Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-05-09
SOUTH PARIS. MAINE, TUESDAY. NAY .. !

:. L WIN uto VOVA VI oNSV0okce eYR~HaS ~
before Van Twiller, It will bS recalle'
that the sage Governor took the book
one after another, and, having counte'
the leaves, and having carefully poiset
the books In his hands, at length gravel,
and solemnly pronounced that one bool
was just as thick and just as heavy q
the other, and that therefore Il was hi
decision that the accounts were equally
balanced and that each litigant shoult
give TO the other q receipt 10 full sstis
faction Of all demands. This woute
Van Twiller method may, perhaps, mo-
always be the worst way in the world Il
end lawsuits, but 1t would certainly b
carrying 1t too far to apply II to the set
Element OF disputed historical questions
which 10 each case must te decided BY
the facts and not simply by the prepon
derance In the bulk Of alleged cvidenc'
which may be presented In behalf OF any
particular contention, but which, Al
gsuged by the tests Of genuine evidence
has not the shadow OF claim to respect.
ful consideration. Mere repetitions ol
this Chsmberlsin-Paugus story on the
authority Of Elij,h Russell are no evt
dence whsteyer that the story ls true
for, II such psrrot-like repetitions OF u
story could properly be accorded weight
as testimony, the truth OF many base
less tale would be IA unimpeschable n
though having combinations strong n
proofs OF holy writ" for the testimony
Of clouds OF people could be sdduced 10
their behalf. Take, for example, the
well-known story OF the Welsh Prince
Llewellyn aud bis favori,e hound Gelert
| ''Tbe flower Of all his race.
So true, 40 braves lamb as home,
A lion IN she chase"
Who has not read this pathetic tale ID
either prose or versey--how Llewellyn,
on his return one day from hunting, ,was
met by Gelert joyfully
"Bounding his lord 70 greet"
how
| "The hound al o'cr was smeared with gore
His iips. his fangs. ran blood.
how the alarmed prince rushed to see II
his infant son WAS safe; how he found
| the babes bed overturned and the bed
clothes In confused heap on the floor
how he called bis child, but no voice re-
piled how, in . paroxysm OF rage, he
drew his sword and stabbed Gelert TO
the heart; how the hounds dying yell
awoke the babe, who, under the tumbled
heap Of bedclothes, was safe asleep on
the floor; how the prince, upon further
search, found gsnnt wolf, which had
attacked the child, but which had been
killed by the brave Gelert; and how the
prince, smitten with remorse for his
frantic deed, erected costly monument
over the remains Of his faithful hound.
This touching tale Is now known 70 be
destitute of foundation 10 truth, and yet
one of the principal objects Of interest TO
tourists to Mount Snowdon In North
Wales IL the consecrsted spot which Ia
pointed out as the grave OF the noble
Gelert, a hotel In the neighborhood is
called the "Priuce Llewellyn" Ia honor
Of Gelert's royal master. and the parish
bears the name Of Bethgelert ("Gelert's
Grave'') In commemorAtion OF the faith
ful hound who, according 10 the pathetic
tale, there lies buried. The testimony,
however, OF all these impersonsl wit
nesses, so TO call them, Is totally devoid
Of weight as tending To show that the
tradition regarding Prince Lleweliyn
aUu uOOUu HAS utstOttC tkutu 10 tt5
basis, for they all date from time when
the tradition was fully developed; and
IL IL equally manifest that repetitions, by
the Pepperell old man Spsulding or
others, OF Elijah Russell's melodramatic
story about Chamberlain and Psugus are
utterly destitute OF weight ss evidence
that Russelrs story is true. The repeti-
tions OF this story since Russell put IL
forth have, as l have said, been legion,
and, IL Spaulding told the story 10 DIR.
Boynt0n, there is nothing to show that
this telling Of the story by Spsuldiug
wss not merely one OF the repetitions Of
Il Of which there have been so many
since the publication Of IL by Russell.
DIR. Boynton does not state that Spsuld-
Ing said that Chamberlain told him that
he ChamberlaiD) slew Paugus, but sim
ply that he heard Spsulding relate the
story OF the killing Of Psugus by Cham
berlain, and that Spauldipg said that,
when lad, he knew Chamberlain. Even
on the assumption that DR.. Boyntou Is
correct In what he says with reference
to Spsulding, there would be nothing 20
show that the story of the killing Of
Psugus hy Chamberlain was not frst
heard by Spauldlng after the publication
of the story by Russell, there would be
nothing to Justify US In assuming that
the story did not first come TO the knowl-
edge OF Spaulding directly or Indirectly,
proximstely or remotely, from Russelfs
publication Of it; and, II Spaulding first
learned Of the story after IL WAS put
forth by Russell, the fact that he repeat
ed the story 20 DIR. Boyuton and that he
knew Chamberlain would not have .
feathers weight as evidence In favor of
the truth Of the story, but would leave
its authenticity in just the same wretch
ed plight "a before--dependent solely
upon the testimony Of the jailbird Rus
sell, under whose suspices seventy-four
wears after the alleged performance by
Chsmberlsin Of his famous exploit, and
az least forty-three years after he had
passed from earth (the extct date Of his
death cannot be determined), Chamber
laiu's celebrated achievement, after being
by some inscrutably mysterious boeus-
pocus hidden from humsn knowledge
for the prolonged period Of three-quar-
tiers Of century, Was nrst made known
to the world.
1 have shown that, even on the as
sumption OF the correctness OF the state
ment 10 DIR. Boynton's letter TO The
Listener" that the doctor was told BY
the old man Spsuldlng that he (Spsuld-
ing), when q lad, knew Chamberlain, the
doctors statement would have no weight
as evidence OF the truth Of the story that
Chamberlain slew Paugus; but will 90
farther, and will show that Chamberlain
died before Spsulding Was born and that
therefore Spsulding could not have re-
ceived from Chamberlain this story that
the latter killed Paugus. After the pub
lication Of what "The Listener termed
DIR. Boynton's "blt Of testimony" to the
truth OF this Chamberlsin-P Psugus story,
1 wrote the doctor In order to obtain full
er inform alton as TO the value OF his
''testimony," and in reply he wrote me
rs follows: "Up0n further reflection l
think that, when Spaulding told me that
ne knew Chamberlain, must have been
nearer twenty than fifteen years DID, |
was born on December 2, 1923. The
time when Spaulding told me that he
knew Chamberlain am not sble to dx
with exactness, but OF the Incident |
have q vivid recollection. A school
chum and myself had learned that Caleb
Butler of Groton was writing history
OF that town, and, boy-like, we thought
that it would be q 6ne thing II we could
get up history Of Pepperell; 90 we
called upon Esq. Butler, got some ideas,
went home and began to hunt up early
historic matters. Among others we
called upon the man Spaulding. l never
knew bis age or his full name. He
might have been anywhere from sixty TO