Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-13

I
In Europe. Mr.. Sylvester. win thc
sympathetic imagination. that enables
n strong writer to project n1mseii iht"
the environments OF the past ana 70
comprehend the thoughts ana 1eehnss
of the men and women who hved amln
Them has given us strong picture OF
the perpetual apprehension which was
the atmosphere Of the pioneer lie or
that period. He says: Men carr1ed
their muskets slung to their backs as
they wended their way to church, or
wrought in the fields with plough or
scythe. The low fences OF rails. and
ragged, uprOoted stumps. which formed
the primative boundaries of their limit
ed domains. and the thick shadows OF
the neighboring woodlands were con-
stantly scrutinized for the hidden foe"
The following description of the ply
steal features of Old Cascoe, will be of
interest to those familiar with the
present "F'oIest City" that stands upon
it's ancient site.
geographically, Cascoe was almost
an island. The tides from the sea
swept up the bay and through the mar
row gap at the north end Of the neck,
up over the flats of Back Cove. a broad
inlet making into the mainland and ex-
tending we'll back tos the westward;
while. on the south and west. were the
deep waters of Casco River. This river
swung round to the nOrthward, SO that
at high tide the sea east and west
lalmost met. The rough clearings of
this early settlement had become fer
tile fields, that extended beyond the
spine. or ridge. that ran midway the
length of the peninsula and down to
the edge of the salt creek that bounds
the new city park with it's acres Of an
cient oaks better known as Deering
Woods"
The honor of being the pioneer of old
Cascoe. belongs properly. in the opinion
of Mr.. Sylvester. to George Cleeve
who came there to make his home
in 1888. 1t is true that ten years
earlier a house had been built
on one of the islands adjacent to the
mouth of Fore River. by Christopher
Levett. His stay was not a long one
however. and soon after he had COM
pleted this forest home, he sailed away
to England, never to return.
With the coming of Cleeve began
| settlement which was destined to grow
gradually in size and Importance, until
the destruction Of Fort Loyal on May
10. 1880, by the combined French ana
Indian forces. At that time all the set
| tiers were maSsacred save ten or
| twelve who carried captive to Canada.
| For fourteen years after" says Mr..
| Sylvester "CascO was left to the domi-
nancy of Nature. If there were anyone
here. it must have been the hermit In
gersoll. There is a tradition that he
remained among the ruins"
Reading the story of these olden days
one cannot fail to be impressed
with the rugged hardihood of
the English settler who. as Mr.
| Sylvester we'll says. would have
been eXterminated, but for his bulldog
| tenacity and his stolid disregard for
| everything but the preservation of the
new State. which, even then, he saw
with prophetic vision
Under the captain "A Relic" Mr.. Syl-
vester gives us glimpse of the earlier
Stroudwater, with vivid descriptions of
| the Means and Tate houses-coonial
structures that had an important place
in the pioneer life of this settlement.
Following this comes description of
Harrow House." an old time manor
that covered many of the Stroudwater
acres in we olden times. This old
manse was the home of Col. Thomas NJ.
Westbrook. from whom the present city
of Westbrook derives its name. He
was a conspicuous figure in the life of
old Falmouth. and was in command of
the Penobscot Expedition which de-
stroyed the settlement at Norridge-
wOck where Father Rasle had his mis-
sion. He was later made commander
in-chief of the frontier forces
Under the title. "a Wayside Inn" Mr.
Sylvester gives a charming sketch of
the historic old Brood Tavern seen
beneath a group of stately elms, from
the top of Stroudwater hill. More than
century ago this was one of the ia
nous hOstelries on the ancient coach |
road between old Falmouth town and |
Boston. In connection with this old |
tavern Mr.. Sylvester tells the story OF |
two not over-hardened gamesters who |
having passed the midnight hour decid- |
ed to call up good Parson Bradley and |
divide the spoils with him. what |
they said" relates Mr.. Sylvester lis not |
recorded. but hardly had the old man |
received the silver when he astonished |
his callers by his mild acduiescence |
and the half-approving inquiry: We'll.
gentlemen. why did you not play
longer"
There is the atmosphere Of the salt
sea in Mr.. Sylvester's charming de-
scription Of "An Old Fish House." while
the happy blending of fact and fancy
gives a peculiar fascination to the
sketch on Mountjoy's island
In THE Wizard of Casco' is given.
with wonderful vividness the story OF
Parson Burroughs. who once preached
in Casco. one of the unfortunate VIC
Tins who was sacrificed to the barbaric
supe"stitions of his day and generation,
being convicted of witchcraft. and
hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem.
The fine play of the authors imagi-
nation is admirably shown in the weird
and fancifu sketch entitled THE Troll
of RichmOn's Island"
The closing sketch of the volume is
entitled "Tne Passing of Bagnall," and
relates the tragic fate of Walter Bag
hall. who came to Richmond Island in
162S and was murdered there in the au-
tumn of 1881. Bagnall is said to have