The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-10-12

it would apply to many villages at the
time of which he writes. We quote as
follows:
''The ''gun-house" hill stood by the
side of the small pond, taking its name
from the gun house which was relic of
the old military days. The building was
of two stories and was occupied by
Uncle Sam Murphy, native Of Ireland,
who used the lower story for his COW and
pig and the upper for home. The old
gentleman seldom left home in the sum-
mer without his wheelbarrow and any
stray wood that he found, and some that
wasn't astray, was thrown on it and
taken home. By that means he mad
plenty of wood and without expenditure
of cash.
The old mans second or third wife died
and he employed young man to write
| letters for him to a woman in Ireland
whom he had known. always felt that
the letters were too optimistic, for when
Catherine came she didn't find things as
she expected. The old mans only fixed
income was pension which he received
because of the death of son in the
Civil war, and when he died she ended
her life on the town farm.
added variety to Garland life for great
many years.
The schoolhouse was some distance
below the bridge as shown in the picture
and we bows who crossed the bridge on
the way to school frequently preferred
the railing to the bed, especially in mud
time. The town fathers, fearing we might
fall off onto the drift wood, changed the
railing, using joist set edge up, but that
didn't work for it was more dangerous
than the former fiat surface, and hence
more attractive. | do not remember of
boy falling off the rail to his damage.
On the way to school | went down the
mill" hill and generally on my sled
when the sliding was good. On one oc-
easion | missed stays, so to speak, and
ran under Deacon Curtis OK team.
still have scar on one hand and On my
head where the oxen objected to my pas
sage.
On the way home from school We slid
down the Haskell hill, which was quite
long. Captain Bildad Haskell, in his old
age, was won't to walk in the middle of
the hill and generally once each winter
some boy would slide into him and trip
him up. Following that, we would be
ordered not to slide on the hill, but the
| order was soon tOFgoJten.
other things than | have mentioned
will show the striking changes since
those days. The old church would be
well filled Sundays, some families re-
quiring an entire pew. To-day, a fedora
ton of that church and the Free Baptist
does not furnish any larger, if as large,
congregation.
recall when family left Garland for
|
event that the minister made special
mention of them in his prayer and of the
dangers they were likely to encounter.
My father, like most good Republicans,
was subscriber to the New York Week
ly Tribune and when he wanted to pay
for it ! generally had to canvass the VIZ
| lage for bill on a New York bank, for
one issued by Maine bank would not be
accepted at the Tribune office Our Ma
tional banking system has removed that
| trouble
Speaking of weekly paper reminds
me that but one daily paper was taken in
the village during the Civil war, so far as
| recall Lyndon Oak and S. S. Clark &
Co. had the Wing and Courier, George
W. Golf drove the stage between Bangor
and Dexter, through Garland, and oc
casionally individuals bought copies of
him. Mr., Murphy, whom have men
toned, made a practice of going to the
shoe store daily to read the Wing. The
people got tired of it after a while and
let him read the same 'py some 80 days
before he discovered the imposture. II
the war news then was like that served
up by the daily papers today do not
wonder that he didn't notice the sihilarl-
ty of the news.
do not think the postmasters of that
day were so tied up by red tape as those
of to-day are, at least one Garland post
master wasn't. He had great deal of
trouble from letters intended for Gardin-
err coming to Garland and others intended
for Garland going to Gardiner. On one
occasion a Gardiner letter came to his
office and he remailed it to Gardiner but
it came back again. He made second
attempt TO get it to its destination and
when it came back he wrote on the en-
velope, ''Why in hi don't you send his
to Gardiner" 1t never came back.