New-York tribune., 1903-05-17

Bangor, Me. May Is (SpeciaD-Before the rail-
road was built from Bangor far into the northern
wilderness. AroOstOok County that immense tract
of forest and field lying between the ST. John River
and the Province of Quebec could match anything
the wild and wooliy West had TO offer in the way
OF ofhand shooters. border outlaws. smugglers and
bad" men generally. and tragedies were many
there that great notice was taken of theul-in
fact not much news got out concerning most
of the shootings and cuttings up there, for with
out mail telegraph service, ArOostoOk's excite
ments generally died out where they originated.
In cases where the United States revenues
were affected and then the government officers
had strenuous times digging up the facts and
catching the offenders
Sheridan Plantation seemed 10 suffer more than
anv other place in the big border county from the
depredations of lawless men. No one knows how
many bloody fights have occurred in the rOadhouseS
of Sherdan-how many men nave Deen snot ana
stabbed or how many pedlers have been waylaid
and robbed in the dark woods there The place
&c half wav betweeu the settled part OF the county
and the timber woods of the upper St John. and the
settlement formerly consisted chiefly OF log houses.
where the red shirted lumbermen. returning IN
spring with their wages, became hred with the
.-morson" or white rum. which is the favorite
beverage of the North Woods When twenty or
thirty strappng Iumbermen had absorbed a dozen
drinks each OF ''norson" there was bound 70 De
something doing. and II the conflict enoed without
of them getting a bullet or khlIe thrust
the meeting not considered oy any Aiedil7
a social success.
In Sheridan Plantation they still have family
feuds rival those Of Kentucky. only the shoot-
ings generally fatal Families up tnere
always fight when there is rum in circuauon' anu
often without IT, Sometimes 1t is over ousneI
or two Of OATS at other times over a COW or caIr'
again about a line fence Not long ago a father
stood in his door and shot his own son. VINO stooo
Just outside. and 1t was the boys nother VINO
handed the gun 10 the father After the shootins
both parents went into the house and ATE dinner,
Iaar he ndpd
hours This was account OF a family row arising
from trifng cause A good many snootlngs
have become known to the outside world onIy
when it has been necessary to send to the nearest
settlement for a doctor. as In some cases 1or
a coffin and even in these the facts have been
carefully concealed. The people up there consider
that they competent TO settle their own troubles
without outside assistance and none OF them not
even the victims will give any lnIorInauoh 10 oiii-
GERS or newspaper men.
Since the railroad built Aroostooks tough
men have become somewhat more civilized OF else
moved back further into the woods. but IT IS stlil
& rough country IN spots. and the border outlaw
and s1nuggier are not yet extinct. Although with
the expenditure of little labor any man may get
q good living in Aroostook. where the soil IS ricn
and deep. and crops grow II by magic there are
still to be found along the border many rough
and law characters whose sole ambition IL Is 70 get
enough to eat which they do by hunting and fish
ing and enough drink, which they manage Dy
smuggling. These men. although cowardly as
rule are always dangerous One or tneII' haIneu
Charles Melvine. butchered his wife few weeks
ago at Mars Hill, and pursued far into the
woods of New-Brunswick by a posse. w11ch capt
ured him after a chase OF eighty miles through
q country where snow lay four 70 six feet deep
1t was well for MeIvine that the officers caught
him before the farmers in the neighborhood couid
lsv hands upon him else he would surely have
been Iynched He shot his wife without cause as
she sat warming her feet at the kltcheh stose'
Some said that he jealous Of her-jealous OF a
physical wreck clad in rags and half starved MS
lawyer put in plea of insanity. and the nuroeFer
has been sent to an asylum for observation
IF they'd strung Melvne up to a tree, saio an
Aroostook deputy sheriff, 1t VFouIon | h1"e 80
the first Iynching IN this county remember "Ile
+bav hanged Jim Cullen-Jin. the g1ant-Ior the
,,,-da- of Deputy Sheriff Granville Hayden jim
stood six feet four his stockings. hao an arm
on him Ike a gorilla and could walk away t w.,
snruce log on his shoulder that 1t WouIo Oo'ieI
four good men to lift. he was able to earn a gooo
living hut he was a natural born tnleI ana vas
,,-r,I-s mixed uD in some stealing scrape- Ohe
night in the winter of 1870 he wanted some ne"
shoes and instead Of buying them ne walteo ~ m lliI
averv one was abed and robbed a store IN Presqus
Isle.
.>-sx+ morning they found it out and sent for
1J-5en The deputy looked the tracks AROUND
+ba store and said. Well. it's Jim Cullen AGAIN
No one but Jim makes tracks OF tIia' s'A0-
warrant and I'll go after HIM ,
~JJ-eI1 a warrant was issued and Hayden started
- 80 -,;a5 b,v a man nrned Joel Peters, for
. ca1,n in the Mapleton woods where II was hno"h
+bs+ cullen hung out Before he started 1iaSoSii
was waited upon by a dozen or the IedUIIs IL
of pressure Isle who suggested that II "ouId De
good pIan 10 give the giant a chance 20 eSC@pe'
60 tho town was anxious to get lid OF NH II
-oc+ rbev would be willing 10 pay him sone'i4s
e. cot ont and never come back AN rlsh'' s1Id
HAYDEN, and he started
.vvben Havden and Peters got TO the camp Ihsre
,ss lin, sure enough Hayden said, says ne Jin''
I'VE got a warrant for you, but nate 20 DEIlls SOu
IN why didn't you clear out. and not hahs %r0uiu
here 70 get chucked into Jail? Now l N going 70
get a good nights sleep, and III see you IN the
morning With that Hayden and Peters turned
TITO a bunk thinking that Cullen would take Ihe
hint and be missing IN the morning But Culeh
was suIkv and instead OF clearing out at once he
sat there by the fire. growing to himself TIL near
,,tdnirbt Then he grabbed and knocked
I4avden and Peters in the head as they slept he
was lust about to kill the two young fellows VINO
owned the camp-Swanback and Bird-when sud
denly Bird sat up in his bunk and stared straight
at him.
NOV Cullen big he was hadn't a bit OF sann'
and when he that boy looking him straight IN
the eve he began tremble and dropping the axe
SAT- down and blubbered Ike a kid. They just drIV
SxNsrEs