Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-02-08
DIsMEMBERMENT OF HANCOCK

| .D'SNA A<sA - AIAtuA UT 1fANSOShs
strong Opposition Against Setting
of Isle au Haul and Stonington.
Ellsworth is all right, but it's the
trouble of getting there" said Selectman
Davis T. Conley, of Isle au Haul, Thurs
day afternoon, to the members OF the
committee on towns at the hearing upon
the setting on Of Isle au Haut and Ston-
ington from Hancock county, which
lasted during the entire afternoon and
evening.
II caught thief breaking into my
house I'd let him go before I'd stand the
cost of taking him to Ellsworth to
have him tried" Mr.. Conley continued.
He said that the little town Of Isle au
Haut had about $50 inhabitants, the prin-
cipal business on the island being lobster
fishing. There was also small summer
colony on the island. Excellent steam
boat service was maintained between
Rockland and Isle au Haul, and the pro-
posed annexation would save the people
great expense. man could leave Isle au
Haul BY boat at $50 a. M, arrive at Rock
land at $50 q. M, leave Rockland at 100 p.
M, and reach Isle au Haut at $40 p. H.,
costing for the round trip $1.25, while to
60 to Ellsworth costs from $5 to SO and
takes from twenty-four to fifty-four
hours. Senator Sanborn of the committee
asked If there was any other reason why
the change was asked for, and Mr.. Conley
replied that the only reason was the
financial one.
Sumner P. Mills, Of Stonington, ap-
peared for the Isle au Haul annexation,
and the Hancock county remonstrants to
the petition were represented by John A.
| Peters, of Ellsworth. Mr.. Peters, by
Cross questioning of Mr.. Conley, brought
out the statement that Isle au Haut would
have smore court cases" il they could be
tried at Rockland. Mr.. Peters questioned
Mr.. Conley at some length concerning the
boats running from Rockland to Bar Har-
Dor.
Former Senator Mills read q letter from
Ernest w. Bowditch, treasurer OF the Isle
au Haul club, the largest nonresident
setting of OF Isle au Haut to Knox county.
Mr.. Mills argued that such setting off of
territory from a county was no unusual
precedent. The county lines had been
changed in the cases of North Haven and
Vinalhavea.
The committee, at the request OF Mr..
Peters, decided to hear the proponents of
time with the proponents for the Isle au
Haul measure.
'There is nothing sacred about q
boundary" remarked Philip Howard, of
Rockland, county attorney OF Knox
county, in opening the case for the Ston-
ington petitioners. DR.. B. Lake Noyes, Of
Stonington, presented at considerable
length the case Of the petitioners. He
gave graphic description of the physical
hardships endured by the Stonington
resident who sought to reach Ellsworth
by water. There was no regular line OF
steamboats,, and gasoline boats were en-
ployed. "Men, women and children
were packed into these little gasoline
boats like sheep led to slaughter" he con-
| tinued.
| The only regular established route for
| getting to Ellsw orth was from Stonington
| to Rockland by boat, thence to Bruins
wick, whereas, il Stonington was annexed
to Knox county, the journey would end in
Rockland.
'People are packed like sardines into
box; they are practically crucifed," ex-
claimed Doctor Noyes, with dramatic
earnestness, as he painted in vivid word
pictures the hardships which poor people
had to undergo when they were sum-
moned to Ellsworth. sit costs a poor
widow woman $3.50 to get a couple of wit
nesses to Ellsw ORTIZ" The doctor himself
bad paid $50 to have an abstract of deeds
made at Ellsworth.
Bloomington is a milestone around the
neck Of Hancock county; what do they
want to keep US for? Almost every spring
and fall there is a murder among the
Italians at Stonington and the people OF
Hancock county are paying the bills"
Charles Knowlton and E. j. Carter, of
Stonington, appeared for the proponents
OF the bill. They corroborated the state
inconvenience which they had under
gone.
The afternoon portion of the hearing
was held at the fish and game museum,
but when the evening session opened the
temperature Of the museum was SO un-
comfortaple that the hearing was ad-
journed to the Senate chamber. John A.
Peters, OF Ellsworth, opened the case for
the remonsJranGs. He said that the ques-
tion OF the separation of these two towns
from Hancock county had been fought
out at the last legislature and the COM
mittee on counties had presented an adj
verse report. The proposition to set off
these two towns was against the practi-
cally unanimous desire OF the people Of
Hancock county. Every representative
from the county except one and both of
the senators were present in opposition.
He declared that this agitation had
already caused people in the northern part