The Republican journal., 1913-05-22

for hosting out the contraband hogs
head. To all appearance everything
favored the proposed movement when a
sliding door between the hold and the
cuddy was suddenly opened and enter
the aids to the revenue armed with fish
picks. There was no parley, no terms
of peace proposed, no quarter asked or
given; it wasn't "war to the knife" but
war to the fish-picks and any other
weapon that could be grasped; hand
spikes and marline-spikes took a hand.
1t was short, sharp, bloody fight, in
which the aids being better armed and
better informed as to the lay of the
land, were of course successful. The
spoils were valueless to the victors, how
ever, for the hogshead lost one of its
heads in the fray and wasted its sweet
ness on the desert air." Some of our
fellow townsmen were reported on the
sick-list the day following, having fallen
on the ice or in some other way injured
themselves, and We're confined to their
houses for some two or three weeks. An
indictment was subsequently found by
the Grand Jury at a term of the U. S.
Court at Wiscasset against certain par
ties resident here, charged with an at
tempt to rescue property seized by a
revenue officer. 1t was said that when
the case came on for trial the medi eal
gentlemen from this place were exceed
lngly oblivious of the nature of their
professional engagements about the time
of the fray; some of them were afflicted
with conscientious scruples in the matter
of an oath and were willing to "affirm"
only. One of the parties indicted, who
was so unfortunate as not to have re-
quired medical aid, was convicted and
imprisoned for year in the county Jail;
another one was acquitted on the ground
of misnomer in his Christian name; the
others escaped through some mesh in
the legal net, or in some other mode.
Such is the brief history of the locally
famous ''Smuggler's Fight"
The prominent local events of the year
1918 were the opening of Church street,
the erection of the Unitarian meeting
house, and the creation of a new and ex-
tensive Collection District, of which Bel
fast was made the Port of Entry.
The first movement toward opening
Church street was in the year preceding,
when an informal location was made; in
November of this year it was accepted
from Main to Spring street; it was not
accepted through to AcademySquare un-
til 1924. The first building erected on
the street was the Westinghouse next
south from Peirce's Block, now occupied
by Mr.. Edwin Salmond. 1t was built in
1877 by Hon. John S. Kimball, then a
prominent trader here, subsequently our
Representative in the Legislature, a
member of the Executive Council and of
the Senate; he removed from this place
many years ago; none of his descendants
are now residing in this vicinity. After
occupying the dwelling referred to for
awhile, he built and occupied the house
now occupied by Mrs. H. G. O. Wash
burn; still later the brick house now &C.
cupied by Hon. VIM. H. Mcclellan. Dur
ing the latter portion of his residence
here he was in business with his son-in-
law, Mr.. Charles Miller, now residing in
Salem, Mass, on Lewis wharf, then
known as Kimball and Miller's wharf.
Mr.. Kimball was born at Plaistow, N.
H., Dec. q, 1888, and died at Salem,
Mass, Aug. %, 1867; his remains were
brought here and inferred in Grove Gem
etery.
The next building erected on the street
was the one standing at the corner of
Church and Spring streets, now occu-
pied by DIR. Flanders. built by Ma
nasseh Sleeper, ESQ.,, in 1878. All the
territory lying between the southerly
side of Spring street and the norther,
ly line of Academy Square was then
pasture-land. The great event of the
year, however, in the way of building,
was the raising of the Westinghouse
Samuel French was the master-builder
two days were consumed in the opera
ton. A large number of stout, able,
bodied men from the interior-most OF
them practically familiar with handling
heavy timber-came in and lent help
ing hand OH the occasion; they were re-
| ceived with welcome and entertained &C.
cording to the 'best skill and judgment"
of all interested in the work; open doors,
we'll spread tables-not forgetting 1.-THE
ingredients" the order of the day.
The house was completed and formally
dedicated on the 18th of November. The
pews had been sold prior to that time,
February 10th. at public auction; there
were sixty-six on the ground floor. The