The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-09-22
LEGEND OF BULL HILL
blaine Settlement Founded by Hus-
sey and Barrel of Bull Beef.


If the residents OF Bull Hill, Me. set
tlement look east they see the broad
surface Of Great Pond. In the opposite
direction their vision climbs the steep
side or a mountain which hides its top
among clouds in the daytime and talks
with the stars at night. There are
fourteen houses, general store a ho-
tel, blacksmith shop and a diminu-
tive schoolhouse in the village. Be-
You'd these are trees and crags, tenant
ed by many wild animals and haunt
ed by the ghosts of the men who per-
ished years ago while trying to solve
the mystery of a barrel OF bull beef.
The village of to-day has not changed
In forty years, except that a school,
house has been put up on the spot
where grogshop was burned by
mob in 1866. The schoolhouse Is the
smallest institution of learning in
Maine. 1t is IL feet wide and l6 feet
hong. Five pupils for every school day
is the average attendance. When the
boys start for school in the morning
every one takes a dry stick Of cord
wood on his shoulder and saws II into
stove lengths before beginning his les
sons.
The name Of the man who founded
Bull Hill was Hussey His act was
wholly involuntary. Ia company with
three other men he started from Am
herst in the autumn of 1898 to take an
, oxload OF Supplies to a lumber camp
In Greenfield plantation. As they
mounted the shoulder of Bull hill the
men walked on ahead. leaving IIussey
to WELD the goad stick and guide the
team. AT the very top Of the kill the
rope binding OF the load parted, and a
barrel OF sailed bull beef rolled off to
the ground, from which point gravita-
ton took 1t over the brow OF the hill
and carried 1t out OF sight.
I'll get that barrel OF beef" said
Hussey with an oath, "or I'll never
come back"
The men laughed at him, telling him
they believed he was fond of bun beef
because his teeth seemed to be made
for the purpose of chewing tough
food. AS Hussey had large, teeth,
which he never housed day or night.
summer or winter, the taunt made
him mad.
If | find that barrel OF beeI," he
cried, "I'll stay until | eat 1t al up or
a. SboA VIC " ucdlu lily ing.
He took his axe, gun, ANN milton
and few other needful articles from
the oxcart and went off down the hill.
while the men continued their journey
to Greenfield camp. Hussey didn't
show up at camp that winter, though
the foreman needed him badly and
looked for him every day. On their
return to Amherst the men expected to
find Hussey at home, but when they
learned that he hadn't been seen since
he went away the autumn before, his
friends grew frightened and began to
make up searching parties. After time
reports about a man lest in the woods
reached Bangor and Old Town, and
men who wanted an outing for human
ity's sake with a prospect of plenty OF
rum and molasses on the side made
frequent Journeys to Great Pond in
quest Of Hussey and his bull beef.
Many of these well meaning searchers
came to grief, A canoe containing
three men and a boy was overturned
on Great Pond in May, 1889, aud no.
body lived to reach the shore. The
following month a party of four men
took refuge under a fallen hemlock to
avoid a sudden downpour. anG every
one was killed by a thunderbolt Three
months later party of six was over
taken by a 81 eat forest fire. in which
two lost their lives One man vas lost
in the woods and his body was torn to
pieces by wild animals.
In spite of aardships and disasters
the hunt for IIussey and his beef was
kept up for tea years. and though evil
dence that he was still living was dis
covered at se' eral times, he remained
unknown to ii e world until 1852, when
James Clinch md Arthur Penney pad
died into a cove on the side OF Great
Pond one afternoon and saw Hussey
sitting at the mouth of cave watch
ing a handsome squaw at play with
her three half breed children.
my wife, my babies" said Hussey,
introducing his family. Glad ter see
yer, boys. Stop and have a snack"
After supper the men questioned
Hussey and af.ked him why be had
never come OFT to the clearing in all
the years that had gone
1--WE bin wal tin'to many's the time"
replied Hussey but | took my oath
that I'd never come back till the bull
beef was ct up" He paused here long
enough to point out barrel in one cor
ner Of the room, and added: And 1t
amt all gone yit."
Current report has 1t that Hussey ate
bull beef until the day of his death.
After he was gone his children married
and settled near their old home, so IN
few years the side Of Bull Hill held
small village, resting among the rocks
and reaching up the road over which
the founder chased barrel OF bull
beef.