The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-05-01

a black earthern jug slung over his
shoulder canteen fashion; another with
large stone jug on his back in lieu of
knapsack; another with gigantic epau-
lettes made of burdocks, and another
with strip of birch bark round his hat,
cows tail stuck in for feather; these
are but specimens only, from which some
idea may be formed of the general mill
tary air and costume of the company
when drawn up for parade.
Capt. "Pairce's" military career culmi-
mated at the Fall Training in 1905. He
was drilling his Company in Miller's field,
marching at their head, wheeling occa-
sionally to survey them, marching back
wards as was the military usage in those
days, when he found himself, unconsci-
GUS of its proximity, brought up against
a board fence in his rear and the bayo-
nets of the front rank who were pres
sing him hard sticking into the boards on
each side of him. To resent the indig-
der arrest, and ordered them to be con-
fined in Millers's black chamber" One
of them, Ben. Joy, who Was the very
soul of humor, and prince of Wags, took
bullet from his pocket and dropping it
into the muzzle of his gun, declared that
the first man who attempted to put him
i,,tn ho oh how 4 otf |,
peril of his life. The Captain began to
feel his 'valor oozing out as it were at
the palm of his hands," as Bob Acres in
the play did, and the matter was COM
promised by sending the offenders under
guard to Writers Tavern, the place
of their own selection. When the mill
tary labors of the day were concluded,
the captain marched his company to the
square in front of the tavern, the place
where they were usually dismissed for
the day, and gave the order "Front
facep' The yell of laughter that broke
forth aroused him from his military
reverie. There, in the front windows of
the bar-rOom, the sashes thrown up,
their heads bowed nearly to the floor,
their backs to the streets, bare of cloth
ing as Adam was before Eve took up the
tailoring trade, sat the four prisoners
under guard! The captain evaporated
without giving the word of command,
company dismissed!" When the com
pany next turned out it was in command
of the Lieutenant; the Captain was not
here to be ''saluted."
The artillery was commanded by Capt.
Thomas Cunningham, who lived at or
near the Head of the Tide; Capt.
Ephraim Mcfarland was Lieutenant.
The clubhouse stood on the Mcfarland
lot, short distance from the spot where
the house occupied by Capt. Henry Nc
Gilvery stands, and the usual place of
parade for many years was the green
plot between the Mcfarland house and
the road. There were two brass field
pieces attached to the company, which
were retained for many years, and pass
ed through many and varied experiences.
In TIE war of 1872 they were removed
beyond the reach of the British when
they landed here; subsequently one of
them became the prey of domestic in
vasion. The field-pieces now here were
substituted for those above named.
Capt. Cunningham was the first to in
troduce here military manoeuvre called
"whipping the snake" 1t was never
omitted on training days and was never
failing source of amusement and wonder
ment to the non combatants. 1t consist
ed in throwing his men into apparently
inextricable confusion and bringing them
out of it with as much accuracy and pre-
cison as if they were a mere piece of
mechanism.
Abel Baker, by trade a tailor. was
Captain of the Cavalry. He was for one
or more years collector of taxes; became
a defaulter-a rare bird in those days
and took wing and flew from this latitude
some time about 1909, clothed, as rumor
said, in plumage very like that worn by
the President of the Confederate States
at the time of his capture by the Federal
forces, Rumor further said that at the
time of his flight he was mis- mated with
another strange bird. Robert Miller was
one of the sureties on his collectors
bond and was compelled to make good
the deficiency to the town. The land on
which the Custom House and Peirce's
block stand and the land in the vicinity
which is now on Church street was taken
in payment. Subsequently an exchange
of land was made and out of that came
the ''acre" on which the Unitarian meet
ing-house stands. 1t was one of the
stipulations in the negotiation between
the town and the parish that the seats in
the gallery, or a portion of them, should