The Republican journal., 1897-09-02
Stockton Asserts Herself.
SearspOrt tied for Base Ball Houors.

Sea lies an island, which celebrated Eno-
llsh novelist informs us has had, for manv
centuries, its own people, speaking their
own peculiar language, living under their
own laws; having governor and judiciary
OF their own selection; real Kings, Princes
and Lords OF their own; and living in an
atmosphere of their own customs and
superstitions, their own axioms and prov.
erbs, and their own ballads and songs. This
body of land is known as the Isle of Man
Somewhere about half way between Fort
Point and the town of Searsport. in the
county of Waldo, State of Maine, is located
a drowsy sleepy alittle hamlet, where, for
ages, its people have spoken their own lam
guage, walked up and down their own street.
traded products and transacted business in
their own way, and lived conservative.
routine life, after the manners and customs
of the good old times in the days of King
Norman the Conqueror. This little hamlet
is known, on the map at least as Stockton
Springs. If life on the little far awav
island in its humdrum and isolated features
is a picture unique and interesting none the
less unique, and none the less interesting, is
the life of a Stocktonian. With him it is a
in their course. Let a stranger enter
the town on any week day, and the
one picture meets his eye. There is only the
one street, and that begin3 out of sight, and
leads nowhere. The same rigs stand day
after day in front of the same store, the wag-
one ia ind Of tbo IN
and the horses lazily switching the flies
from their backs; the genial postmaster
pauses in his perusal of the customers pos
tai cards long enough to inform you, as he
invariably does inform you. that there is
Nothing for you to-day, sir = the door of
the blacksmith's shop on the right may be
observed to close precisely at twenty-five
minutes past eleven, local time, (also lunch
tlme) the grocer may be seen in the door
way mentally calculating what proportion
of white sand his new brand of "pure gran
uated sugar" will stand; while on Wednes-
days and Saturdays the village barber sits IL
the window of his shop ready to administer
cocoaine or chloroform to such of his Gus
toners who desire the removal of their hir-
suite adornments, and who desire also to
survive the operation. There is no news
paper or bank in the town; but these latter
adjuncts of civilization are not necessary
here, as no one ever reads the papers, and
No one has ever been seen on the main
thoroughfare; aud the town is as peaceful
and harmless as General Weyler iu one of
his personally conducted battles with the
Cuban insurgents At least such was the
condition Of things up to the 26th day of
August last, a date by the way, now mem
orable in the annals of Stockton Springs
history. On that day, however, an un-
wonted air Of activity pervaded the entire
place, and the scene suddenly changed.
The door of the old shop forgot to swing
shut at It's accustomed hour; the sugar
found its way into the clean paper bags
without any company; and the tonsoridl
artist no longer speculated upon The poss-
Bile recovery Of his customers. People We're
seen moving hurriedly through 5he main
street. Here and there little knots of men
We're observed engaged in earnest discus
sion, while frequent and mysterious allusjons
to "foul tips traps" three haggers, 50
''slides," " masks" 'stolen bases, 'dia-
monds, etc, suggested to the un Initiated
some proposed crime of great daring, such
as ''The Great Diamond Robbery" No
burglarious intent, was, however responsible
for all this excitement. The men W 10 We're
pushing and hauling each other about, and
~,
mortal combat. They were simply arguing
about the game of base ball to be played in
the afternoon of that day on the grounds of
the Red Seal base ball club, and in which
the merchants of the town were to be pitted
against one another. The argument was
still on when at two o'clock the ball grounds
We're well filled with spectators, awaiting
anxously the commencement of hostilities
Many had driven over from neighhoring viii
lagos and noticeable among the base ball
'tcranks' and "rooters'' were L. ]. Morse,
Mr.. and Mrs Robinson, Mrs. Strick-
land and Mrs. Wilson of Bangor; Walter
Higgins, Miss Louise Higgins, Miss Webster
of Portland; Mr.. and Mrs. r. H. Lain beer,
Mrs. r. 81. Laimbeer, Jr., and Mrs. G. E.
SANFORD OF New 4OrK, CnaTl6S SOueu ana
Chas. E. Haywood of Boston, and Frank
Webster, Robert Webster and enjanin
Merrithew of Fort Point. 1t was rumored
that Mr. Soden's object in attending the
affair was to get timber with which to
strengthen the Boston team in next year 8
League games. The scorers card showed
the following distribution OF talent which
were catalogued, for the sake of convenience
10 doubt, under the head of "Farmers" and
merchants
FARMERS MERCHANTS.
Ed Colcord. ..... ......c. Chas. Rendel..
John Lancaster. Lewis Clifford ...... ..
Frank West ........l b. Sam. Rendell ......1 b.
Edw. HichbOrn. z b. sim MerItheW. b.
DR.. Geo. Stevens. 3 b. AL AmeS .......3 b.
Rufus Mudgett 80. s. $. Walter Trundy..-...s S.
,Jno. Merthew. f. AIDE Irundy f.
Harry Hichborn f. Fred Clifford. &c. f.
Clifford Fletcher. Il. f. Nat LaFurley...... l. +.
Umpire, Amos Treat of Stockton. Referee,
Chas Soden of Boston.
The band, stationed on the grand stand,
having been instructed to furnish music ap-
propriate to the occasion, and observing r.
L. Sanford of Brooklyn, the amateur runner,
crossing the field with his coat of bronze
tan and his foot ball hair cut, failed to recog-
nize the well known athlete, and struck up
ssThe wild man of Borneo has just come to
town" Just as the umpire shouted "play
$l,..