The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-10-22
KNEW FAMED WRITER
PEOPLE Still Living Who Remem-
ber ArtemuS Ward.
Little Village of Waterford, Maine,
Where He Was Born. Has Under.
gone Few Changes During the
Passing Years.

Waterford, Me-, the birthplace and
| boy hood home of Artemus Ward. is
about fifty miles north OF Portland and
half a dozen miles from the nearest
! railway station. Waterford village is
comfortable sleepy little place,
whose homes cluster around a small.
tree shadowed common The houses
are nearly all wooden. are painted
white and have green blinds The VII.
lage supports two stores and a church
AT one end of the common is d
signboard, which reads. 10 miles TO
Norway. Other places roundabout are
Sweden, Denmark, Paris and Naples.
writes Clifton Johnson IN the Spring
fed Republican
u found the village delightful in its
quiet serenity, and it particularly an.
pealed TO the fancy in the evening
when the cows were driven from the
outlying pastures to their home sta
bles and came pacing along under the
elms of the common, while the COW
bells hung on their necks gave forth
dull toned music II was a much live
lier place at the time Charles Farrar
Brown, better known as Artemus
Ward. was born there in 1894 MANY
emigrants passed through ii on their
way to the West. and the stages we're
crowded with passengers in pursuit
of business or pleasure The hotels
presented an especially busy scene on
the arrival of the stage. and the sew
eral stores had a large trade in fur
nishing supplies to lumbermen, One
of these stores was kept by Artemus
Wards father whosded in 1S47
The humnrist died in 1857, which is
not so long ago but that people can he
found in his home region who remeu'-
ber him distinctly, One of the village
women said to me The place has not
changed a great deal since he was a
boy here It is about the same size
there is the same white church. and
many of the same houses stand around
the common The old Brown house
where Charles was born. burned in
1871. but Aunt Car'line. as his moth
er was called in Waterford. had long
before moved to what had been her
fathers house That is here yet, a sub
stantial, twO.story building under the
elms on the borders Of the common,
and it is still owned in the family
After Charles had left Waterford |
and become famous he usually re-.
turned every year to spend the sum
mer with his mother He wasn't very |
strong He was tubercular. His hands |
were whittier than any womans. al.
most They were small and long, and |
] recall hearing my father say that
Charles couldn't wear bracelets be
cause his wrists we're as large as his
hands. and the bracelets would slip
off, Father and he were great cronies,
They were own cousins and were said
to look alike
Another contemporary of Artemns
Ward whom met was a stopping.
elderly village man who walked with
a cane. called at his house in the
evening, and called early because
had been told that he went to bed
with the chickens We sat in his
kitchen in the gradually increasing
dusk of the twilight.
"Yes, / knew Charles Brown. he
said. and helped lower him into the
ground. His body was brought here
about the beginning OF summer from
England in metallic casket all sealed
md soldered up. The casket was cut
,pen at his mothers request, and we
zee it was Charles inside. There was
/ funeral at the house, attended by a
'ew Of the neighbors, and then we
vent to the cemetery at South Water.
ord. We didn't have q hearse, but