called for five hundred men to
accompany the surveyor. But the sur
veyor. Mr.. Malcolm. begged to be ex-
cused and the proposed invasion of
Maine never took place. In 1911. the
Legislature of Massachusetts directed
the governor to appoint three commits
sioners to investigate and report on the
titles of real estate in Lincoln county.
The commissioners. Percy Morton.
Jonathan Smith, Jr., and Thomas b.
Adams met at Wiscasset, April II. 1911
and there examined deed. witnesses
etc. They reported that 1.-THE browne
claim covered the town of Bristol. the