The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-08-14

| hepI Hei PAL Tally at Day until he
could get a club. This he used free
ly and was able to keep the animal
at little further distance until he
got to fence, over which he escaped
the mother bear returning to her
young. His clothes were badly torn"
said Mr.. Thompson. and this was an
other tale of the encounters of we'll
nigh pioneer times.
RECOLLECTIONS OF A TRAGEDY
A tragedy of years gone by, prob
ably not within the recollection of
anyone now living, occurred in the
eastern part of the town of Athens.
We will call the parties concerned
Old Bill and Old john Old Bill had
one of the finest farms of that sec
ton. One day a man from across
the water went through that section,
looking about for the purchase of a
farm and he went to see Old Bill.
According to Mr.. Thompson the
stranger seemed satisfied with the
looks of the property and in bargain
ing for it, stated that he could pay
Bill in either gold or silver or in pa
per money. This was rather a dan
gerous statement to make. back nine
ty years ago, when money was scarce.
The stranger came back in a few days
and found another man there, with
Old Bill whom we will call Old John.
The would-be purchaser went with
the two men into the woods to inyes-
tigate the timber but never returned
to purchase the farm, so the story
goes. Old Bill, saying that the man
had gone away 1t was noted how
ever, that short time afterwards,
Old Bill and Old John had plenty of
money, which was a bit unusual. con-
sidering the times of that period The
years rolled around and finally Old
John fell sick and thought he was 60
ing to die. He told the man, who
was caring for him to go to a certain
barn and in the mortice of the build
there was some money. The attend
ant did not comply with his request.
however, and as Old John begain to
gam, he told his nurse that he would
look after the money himself. 1t
was related that the old man used
to make frequent trips to Bald Noun
tain, and although he was followed
number of times, none of his watchers
were ever able to find out just where
he went as he would suddenly dis
appear from their sight. 1t was sup
posed, however, that he had the
money hidden at some point in Bald
Mountain. Finally Old John became
partially demented and they sent him
to a distant state to live with his
son. He never found his son, how
ever, and died out there somewhere
alone.
Old Bill lived the remainder of his
dind bo farm After
he died, so the story goes, whoever
lived in the house, found it about i'm
possible to stay there because of the
strange phenomena which existed.
Chairs were upset and dishes were
knocked off from the table. A man
by the name of Hussey stopped there
once overnight but he couldn't sleep
as he seemed to hear someone there
breathing hard as though struggling.
This was accounted for by the disap-
pearance of a girl who was at work
for Old Bill and it was said that she.
had been killed by her master, by
winding something around her neck.
1t is claimed that Old Bill said that
Old John had killed the stranger who
had come years before to purchase
the farm, with an axe and that his
body was thrown in the waters OF
Belgrade. The closing chapter In /
this strange incident was the burn
ing of the house where Old Bill had
lived and died but as to how the .
buildings caught fire is mystery.
CHASED OVER BUNKER HILL BY
THE DEVIL
Another tradition, which Mr.. ThompA
son recalls was that a citizen of the
town of Athens was out riding horse :
back. This was before the days OF
wagons, when there were only OK
carts" said Mr. Thompson. All at
once, a man rode up beside the rider ,
whom he didn't like the looks of, so .
he put his spurs to the horse but the /
fellow traveller kept up with him un-
til he drove into his own dooryard
The story always was that this parti-
Cular man was chased over Bunker
Hill by the Devil
ANXIOUS LOVER MEETS DEATH
This happened out on Attean
Streams continued Mr.. Thompson,
going back to the tales of the prime
val forest, my Uncle John was there
There was a young man there from
Garland who was keeping company
with a girl from Dexter. one night,
he said he was going out to kineo,
as he was looking for letter from
girl, who he expected was going to
give him the mitten. He felt bad
and was advised not to go as 1t was
dark but he insisted. He was
great skater and he went down shore,
put on his skates, to go to kiReo'
1t was one of the worst nights ON
Moosehead Lake. The ice was rip
ping and roaring and ringing through
the woods for miles. But the fellow
was downhearted. They Ioiio"ed
his tracks to Backwater There was
no moon and he probably went to
the bottom" Mr. Thompson relates
that later the letter came and upon
opening it they found that the dead
mans suspicious were true for the
letter was from his sweetheart, tell
ing him that she no longer cared for Z