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

ANOTHER SPECIMEN Of Ine A.
| LEGGED EVIDENCE THAT he KILL
| ED THE PeouAukET INDIAN
CHIEF PAU0uS IN LOVE-
WELLS FIGHT.
THE sToRY OF SUCH A KILLING Is NJ
| MORE ENTITLED TO CREDHNCE
THAN Is THAT OF THE KILL
mo OF COCK ROBIN.
A Rsjeanasr frssa Calvfn w. Lewis q
| .. Q. Holden's Recent Connunica.
tien In the Dsneerse.
"Here, beside this gem of waters,
Raxed the hercest deadheet strife
That was ever stirred by var. .vhoop
Or the tones Of drum or hfc.'
Please allow me space In your column.
for rejoinder to the communication, ID
your issue OF May %, from 8. G. Holden
OF Rockville, Nd, who, In reply TO com
municstion Of mine In the Democrat OF
May 8, presents an alleged piece Of evi-
dence to substantiste the story that the
Pequauket Indian chief Paugus, the
commander Of the Indian forces In the
desperate and sanguinary battle known
a. Lovewell's Fight, was, In the course
Of that battle, slain by John Chamber
lain Of Groton, Mass, In q single combat
which took place between Chamberlain
"a private In the ranks OF Captain Love
well) and the Indian commander. The
piece Of evidence which Mr.. Holden Of
fers as proof OF the truth Of this story is
the statement that he has seen q gun
claimed to be one of those which were
used by Chamberlain and Paugus when
they fought their alleged tragic duello.
In the museum Of the old Fryeburg
academy which preceded the present
structure was gun which had been
pslmed OF upon Amos Jones Cook, the
principal OF the Institution, as the gun
with which Chamberlain killed Paugus.
This gun, which Mr.. Cook had deposited
10 the museum Of the academy, was In
the DIRE which destroyed the academy on
Msy &c, 1850. snd in that fire the gun,
With the exception of Its barrel, was
burned up or lost, the barrel, which Is
still preserved, being now in the pos
session Of Hon. George B. Barrows OF
Fryeburs--who, by the way, while Civ
ing credence TO the story that Chamber
lain killed Paugus, yet does not claim that
the deed was done with the particular
gun Of which he has part. Mr.. Holden
has seen this old gun OF which only the
barrel IL now preserved (though he mis-
remembers II as the gun which Paugus
had when Chamberlain slew him, instead
Of as the one with which Psugus was slain
by Chsmberlsin), and this gun he adduces
AS evidence TO prove the truth Of the
story that Psugus Was killed by Cham
berlsin. Even II this old gun which Mr..
Holden has seen at Fryeburg were the
one which Chamberlain used In Love-
wells Fight, IL would By no means fol-
Low AZ necessary or ss natural con-
sequences that the story OF the killing OF
Paugus by Chamberlain Ia true. Love.
wells Fight, in which Paugus lost his
life, took place Ia l7a5, but, as | stated
ia nv communication In the Democrat
OF Nav o, the story that he was killed by
Chamberlain WAS, ss far as can be dis
covered, unknown and unhesrd OF till
1893, when. after Psugus had been dead
for seventy-fonr years, and Chamber
lain for at least forty-three years, and
after the last survivor OF Lovewell's band
of immortal heroes had gone TO his grave,
Chamberlain Was, through the instru-
mentality Of q so-called history OF Love
wells Fight which Was published at
Fryeourg by one Elijah Russell, for the
first time made known to the world rs
the slayer Of Paugus. IL the gun which
Cham berlsin used In lovewells Fight
was In existence after he had, through
the fundamentally of Russell's book,
become known to the world as the man
who killed Psugus, II would have been
natural for people, when speak
Ing Of the gun thus used by Chamber
lain In performing an exploit which had
conferred upon him so much renown and
given him so prominent niche In New
Englsnd's Temple OF Fame, to speak OF
OF IL as the gun with which he perform
ed this exploit Of killing Paugus; but,
II the time when the gun began to be
known ss the one with which he per-
formed this exploit was after Russell had
published him to the world as Pauguss
slayer, the fact Of the guns being known
IA the one with which the tragic
deed was accomplished would not
add a feathers weight to the force OF
Russell's testimony to the effect that the
Indian chief was slain by Chamberlain.
II it could be shown that before the pub
lication Of Russelrs book the gun which
Chamberlain used In Lovewell's Fight
Was known as the gun with which he
killed Paugus. we should have better
evidence that Paugus Was really slain by
Cham berlsin than Russell's book affords,
for Il would be evidence nearer In time
to the event To which II would relate. 1t
Is utterly useless, however, 10 attempt
TO corroborste and confirm Russelrs
by showing that Chamber
lain's gun has been known as the gun
with which he killed Psugus unless 1t
can also be shown that the time when
the gun began to be so known WAS
before Russell's book had heralded
Chamberlain to the world as the man
who sent the famous Indian chief to his
death. Ia other words, II the gun which
Chamberlain used In Lovewelfs Fight
has at any time been known as the one
with which he killed Paugus, the fact
that II hss been so known has no validi-
ty whatever as evidence conflrmatory OF
the truth Of Russell's story Of such .
killing unless it can be shown that the
gun was not first so known subsequently
to and as the result of the publication Of
Russelps story. When evidence Ia pro-
duced to show this, Chamberlain's case
as the slayer Of the Pequauket sschem
will present an improved aspect as COM
pared with It's present abject and dis
creditable plight; but, until such evi-
dence IL produced, his case as Paugus's
SLAYER viii have no better support than
the worthless testimony which the jail
bird Russell gave In his behalf 30 many
wears after the time when Chamberlain
is alleged to have performed his famous
exploit and so many years after both
Chamberlain and Paugus had passed
from earth. Can Mr.. Holden furnish
sny evidence of this kindS Can he show
that, before Russell published Chamber
lain to the world as the slayer Of Paugus,
the old gun Of which the barrel Is now
at Fryeburg WAS known ~ the weapon
with which Chamberlain killed Paugus?
Can Mr.. Holden 90 prove this
"That the probation bear no hinge nor loop
To hang doubt on"9
No; 1t is impossible for Mr.. Holden or
for anybody else to produce evidence to
prove this; indeed, It is utterly impos-
sible for him or for anybody else to even
prove that this Fryeburg gun was used
by Chamberlain In Lovewell's Fight.
This old gun is by no means the only
gun that Is claimed to be the one with
which Chamberlain slew Psugus. Oh,
no; s'there are others" which are claim
ed TO be entitled TO the same distinction.
This old gun which Mr.. Holden has seen