The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-19
SPANISH FLAG HIS RUIN
The Thrilling Life and Equally
Thrilling Death of Tom Day, a
Desperate of the Maine Woods,

The lobster coves and lumber camps
of Maine are the last places in which
one would seek material fov romances
or tragedies, but the woods are full
OF them. There is 70 record of the
event on the files of the war depart
ment, but one of the first and most
desperate engagements of the war with
spain took place IN the depths of d
pine forest near the village of Center
vile, Washington county, and the in
cident was not closed until Tom Day,
who was called the wlckedest man in
Maine, was buried in the forest with
the Spanish flag wrapped around his
body. He had been the terror of Wash
ington county for thirty-seven years,
ever since he seeded from fine United
States and hoisted the Confederate flag
over his cabin al Machiasport. Day
came from Alabama orignally-no one
seemed to remember why or how-and
when the war broke out he defended
the right of secession and publicly eX-
pressed his sympathy with the rebels.
At first the people were inclined TO
make fun of him, and Tom Days treas
enable sentiments were the subject of
much local humor; but after the battle
of Bull Run, when he raised a Con-
federate flag over his cabin, the leigh
bors became indignant and attempted
TO haul it down. Day defended his
principles with a shotgun. AS q con-
sequence one of the neighbors fell dead
in his tracks, two were mUrtally
wounded and several others We're more
or less filled with lead. He was finally
overpowered and vengeance was visit
ed upon him. They tied him to tree
by the thums and beat his bare back
with birch rods until his II )userS We're
drenched with blood. They then set
fire to his cabin, and the Confederate
flag which he so stOutly defended dis.
appeared when the roof fell in.
Day was arrested for murder and
treason. He was tried in Boston and
sentenced to imprisonment in the Dry
Tortugas near Key West. At the close
of the war he was released, and to the
surprise of every one he came back
to Maine, hunted up his wife and her
sister, who had lived with them, and
took up lot of wild land pat.r Cen
terville. He built a substantial and
commodious cabin of logs and lived
there with the two women like a re-
| cluse. He minded his own business"
and was seldom seen at the settlement
When groceries or store goods OF any
kind were needed the women came in
to trade. They always seemed TO have
plenty of money. Where they got it
was a mystery. Several times Day had
cncou 4ers with the public. He was
accused Of numbering a theological
student, who was on a hunting trip
down that way. But the coroner's jury
| couldn't find any evidence that Day
killed him. The man was found dead
in the woods near Days house and the
women testified that he called there
| twice and asked for food and shelter
| There was a moral certainty that Day
shot him, but no legal evidence of the
| fact. Several other crimes were laid
| at his door, but he was never convicted
nor even indicted.
When the trouble with Spain broke
out last spring a report reached Center
willie that Tom Day had hoisted a Span
ish flag over his cabin, and two or three
| young men made a reconnaissance in
| that direction to ascertain the truth.
The older and wiser residents advised
| them to let him alone. They insisted
| that he was a dangerous lunatic and
that il would do more harm than good
| to interfere with him: Ii certainly did
no injury to the United States govern
| ment and gave Spain no encourage