Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-07


~ interested in the cause of education,
and In his busy life found time to serve
as County Superintendent of schools, and
Galesvile University
Their long married life was broken by
the death Of Mrs. Luce, Dec. II, 1907, a
Few days after the Goth anniversary OF
their wedding. Mr.. Luce survived his life
long partner only II few months, the end
coming Feb. l6, 1908, when this much
loved man sank to rest; full of years
and full of honors.
In their long lives. both Mr.. and Mrs..
Luce had written poetry of interest and
charm, but none of their verse had ever
been published in book form, and, except
ds IL may nave appeared in the news
papers or tho day, written for the
pleasure or their immediate circle Of
friends. Later in life thoy became desr-
Gus of leaving something by which their
| friends might remember them and in
lsib published privately n collection of
thelr poems. Their last visit east was
made In 1881, when they met for the last
time their relatives and old neighbors of
| stowe and Waterbury. Favored ones re.
ceived copies Of the little volume Of
| verse, ana these remain the only wit.
nesses of their gift for song and of their
early lives in Vermont So entirely had
the verse Of the Luce's escaped notice
that they were not even included in the
lieminwav collection Of Vermont poetry.
1860, nor the Sanford collection, 1872
| Spring time. 1887, the earliest dated
poem of Samuel Slavton Luce, bubbles
over with the charm Of coming spring
and for a boy or eighteen is most happily
| expressed all of the phases of nature and
the seasons in his mountain-girt valley
home were interpreted ty his seeing eye
| ard sympa thetc appreciation of their
! beauty and Significance He wrote verses
on the l)cal character Of his day, and
Tomas Knight, the first settler of Stowe,
who worked fo- the poets father ap-
pears as THE Hunter of Chateaugay."
| The uncrrins rife OF the Hunter has
spell cast upon it; but the canny Hunter
pounds shilling into slug and waits
| He fires III at It partridge which battles
| bullets. II disappears with n clap Of
thunder hut Old Mother Simpson wears
her arm in sling for some time after
The fintlock rifle which fired the silver
| bullet Is Still owned DIT Stowe. Another
! THE Old Country Doctor finds DR.. Thos
&c. Downer. who practiced at Stowe until
! 1870 and. who endeared himself to the
community by his warm heart and skill
| though the exterior OF the man was I'M
promising. I.ish Brown. Uncle Bill. and
| the Old Homestead are OF this period
and portray a chapter In the early his
tory of Stowe. which has passed beyond
the memory Of man.
| The Legend of Smugglers Notch Is the
most ambitious number of the collection
but its length prevents it's publication in
these columns. and the consecutive char
actcr of the narrative makes It we'll nigh
impossible to take extracts from the story
which would be ineligible. In a land
whore historic and romantic backgrounds
are rare, this legend should be remember
ed, and add n romantic charm to tho
wild and rugged grandeur Of this noun
tain pass. Many other places have be-
come famous through traditions less
credible than this legend which does have
some confirming evidence. smugglers'
| Notch was not used as a road for the
transport Of struggled goods. but was
used as retreat by band Of smug-
| glers. who. when pursuit became too hot
| at the seat OF their operations on Lake
| Champaign, fed into the Businesses Of
this wild gorge until quieter times Tho
| farm where the chief OF the band lived
at the Stowe end of the Notch Is still
pointed out Just at present when the
project of carrying a State road through
! the Smugglers' Notch to make this re-
| markable gorge easy of access Is under
consideration. failing the poem. a sketch
of the legend will prove Of interest.
The scene opens in a cabin in Snug
glers' Notch, where lives a man crush
ed by melancholy with his wife and
daughter All the Suggesting Is com.
plete, night IA falling on the wild gorge,
and the thunder of an impending storm
mutters on Mt. Mansfield All Is OF home
II cheer within the cabin, preparations
| for the evening meal so on, but the
father starej moodily into the Are. His
| daughter calls his attention TO the rising
storm, and in the dialogue. which fol-
lows besee ches him to reveal the secret
| Of his grief He at last responds to her
| entreaties, and tells how dozen years
| ago, when captain OF band OF snug
| glers. they had an ARRAY with officerr
OF the law, In which his only son, q
| boy of fifteen. was shot and lost over
| board. He fed to the retreat OF the snug
| glers, abandoned his desperate calling.
| and had lived there stricken by remorse
| at the consequences of his unlawful greed
| for gain. The storm breaks Win frightfu
violence, accompanied by a cloud-burs,
| and an avalanche from the mountain.
| When the violence of the storm Is spent.
| a human cnll Ia heard from the cliffs
above. A light is set in tho cabin window.
and father and daughter speed forth
| with torches TO climb to the cliffs above