The Republican journal., 1913-07-31

The old meeting house on the east side
of the river, built in 1892, which had not
been occupied for some years as place
of stated public worship, was sold this
year at public auction by vote of its pro-
prietors. 1t was sold for fifty dollars,
and soon afterwards was demolished.
Benjamin Kelley was the purchaser.
On the Goth of October the Rev. Ferris
Fitch was ordained Pastor of the First
Congregational Church and Society con-
nected Herewith; the exercises were as
follows.
Introductory Prayer by Rev. Mr. Lopez
of Hampden. Sermon by Rev. Mr.. Shep-
ard of Hallowell. Charge to Pastor by
Rev. Mr.. Blood of Bucksport. Right
hand of Fellowship by Rev. Mr.. Thurs
ton of Prospect. Address TO the people
by Rev. Mr.. Adams of Camden. Con-
GLIDING Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Duncan of
Jackson. The ordination services were
at the Unitarian meeting house. Mr..
Fitch continued to be Pastor until MAY
Is, 1882, when the connection between
him and the church was dissolved by
mutual consent His successor was Rev.
Silas Mckeen. who was installed Feb
ruary %, 1888.
On the Sd of November the first num-
Der of the Maine Workingmen' Advo-
cate made its appearance. 1t was of the
same dimensions and Typographical ap-
pearance as the Maine Farmer, the last
number of which issued in the previous
month. John Dorr, Esq, who was for
several years a bookseller here, and
whose store was in the wooden building
at Nesmith's Corner on the site of the
one now occupied by Mr.. David Lancas-
ter, was its proprietor. Mr.. Dorr is still
living in Augusta. Its political charac-
ter was anti-Democratic At the close
of its fifth volume its name was changed
to the American Advocate, the publica-
ton of which ceased in April, 1886.
During the greater portion if not the
entire period of the publication of the
first named paper it was under the edi-
torial management of Samuel Upton,
Esq, prominent politician of the day.
He resided while in Bangor after leav-
ing this place, and removed thence to
Washington, where he died in 1912, aged
fifty-seven.
During heavy gale in the evening of
December 18th, about twenty rods in
length of the east bridge, built in 1906,
was swept away; no attempt was made
to repair it but new bridge was built
on the site of the present free bridge as
narrated in a previous chapter.
At the annual spring meeting Peter
Rowe, James McCrillis and Samuel W.
Miller were elected Selectmen, Joel Hills,
Clerk, succeeding Mr.. Bradbury who de-
clined a reelection having held the office
nearly five years, and Frye Hall, Treas
urer. There were siXty-six officers elect
ed at that meeting; of that number there
are but five now living. At the fall
meeting Governor Hunton and Hon.
Samuel t. Smith We're the candidates
for gubernatorial honors; the vote here
was 23G for Hunton, PSF for Smith.
There was ballot also for member of
Congress; 222 votes We're cast for Leon
ard Jarvis, 179 for John S. Kimball and
80 for Samuel Upton. Peter Rowe, Esq.
was reelected Representative to the
Legislature.
On the morning of April 9Th Mr.. Joseph
White of Salem, Mass, was found in his
bed murdered by blow on the head and
several stabs in the body. 1t was not
known or suspected that he had an
enemy and there were no indications
that any property had been stolen from
the premises. The commission of such
crime in one Of the most moral and
quiet towns in New England, without
any apparent motive of revenge or plum
der, produced a sensation of astonish-
ment and horror which spread far and
wide. A committee of Vigilance was
appointed and upon information COM
n unicated to them several suspected in
dlviduals were arrested; among them
Richard Crowninshield, Jr, and his
brother George; Richard was eventually
found to be the one who committed the
murder; he did not wait for trial by a
jury but committed suicide on the 18th
of June by hanging himself in his cell.
Before the occurrence of this event,
however, and while the Committee were
pursuing their investigations, Mr.. Joseph
]. Knapp, a respectable merchant resid-
ing in Salem, received letter mailed at
the post-office in Belfast, May 18th,
signed Charles Grant, Jr., asking for