New-York tribune., 1906-06-03
HAPPY ISLANDERS.
Living Among Scenes Like the
Beggar's Opera on Maine Island.


and dramatis persone for whoever shall under
take TO write 'Beggar's Opera" Upon
this isle poverty is almost universal distress is
common; there is bit of romance in its history.
and there is king, who has the love of his
subjects in lieu of wealth, a battered plug hat
for crown and who plays gayly a home
made fiddle whenever blow the winds of adver-
sty-which is to say. about seven days in the
week
Malaga is island in the New Meadows
River a wide estuary OF the sea. about forty
acres in extent. with bold shores. wooded heights
and pretty little coves with sandy beaches. It's
people seem TO enjoy life in spite of their pow
erty. and their lack of thrift and energy has
caused almost much bother TO the neighbOr-
ing towns OF Phippsburg and Harpswell and
to the State of Maine ever did the liquor
question the dispute Wild land taxes.
Time and again has the town of Phippsburg
been called upon to relieve the distress of the
shiftless islanders. for Malaga has always been
regarded part of Phippsburg. and this con-
stant drain upon the Phippsburgers pocket
books caused much complaint. The only time
the Islanders of any 10 Phippsburg
when they came 10 vote; at such times they
We're welcomed at least by the candidates they
supported, but when it came 10 supporting the
islanders through a hard winter IL was different
Phippsburg tried in vain to unload Malaga upon
the town Of Harpswell. but Harpswell would
have none OF it. and finally. after much liti-
cation and diplomacy were required to settle
the Aroostook war the PhppsburgeTs got the
Legislature to take temporary charge of the
island. which is to-day ward of the state. with
George c. Pease, of Phippsburg, as agent. or
guardian.
The population of Malaga consists OF about
forty persons many of whom colored or half
breeds. while there are few whites who have
gone there wrom the mainland TO dwell OF the
white men who live on the island. Jim McEin-
ney is perhaps the best known. and those who
are hest acquainted with Jim always refer to
him the king. for he has comfortable home.
has brought up a family and is looked up TO
with much respect by the others on the island,
who go to him for counsel and advice and who
accept his word as law. Jim gets his living. and
a good one. by fishing and lobstering. and is
closely followed in the business by his son-in-
law. Jerry Murphy. who is expert in lobster
catching
According to the tales of some Of the older
residents there is a romance connected with
Malago's early settlement. According to this
tale. it began with the love of a colored man for
a beautiful white girl very many years ago II
in the days when women powdered their
hair. and this custom had to do with the story.
The Malagoites say that a young negro laid
first he was repused; her family threatened. He
persisted in his suit and the girl listened to him
But she laughed at the idea OF marriage; rms
fair one powdered her hair after the fashion or
the time. and day. either by accident or for
some reason. she used lime instead of powder.
The hair. OF which she had been so proud came
out; soon she was perfectly bald.
Ashamed of her folly, unable TO bear the ridi-
cule of her friends she became desperate and
decided TO run away Her dusky lover was ever
near her. She accepted his suit. and the couple
disappeared from the village in which they lived.
The next heard from them they were on Malaga
Island. living alone in hut the negro had built
How they happened TO go there and how long
they the island home before they were
discovered not told
Others came to the island but some of those
there now claim they are descendants OF the
ColOred man and white girl. who isolated them
selves under such unusual circumstances so
many years ago The natives claim TO be able
TO count five generations Of the family. They
have married and intermarried. living lives Of
Incidence. degenerate people
There is now a strange mixture of black
and white-white men living with negresses and
white women with colored men. The women do
most of the work-dg clans and catch Holsters.
Most of the families live in abject poverty
Their homes are for the most part miserable
huts. in which there is no pretence Of cleanli-
ness. Families of six or more eat. live and
sleep in one room. A bed is the exception, rath-
er than the rule; a mattress q luxury few
afford They sleep the floors on heaps
of dirty rags and seldom remove their clothing.
Their faces and hands show accumulations OF
CRIME; their clothes are little more than rags
and the cast-offs of persons the mainland.
worn until they will hardly hold together.
If they would. these people might be comfort
table, with plenty TO eat and wear and to enjoy
life through the winter. Instead they suffer
terribly from the cold. Around Malaga are
numerous wooded islands, which they might
gather enough fuel to last through the winter.
but they do not look ahead even day. Near
the islands Holsters can be caught at all sea-
sons of the year. while CLAIMS can be dug in
large quantities. but the people do not dig
more than will last them from day to day. In
summer the men enjoy basking in the
Wlen they should flats
tending TO their lobster pots. In the months Of
July and August they live almost wholly
berries, which the women and children gather.
and on fish and clans
The weakness of the men is for liquor and
the women and children go to the same extreme
with candy. Nearly every cent they get is
spent on candy sweets Of some sort. If they
get a dollar % cents of 1t may be spent for
-four and the rest for sweets.
The suffering on the island in winter is almost
past belief Too lazy to gather wood in the
summer months. when winter comes they are
without fuel. In the coldest weather they
out after driftwood, the same as in the warm
months. The ice on the flats makes claiming
douhy hard and the fish and Holsters are scarce.
Often whole families have frozen hands and
feet. but even with these hardships there is sell
dom any sickness on the island.
A Few years ago there an epidemic OF
measles. and for several days or until the con-
ditions existing on the island reached the main
land the suffering was intense A passing Ash
erman learned that the people were in fearful
straits from Illness and starvation and reported
to the authorities in Phippsburg A physician
ganized.
One Of the oldest of the settlers Is George
Washington Griffin. ninety years old and
one Of the blacklist Of the negroes. His hut is
one Of the show places on the island 1t is the
cabin of a vessel and the old man. now bent
with rheumatism tell how when a young man
he found a vessel stranded the rocks and
with an axe hacked the cabin from the deck.
Then he pushed II overheard and towed II 10 the
shore Of the island. pulling II over the rocks 20
its present location. where he has made it his
home for many years
The old man has a housekeeper who looks
after the hut but as is the case with many