The Republican journal., 1913-05-08

glass he poured forth torrent of abuse
on the head of the offender, whom he de-
nounced as reckless of duty in the hour of
peril, poured the contents of the glass
down his own throat and started on the
search for other delinquents. Another
one, of equally nervous temperament,
was observed to start whenever re-
port louder or nearer than ordinary
reached his ears, and load his gun. On
examination the following morning it
was found to contain seven charges;
farther examination disclosed that there
was no flint in the lock!
AS the night wore on, some of the
cooler and clearer-headed discovering
that 1.-The mirth and fun grew fast and
furious among the mirth-loving portion
of their younger townsmen, began like
Hudibras to ''smell rat" and stole
quietly off to their homes. Others, how
ever, of more ardent temperament con-
tinued to maintain their stations and
stand to their arms; and it was not until
day dawned that the suspicion began to
dawn on their minds that somebody had
been terribly hoaxed! Such was the
fact; for during the whole Of that event.
full night every Greene Indian in the
Plantation had been sleeping quietly
under his own roof, never dreaming of
any invasion of Belfast save with goad-
stick in his hand and horse or oxen
drawing a load of cordwood or shingles,
with no thought of plumber beyond the
market value of his load in salt fish, pork
and New England" The wild wags of
the day had their joke, however, and 10.
Dolliff immortalized the event in rhymes
of which the following is the opening
stanZa:
Good people ALL both great and small
Give ear to what write.
III tell you what dreadful war
Took place the other night"
The whole poem. (?) or that portion
of it which has been rescued from the
clutches Of oblivion, was published in
the Republican Journal of December 20,
1870.
And who was 10. Dolliff, the first white
man, probably, who ever "waked to
ecstasy the living Tyre" on the banks of
the Passagassawaukeag? An old settler
here who claims to remember him says,
that he was "a harmless, inoffensive
man, who lived at or near the place call
ed Belmont Lower Corner, who some
times had a few shingles to sell which he
brought to Belfast for market" An
other, who claims an equally early ac-
qualntance with him says that he was
a man of quick wit, rich humor and Won
derful facility in stringing together
verses in which there was apt to be more
reason than rhyme, and but little to
spare of either; and that he usually found
in this tlocality ampler field for the de-
velopment of muse and muscle than he
did at home" His poetical illusions,
like those of Homer, were not reduced
to.writing in their day, but have been
transmitted orally from generation to
generation.
Among them is one denominated Dol
lift S Prayer;' it had its origin in the
following circumstances. He, with
others. were employed one day in cutting
the grass in the moving field of neigh
Dor. According to the custom of the
times, when l. O'Clock a m. came, the
grog for the mowers was brought to
them in the field. All partook Of course,
and all detected a very peculiar and not
very agreeable flavor in the beverage.
Having gone through the ceremony, all,
with the exception Of Dolliff, commenced
on their next swarth. Returning to their
starting point they found him still there,
cup IN hand, tasting and meditatng. In
answer to the inquiry what he made of
it, Dolliff took off his straw hat, drew
his shlrt-sleeve across his forehead, took
another taste, and with great solemaity
exclaimed.
80 Lord of love, look from above
On US poor mortals here!
And send od-to hell with speed
For mixing rum with beer!
He had solved the problem; by accident,
the rum had been poured into a jug in
which there was small quantity of
beer.
'Dolliff's Blessing" has also come
down to us. He with others had been
employed during the forenoon in reap
ing; at noon the laborers were called to
dinner. Their employer, his family, and
some friends who had called unexpected
ly had .dined, and the table presented a
beggarly account of empty dishes for a
lot of hungry men fresh from the field.
However, they seated themselves, and
while glancing their eyes in hungry de-
spair over the fragments before them,
one of them remarked that it would be
"hard work to make dinner out of that
without blessing" Dolliff began to
remove the remnants of meat from the
platter to his own plate very deliberate
ly, exclaiming while doing so,
Lord from on high. cast down thine eye.
Also knife, or sickle,
To cut the throat of the gentlefolk
That ate up all the vitual!'
Remarkinp at tho conclusion stMon Won