Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-05-20
EARLY STAGE COACHING. ,
More "reminiscences by f. II. Greedy
--Abner Lee.


| peared ia the Commercial few weeks
ago, so many inquiries have been made
In regard to AbDer Lee, whom l mem
toned as having driven the first coach
With four horses between Ellsworth and
Cherryfield, that think few notes in
regard to Mr.. Lee and the men OF those
early days may be interesting.
| Abner Lee came from New Jersey to
engage in the stage business, probably
about 1925, and lived for a few years in
Bucksport, where he married. Later, he
settled In Hancock, thence removing to
Ellsworth, where he lived until a short
time before his death, which occurred In
Philadelphia in 1852.
| His brother, Gideon Lee, was mayor OF
New York city and owned a line of om-
nibuses which bore his name. Mr.. Lee
was man OF strong personality, keen
intellect and ready wit, which made him
familiar figure throughout eastern
Maine.
Alexander Black, one of the Oldest
residents OF Ellsworth, bers Mr..
Lee In his palrny days when his mail
contract was from Wiscasset around the
shore to Cherryfield, Wiscasset being, at
that time, one of the important Maine
towns. His stage route was from Bucks
| port to Ellsworth via Bluehill, there being
no direct roads between Bucksport or
Bangor and Ellsworth.
At the termination OF Mr.. Lees con-
tract, the present roads having been
built, coaches were run from Bangor to
| Ellsworth by Col. Thomas and from
Bucksport to Ellsworth by Enoch Part
ridge and driven by his son, the late
John H. Partridge, of Ellsworth. Col.
Thomas, whose home, think, was in
Portland, introduced the first Concord
coach into eastern Maine and his outfit
was OF the best.
| When Mr.. Lee became an old man,
having lost most OF his property, he
took out mail contract from Ellsworth
to Castine, making the journey of thirty
miles on horseback. l we'll recall his
large figure mounted on an old cream
colored horse, riding with an English
saddle and calf-bow stirrups, q COW bell
strapped around the horses neck. While
riding he had the bell stuffed with grass
that its tinkling should not disturb his
meditations, but when stopping for din
ner he would take out the grass, pull off
the saddle and bride and let the horse
Craze to his hearts content. He made
the round trip twice a week, and four
miles an hour was his maximum speed.
Later he carried the mail on horseback
from Ellsworth to Aurora, distance OF
twenty-fi five miles.
Mr.. Lee was very eccentric man, one
of his chief peculiarities being his dislike
OF doctors. One day while riding from
Trenton to Ellsworth he met DR.. Nc,
Alister, local physician. They stopped
to talk aud Mr.. Lee, noticing that the
doctor had a rifle in his gig, asked where
he was going. The doctor replied that he
was going to shoot a little game. "The
d, Doctor" said Mr.. Lee, "you had
better carry your rifle home and get your
saddle bags, you can kill twice as much"
His eccentricities appear not to have
deserted him after death, il the testimony
OF one of his friends can be relied upon.
The friend processes to have recalled him
from the spirit land, and asked where be
was.
"In hell" replied Mr.. Lee.
"What kind OF place is it?" asked
the friend.
The characteristic answer came
promptly: mot quite so good a place as
Hancock, but great deal better than
Ellsworth"
Not directly connected with staging,
but associated in my mind with those
early days Is the invasion of eastern
Maine by the Irish immigrants at about
this time. For several years preceding
the famine of 1S47, the crops were so
poor that great numbers, foreseeing the
future, came to this country in sailing
vessels, and landed at ST. John instead of
at New York and Boston, as in later years.
From st. John they walked to Bangor, a
distance of more than 200 miles, and from
there made their way, as best they could,
to the large cities.
They came, men, women and children.
footsore and weary, with their babies tn
their arms and their worldly possessions
8 raped on their backs, many of them
depending upon charity for their food
and shelter. Some days no less than
hundreds passed along, and scarcely a
house was closed to them. They were all
harmless people, and many of them were
intelligent, even skilled workers.
While the large cities were their desti-
nation, many stopped by the way to
work on farms or to engage in business
enterprises of their own and came to be
highly respected in their new homes.
From these ranks Machias got it's
Humphry Desmond and Matthew Glare /;
Cherryfield its Barney McGouldrick;
Hancock its Coffees, Greys, Laffins and
Mullans; Ellsworth its Lees, Hurieys, Nc
Carthys and o'Neills, and SO on through
the State, while many OF the Irish Ameri-
cans who are we'll and favorabIy known
in the business and Professional circles
OF the State to-day are descendants of
these people.