The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-23
A CURSE ON A TOMBSTONE.
Petit Menan Doesn't Expect Prosper
ity Till Henry Overs Body Is
Brought Back.

Brought Back.
From the New York Sun.
Steuben, Me-, Jan. IA large majority
of the people who knew Henry over when
he was alive believe that he had uncanny
powers. He could go out and load his boats
with fat No. mackerej when the other
fishermen hadn't taken a fish for week.
His pots were always filled with big lob
sters at a time when his rivals were
lodging the wardens in order to supply
their customers, and his luck in escaping
death when sailing along the dangerous
coast was so phenomenal that everybody
said he could not be drowned. In addl-
ton proof of his abilities to punish his
enemies the residents cite the case of Petit
Menan, when more than q million dollars
in good money was wasted because people
insisted on taking up his body and carry
ing it to Winter Harbor for burial in de-
fiance of the prohibition engraved upon his
tombstone.
Over was a slave who ran away from
Virginia an dcame to the Maine coast
about fifty years ago, settling on Petit
Menan partly because the fishing in the
nearby waters was excellent, and partly
because it was near New Brunswick and
so afforded him a chance to escape over
the line in case the slave hunters came
after him. He built a small house on
narrow neck of land and marrying full
blooded squaw of the Old Town tribe,
raised a large family of cross-bred boys
and girls. After building up big reputa-
ton for himself as a skillful and daring
fisherman, and amassing a small sum of
money he died in 1890, and was buried on
the high ridge at spot which he had Sc
lected. Years before he died he went to
Jonesport and ordered tombstone for his
grave. 1t was a square block of polished
granite upon which was engraved the fol-
lowing inscription:
NY race is run, my labors DER;
From earthly cares my soul is free.
Here 1 shall rest forevermore-
Cursed be the man who troubles me.
Henry over.
The stone was erected Immediately after
the funeral the lot was fenced in in ac-
cordance with Overs instructions, and the
old fisherman began the long, rest for
which he had asked, though the superst-
tious fisher people told a few tales about
seeing Overs boats outside the reefs on
stormy nights.
In the summer of 1894 a company was
started with the idea Of making Petit Nc
nan surpass Bar Harbor as a summer re-
sort 1t sold little squares Of sheep pas
ture at high prices and was making money
fast. People bought all along the high
neck of land but when they came to the
place where Over was buried they hesi-
tated They didn't want a pleasure cot
tage with negro's grave for next door
neighbor, though the site was among the
best which the company had to offer. AS
soon as the company was sure that the
graves were in the way of pecuniary sue
cess it sent men at night, who dug up
the remains of Over and his wife and
took them to Winter Harbor, placing the
curse bearing tombstone above them.
The companys agents said 1t was hard
times that caused the failure of the en-
terprise. Men who had bought and built
cottages on the land said that the fog
from the Bay of Fundy came there in
June and didn't go away until the next
July, filing the region with perpetual
darkness, so that nobody could see his
neighbor at midday. Other reasons more
or less logical have been assigned for the
total and unexpected collapse of the COM
pany, which went down with a crash two
years ago. The residents don't believe any
of these stories. If the company had re-
spected the last request of Henry over
and allowed his body to rest in peace, Petit
Menan would now be far ahead of Bar
Harbor and a close second TO Newport,
they say.
Since sheep has been turned loose to
Craze upon the $4,000 house lots the resi-
dents have talked the matter over among
themselves, and are raising money to have
the bodies of Over and his wife brought
back. Until this is done they believe that
Petit Menan will never see any prosperity
"Did Hopkins. get nervous prostration
trying to make money!" mo, he got
nervous prestration trying to borrow