The Republican journal., 1915-03-25
The EccEMocclN ELECTION.
Nobody Knew the Name of Bos'n Harch
TBoston Globe I


Nobody Knew the Name Of Bos'n Hatch
Boston Globe ]
EGGEMoGGIN. Me-. March 10. If Will
liam Henry Hatch had been fitted Out
with go1d campaign manager he would
have been elected constable at the town
meeting and no doubt about it.
As the thing stands now, Anthony
Billings is making big fuss and he has
the backing of P. Eugene taples, the
new lawyer, who happened to te put on
the committee to receive, sort and count
the ballots. Some of the voters think
that Mr.. Staples is altogether too partic-
ular. but he argues that there is no rea-
son why a little town like this shouldn't
be run according to law as much as a big
city.
it seems that Anthony Billings sided
with the rusticators, or rather with the
citizens who side with the rusticators for
good and sufficient reasons, in getting a
vote through to raise some money to fix
the upper wharf, which is used only by
the yachts. The boys from farther down
the Reach, who didn't like Anthony very
we'll anyway, started sudden boomlet
for "Bos'n" Hatch, as he is known to
every man, woman and child from Cape
Rozier to Naskeag Point. He was off
scallop dredging and so couldn't attend
to his own campaign, but the boys
thought it would be big surpr Sc for
"Bos'n" when he landed, for he is very
popular, is ''Bos'n.
Having no printed ballots the Hatch
contingent was obliged to write theirs.
Then came the question as to what
"Bos'n" Hatch's real name was. He was
sometimes called 'Bos'n Bill" but that
didn't signify, for "Bill' Remick's real
name was Martin Luther Remick. But
the boys hadn't much time to waste on
technicalities and did the best they could.
The committee to receive, sort and
count the votes had quite an argument,
but P. Eugene Staples seemed to have
his way about it. He raped for order
and announced: Gentlemen, listen to the
result of your ballot for constable. Whole
number of votes cast 46. Necessary for
choice "a. Anthony Billings has 10,
"Bos'n Hatch has 16, 3. Hatch has 6,
Bill Hatch has 3, "Bos'n Bill" has l, Will
liam Hatch has 2. There is no choice"
Instantly the Town House was in an
uproar with the most of the Hatch con-
tlngent talking at once. They demanded
to know what kind of ''fggerin" that
was; that if :'Bos'n" had lots more votes
than the other fellow why he wasn't
elected? But the young lawyer was game
and stood his ground. He waved the vot-
ing list and declared; There's no such
name as 'Bos'n Hatch on the list-nor
no Bill Hatch or, B. Hatch. judge
that these votes are intended for some
legal citizen of this town, but who is
he?" The antiBilings faction looked at
each other, canted their sou westers and
scratched their heads. but none could
just remember what Dos ms" real name
was-that is, full and complete.
Suddenly some nimble-witted "Bos'n"
supporter yelled: "Move we journ till
next Monday at 10 o'clock" and it was
carried like squall off Schooner Head.
When ''Bos'n" got in, he heard about
it and he says that he IS gong to give
each of his crowd fish barrel head with
William Henry Hatch" stencllled on it,
in four inch letters, and they are to pile
them so high that the moderator can't
see over 'em when the vote for constable
comes up next Monday-and further
more, when he is sworn in as constable
he will arrest tn first man that calls him
''Bos'n."