Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-11-23
tain fences to keep cattle from straying

tain fences to keep cattle from straying
out Of the highways on to their land.
OF course people realized that cattle
roaming at large in that way were nut
sance in more ways than one, and most oil
them understood that cattle in the high
ways without keeper were trespassers
Yet so strong is the force Of custom that
the pound stood empty, and people en-
dured the nuisance.
On one occasion cow which had been
turned out by her owner to gather come
of the juicy grasses growing along the
roadside wandered on to the grounds of a
resident of Paric Hill, and be, knowing
to whom the COW belonged, put her in
his stable and sent word to her owner
where she could be found. Although
be was one of the most democratic Of
men, when the citizens next assembled
in the forum, around the stove in the
store, he was roundly abused as stuck
up aristocrat, and il was declared that he
took down his front fence on purpose to
have the cows come in so he could lock
them up.
But again | have wandered from the
pound. For more than eighty years the
law required that pound should be
maintained by each town in Maine, with
one single exception, as far as l can
learn. In 1889 the legislature exempted
the town of Whitefield from the provis-
ions of the law in that respect, but in
the other towns the maintenance Of a
pound was still required. At its annual
meeting the town went through the
formal and perhaps solemn ceremony Of
electing poundkeeper and field drivers,
even though those officers were obsolete,
and the only practical result was the
making of little more work for the re-
cording officer.
Nor were the field drivers the only
cumbe of the record. Allied to them
were the hog-reeves. believe the hog
reeves were supposed TO look after stray
hogs or something of that sort, but it is
certain that for many years, though duly
elected, none of them even thought Of
doing such thing. Their choice was af-
ter a while made an occasion for injecting
a little pleasantly into the doings of the
meeting, for il was customary to choose
as hog-reeves the newly-married men of
the town; and if any were known who
were about to enter state of matrimony
in the near future, the honor was ex,
tended TO them also.
/ have sometimes wondered if the
pound bad meanwhile become as useless
an institution in all other towns as it had
in Paris. At any rate, in 1903-only lit
tie more than twelve years ago-the leg
islature, in preparation for general re-
vision of the statutes, repealed the whole
chapter relating to pounds, and pounds
and field drivers, as legal institutions,
ceased to exist.
have never troubled to inquire If the
little patch of ground which comprises
the old pound is the property of the
town of Paris in fee simple, or if it was
used by license or sufferance, or on the
plan of reverting TO the
original owner if it ceased TO be used for
its specified purpose. AT any rate, as a
physical structure the pound is not what
il was even thirty years ago. The weeds
and grass grow rank in its area. The
gate and the old hewed timber which
the wall have disappeared-
gone into that strange nothingness into
which such solid matter can dissolve.
Even the wall, so skillfully laid by one
who was a past master of his art, is slow
liz becoming a mere rick of stones; and
in the words of the song addressed to
Ben Bolt
IA silence that crawls round the walls as you
gaze
Has followed the olden din"
Ii indeed there was ever any din.
ALECK.