Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-07-18

: gun with which Chamberlain kille
Psueus, and have letter from Nj
Ridlon In which be describes each Q
these -four guns. In the course Of te
|days' church bazaar held last March I
Berkeley Temple, this city, Reuben L
Reed Of South Acton, president OF tn
Bunker Hill Historical Society, place'
on exhibition for One day gun elaine,
to be the gun with which Chamberlall
killed PAugus, but have been unable b
obtain from Mr.. Reed the name Of tn,
Iowuer OF this weapon or to get from hin
any other information concerning Il. A
Iw. Libby Of BuckAeld, Me-, has guI
obtained by him some twenty year
ago OF q Mr.. Norris Of Wayne, Me.
then an old man Of eighty or upwards
which ID claimed to be the one with which
Paugus WAS slain by Chamberlain. ThiI
gun owned by Mr.. Libby, the one which
was on exhibition In Berkeley Temple
the four personally examined by Mr.
Ridlon, the one owned In Iowa, the one
mentioned bv Mr.. Allen, and the ons
which Mr.. Holden has seen at Fryeburg
and OF which the barrel 10 still preserved
there, make total Of nine guns Of which
each ID claimed 10 have been the means
Of Paugus's death ut the hands Of Cham
berlain. or guns with which Chamber
lain is alleged to have killed Psugus II II
likely that there are many OF which
have no knowledge, and Il is safe TO say
that general roundup Of all the guns
Of this kind would probably disclose the
existence OF enough 6f them to stock an
arsenal. Indeed, the guns with which
Chamberlain is claimed 10 have slain
Paugus are 90 numerous that they call
to mind an Snecdote which the great
Snowman p. +. Barnum relates In his
"Struggles and Triumphs; or, Forty
Years Recollections." 0ne day Lewis
G sylord Clark called upon Bsrnum at the
latter's museum, and he "asked me"
says Bsrnum, "if had the club with
which Captain Cook was killed. As !
had lot Of Indian war clubs In the col
lection Of aboriginal curiosities,
l told him had the veritable club, with
documents which placed Its. identity be-
yond question, and showed him the
warlike weapon. Poor Cook! Poor
Cookr said Clark. musingly. We'll,
Mr.. Barnum,' he continued, with Rrcst
gravity, at the same time extending his
hand and giving mine a hearty shake, u
sm really very much obliged 10 you for
your kindness. | hsd m irrepressible
desire TO zee the club that killed Captain
Cook, aud felt confident you could ac-
commodate me. have been In half o
dozen smaller museums, and, As they all
had IL, was sure large establishment
like yours would not be without It,"
Even II the story that Chamberlain slew
Paugus were true, Il is obvious that only
one OF the numerous so-cslled Chamber
lain guns could be the gun with which
Cham mberlsln sent the Indian chief to his
death; and Mr.. Holden must therefore
admit that the claims put forYard In
behalf of these various guns are1n every
case bat one utterly without foundation.
While the distinction OF being the gun
with which Psugus was slain by Cham
berlain IL claimed for so many guns hav-
Ing no title whatever to such a distlnc.
ton, can Mr.. Holden furnish any proof
that the alleged Chamberlain gun which
he has seen at Fryeburg is not, Ike so
many other alleged guns Of this kind,
an imposture? He must, as I have just
said, admit that, with one exception, all
these so-called Chamberlain guns are
utterly destitute OF any title to the dis
tinction which Il claimed for them, and,
II he will 90 but q step farther, and,
making no exception In favor OF the gun
which he has seen ut Fryeburg, will re-
ject as impostures each and all OF these
so-called Chamberlain guns he will not
be valnly trying to sustain himself on
the quicksands OF myth and fable, but
will stand upon the solid and immovabie
foundation Of truth. Not one of these
alleged Chamberlain guns, OF which
there are so many, can be shown to have
q shadow Of title 10 the distinction OF
having been the means Of Pxugus's death
at the hands Of Chamberlain or OF even
being the gun which Chamberlain used
In Lovewell's Fight. The gun which
Mr.. Holden has seen at Fryeburg has
no better title TO the distinction claimed
for II than has any and every one OF the
numerous other guns TO which the same
distinction is claimed TO belong. without
q single exception, sll these alleged
Chamberlain guns should be set down as
impostures, It being utterly impossible
to show that any one Of them has the
slightest title 70 the distinction which Is
claimed for Il. The evidence In favor Of
every one Of the other guns Is just as
good ss that In favor OF the gun which
Mr.. Holden has seen; the evidence In
favor OF the gun which he has seen, and
which he offers as proof Of the truth o.
this Chamberlsin-Paugus story, Is just
as worthless as that which is furnished
by any one of the numerous so-cslled
Chamberlain guns which he has not seen
aud of which he has probably never even
heard. In claiming that the Fryeburg
gun is the one with which Chamberlain
killed Paugus, Mr.. Holden impliedly
brands all the other alleged guns OF this
kind as having no title to the distinction
which Is affirmed TO be their due, but, as
have said, he should 90 a step farther
In the same direction, and, making no
exception In favor Of the alleged Cham
berlsin gun which he has seen, should
coutemptuously scout that gun as well
~ ell other alleged guns Of this kind as
being without the shadow OF claim to
the distinction Of having been used by
Chamberlain In killing Psugus or Of
even having been used by Chamberlain In
Lovewelps Fight. These various guns
with each of which Cha mberiain is al
legged to have slain Paugus are OF no
value whatever as evidence confirming
Elijah Russells story Of such 4 staying,
for there is nothing to show that any
one of these guns was, before RusselPs
story Of this Staying appeared, known as
the weapon with which Chamberlain per-
formed such an exploit. II Mr.. Holden
can furnish any evidence to show this
either In reference to the Fryeburg gun
or In reference to any one of the various
other alleged Chamberlain guns, the
story that Chamberlain killed Paugus
will have some other and Q better sup
port than the testimony which Elijah
Russell gave In Its favor seventy-fOur
years after the alleged killing took
place but, unless and until such evidence
can be produced, this Chamberlain-Pau-
gus story will have no other foundation
upon which TO rest than testimony In Its
behalf which has the decidedly suspi-
cious and utterly unaccountable chsrac-
teristic of having been hidden from
human knowledge till the prolonged pc
riod Of three-quarters OF century had
elapsed after the alleged event to which
the testimony relates took place. To put
forward, - evidence Of the truth Of
Russell's story Of the killing Of Paugus
| by Chamberlain, gun which Is claimed
| to be the one with which Chamberlain
did the deed, but without showing or
even attempting to show that the gun
had, before Russell's story appeared, the
distinction which 10 now claimed for II,
| ID IN absurd and ridiculous method Of
endeavoring to establish the truth Of
Russelps story, for 1t Is perfectly natural