USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Historical collections of Piscataquis County, Maine, consisting of papers read at meetings of Piscataquis County Historical Society, also The north eastern boundary controversy and the Aroostook War, V. I > Part 28
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was the only time that I recollect conversing with the Post man on that Subject
I remain with respect Sir, Your Obedt humble Servt Jnº Baker
C. S Davis Esq"
Frederickton Jail 23rd Decr 1827 Sir,
I find that I have to content myself at present in ridgd confinement and shall untill I receive Assistance from the states
I wish when you return from Matawasha that you would inform me what may occur, give me information as may be necessary, and you would much Oblige Your Obedt Servt John Baker
'That we, George W. Coffin Agent for the Common- wealth of Massachusetts, and James Irish Agent for the State of Maine, upon the subject of the Public Lands in said State, by virtue of powers vested in us by resolves of the said Commonwealth, dated 11th June 1825, and by resolves of said State dated 26th February 1825, and in consideration of the sum of Ten dollars to us paid by John Baker of a plantation called and known by the name of the Madawaska settlement in the County of Penobscot and State aforesaid, situate upon the river Saint John, Yeoman for the use of said Commonwealth and State, the receipt whereot we do hereby acknowledge, do by these presents in behalf of the Commonwealth and State aforesaid, give, grant, bargain, sell and convey to said John Baker his heirs and assigns forever, the follow-
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OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY
ing parcel of land, viz. : -- Beginning at Maryumticook Stream or point on the St John's river, thence running west by said river sixty three rods to a stone marked Nº 1. S. W. thence north three hundred and twenty rods, thence east fifty rods, thence south three hundred and eleven rods and one half a rod to a stake standing on the south side of said stream, thence by said stream south thirty eight and one half degrees east fifteen rods & seventeen links to the bounds first mentioned, containing One hundred Acres, be the same more or less.
To have and to hold the same, with all the privileges and appurtenances thereof, to the said John Baker his heirs and assigns to his and their use and behoof forever.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, We the said Agents, in behalf of said Commonwealth and said State, have hereunto subscribed our names and affixed our seals, this third day of Oct" 1825-
Signed, Sealed and Delivered Geo. W. Coffin (L. S.)
in presence James Irish (L. S.)
of us. Walter Powers
attest Hiram Baker
New Brunswick { Supreme Court. S
Michaelmas Term in the eighth year of the Reign of King George the Fourth.
York, to Wit, Be it remembered that Thomas Whetmore Esquire Attorney General of our Sovereign Lord the now King for this His Majesty's Province of New Brunswick, who for our said Lord the King prose- cutes, in this behalf in his own proper person comes here into the Court of our said Lord the King before the King himself at Fredericton in the county of York, on Saturday next after the second Tuesday in October in
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this same Term, and for our said Lord the King gives the court here to understand and be informed That John Baker of the Parish of Kent in the county of York Labourer being a person greatly disaffected to our said Lord the now King and his Government within this His Majesty's Province of New Brunswick, and contriving, endeavouring and unlawfully maliciously, factiously and seditiously intending to vex molest and disturb the peace and common tranquillity of this Province, and to bring into hatred and contempt our most Serene Lord the now King and his Government, and for creating false opinions and suspicions in the people and subjects of our said Lord the King of and concerning the Government and administration of our said Lord the King and of the Royal power and undisputed prerogative of our said Lord the King within this Province he the said John Baker for performing perfecting and effecting his said most wicked contrivances and intentions on the fifteenth day of July in the eighth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King George the Fourth at the Parish of Kent aforesaid in the county aforesaid with force and arms contemptuously maliciously factiously applied to one Peter Markee being one of the Subjects of our said Lord the King residing and inhabiting within the said Parish and then and there endeavored to persuade and seduce the said Peter Markee to depart from and violate the allegiance which he owed to our said Lord the King and did then and there present to the said Peter Markee a written paper then and there requesting and persuad- ing him the said Peter Markee to subscribe his name thereto then and there stating to the said Peter Markee that the same paper was drawn up by him the said John Baker and others residing in the Madawaska Settlement in the Parish aforesaid and County aforesaid, with an intent thereby to bind those who subscribed the same
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paper to defend one another against any act of a British Officer civil or military and not to allow the British Laws to be put in force among them in the said Madawaska Settlement aforesaid (to wit in the Parish aforesaid and county aforesaid) he the said John Baker then and there declaring that the British Government, meaning the Government of our said Lord the King had no right to exercise any authority over the Inhabitants of the said settlement and that the government of the United States of America would protect him the said John Baker and others his confiderates as aforesaid in what they were then doing. And that he the said John Baker in order further to perform, perfect and effect his malicious practices and seditious intentions and designs aforesaid afterwards, to wit, on the eighteenth day of the same month of July in the year aforesaid, at the Parish afore- said in the county aforesaid endeavored to oppose and obstruct the Postman then and there having the custody and carriage of His Majesty's Mail to Canada in the prosecution of his Journey with the same mail he the said John Baker then and there declaring with a loud voice in presence and hearing of divers of the subjects of our said Lord the King that England had no right to send her mails by that rout meaning through that part of the Parish of Kent, and that the said John Baker had received orders from the said government of the United States to stop the conveyance of the said mails through the same to the derogation great damage, diminution and prejudice of our said Lord the King and his Laws, to the evil example of all others in the like case offending and against the Peace of our said Lord the King his Crown and Dignity.
Whereupon the said Attorney General of our said Lord the King who for our said Lord the King in this behalf prosecutes, for our said Lord the King prays the
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consideration of the Court here in the premises, and that due process in law may be awarded against the said John Baker in this behalf to make him answer to our said Lord the King tending and concerning the premises aforesaid.
Signed T Wetmore Dom: Reg. Gen1 Examined by me and certified to be a true copy. T R Wetmore clerk to the Atty General 28th Nov" 1827 --
I Asael Baker, aged twenty one years, declare and say I resided as a labourer in the family of John Baker, near the mouth of the River Mariumticook at the time he returned from a journey in September last. The family of said Baker consisted of his wife, and four daughters and one son of hers by her former husband, and two daughters of said Baker, the youngest about a year old .- -
Baker and his wife with the child slept in a room adjoining the kitchen. Three days after his return I was sleeping in the kitchen and about daylight, was awaked by the noise of persons entering violently from without into the outer room where I was. The first I saw was two persons entering about abreast, followed by several others with arms in their hands. I afterwards knew one of the two first who entered to be M' Miller, a sheriff of New Brunswick- - I was startened and alarmed and sprung into the bedroom where Baker and his wife were sleeping, and was instantly followed by the forward persons, who had entered the kitchen. Two of the persons that went into the bed room had arms-
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One by the name of Rice, an Irishman, represented to be an Adjutant of militia, who carried a pistol, and another bore a musket. Baker lay on the back side of the bed, and did not immediately awake. They first took hold of Mrs. Baker, who was frightened, and cried out to them not to kill the child, and begged them to spare her. The principal person M' Miller told her to be civil, and he should not hurt her nor her husband, Mr Baker. - - Mr Baker being awakened, and made sensible, rose out of bed, and they were removing him from the apartment, but his wife first and then he himself requested them to suffer him to put on his clothes, - which was allowed to be done. The principal person told him he was the one that had caused him so much trouble, as to make him come two hundred miles, This was before Baker got out of bed. As I was going towards the outer door the person, who carried the pistol, presented it at me and threatened to shoot me, if I moved. There were a considerable number of persons who followed into the house, some of whom had remained at first without- and I heard M" Miller order them to enter.
I should say there were in all as many as a dozen. I saw as many as half a dozen muskets. There were two other persons in the house in the same manner as my- self, by the names of Walter Powers and John Scudder. -- When M' Baker was seized, he said he had writings from the states, which they should see if they would. He was answered, that was nothing to them, - that he must submit and follow- that he had better be as easy as possible, as he did not know which side he should fall upon. - M" Baker proposed to take breakfast and requested time to get some money.' The principal per- son refused the permission and hurried him away, tell- ing him he should fare as well as he did himself- I should judge it was not more than ten minutes from the
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time the party entered the house until they went away with Baker. M' Baker gave me some general and hasty directions about his affairs; and his wife in about half an hour after followed to have an interview with him on the road. I never heard him called General Baker until since this affair- I have since seen the person, who pre- sented the pistol at me, and he declared that he was so ordered- I have very recently seen another person of the party who seized Baker, whom I recognized, and asked if he was one of the men that took Mr Baker also whether he was in the house. He said he was. His name I understand is West. He asked me if I was the one that slept on the floor, and he said he saw me run. He also said it was the King's Express to take Baker dead or alive- I named to this person the circumstance that Rice presented the pistol at me, and I further said that Rice presented it at Powers .-- West said, he guessed not- and added that Powers came down from the chamber and took up a chair and struck one of the fuses, that the men held, and broke the breech ; that this man, whose name was Battis Misshu, called out for help, and that thereupon he (West) went to Powers and drew the pistol, and told Powers he had better be civil and behave, otherwise he should be obliged to put the law in force. I had this conversation with this West, the 13th of December .- I know the person called Battis Misshu. He lives at the Grand Falls. I saw him that morning, when Baker was seized. - - I do not recollect him in the house. The door was guarded outside, and Rice, stood guard at the door inside- and when I attempted to go out M' Miller spoke to the guard in this manner, -. "men, stop that man from going out .- " Thereupon Rice pre- sented the pistol to me, and I stopped, and told him to fire if he liked- that I was not afraid of him a hair. - After M' Miller and his party had conveyed Mr Baker
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out of the house, and carried him down to the shore we had liberty to come out and I saw Battis Misshu, who was carrying a musket and was the last of the guard that remained. He shook hands with me at going away and said I must not blame him for he was obliged to do as he did .- - Battis Misshu told me that one of Mrs. Baker's daughters got out of the window, and that an other got out of the door and that two men took her and carried her into the house again, He said one of the girls was crying and asked what they were going to do to M' Baker- He answered they were not going to hurt him .-- I understood that these were the two eldest daughters, Amanda & Liser aged about eighteen & six- teen - I also heard another daughter, Sophronia, about twelve years of age, declare that she got out of the door and was brought back .-- I saw the oldest daughter, Amander aged eighteen years after Mr Baker was seized in the same room where he was- I understood, but do not know, that she attempted to get out at the door, and afterwards got out of the window, and afterwards came back, I saw her after that time again in the house before Mr Baker was removed .- I understood that Scudder passed out at the door, and was brought in again by the guard. Powers and myself were kept the first part of the time in the bedroom with Baker, and three persons were stationed in a small passage way into the kitchen to prevent our getting out .- After I was allowed to go into the kitchen I saw Cyrus Cannon, who lived in the neighborhood come into the house and went into the room where Baker was confined .-- I also saw two other friendly persons belonging to the neighbor- hood standing without namely Miles Emery who has a lot at the mouth of Fish river, and another Matthias Acorn who is settled on the second lot above Baker. M" Baker offered no resistance at any time, nor did he
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encourage any to my knowledge .- - Of the other per- sons with Mr Miller, one was William Dibble, who lives below the Grand Falls,- another named Soffysaw, who undertakes to act as a constable at Matawasca settle- ment under the direction of persons residing in New Brunswick- another was a M" Tibbets of Tobique .- I saw another named Joseph Deba- Another called Wezaw Nedder- both whom I knew belonging to the settlement of Madawasca-Another named John Battis D Aigle was of the party, and was stationed, as a guard at the canoes. - - Another brother to Nedder- but I do not know his christian name.
Several of the persons of the party belong to the settlement from the Grand Falls along up to the Mada- wasca, and individuals of French extraction in the vicin- ity, who are required to bear arms and train in the militia of the Province of New Brunswick. Rice acts as Adju- tant of this militia, and lives near the mouth of the Madawasca River .- - West said to me, at the same time I have before mentioned, that they had but-five mus- kets,-and he also said they had several pistols.
Baker has one saw mill with two saws and a gristmill. He was also building him a two story house, the present habitation he lives in not being sufficiently commodious and tenantable for the winter. He had engaged two carpenters to finish the house, and a brick layer to com- plete the chimney this season- The house remains unfinished and the work is stopped. - It is boarded, and the window cases and one door case is in, - one side of the roof is shingled,- this piece of shingling is all that has been done since M" Baker's absence,- His family remain together in the old house- His business is now all at a stand. His wife and family are left in a lonesome situ-
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ation and Mrs Baker is very anxious and at times exceed- ingly distressed, and agitated.
Asahel Baker.
I further declare and say, that after the seizure of John Baker the American citizens in that vicinity became con- siderable uneasy and alarmed, James Bacon said he did not know what was to be done, and that he did not know but the English would come up and take them all away, and appeared to be disheartened and discouraged- for a short time. It was noticed and talked of among us, although we thought M' Bacon did not wish to show it .-- M" Stutson, one of the settlers was also inquiring what was to be done- and I observed to him, that I thought he was afraid, He answered that he was afraid, that he was almost scared to death, and did not know what to do- I was absent immediately after this on a journey to Kennebeck, and when I returned Stutson had sold out and was gone, having moved, I understood, into Houlton.
Stutson was a blacksmith and had a shop and a family, consisting of a wife and two children, and about fifteen acres under improvement .- Jacob Goldthwaite had a place where he had been chopping on five or six acres, and had some stock, a horse and yoke of oxen. He said very little at first - and when it was intimated to him that he was alarmed, his answer was that those who talked about it most, were most afraid - when I returned from the westward, in about six weeks Goldthwaite had left his place and was gone- Charles Smart had also stock, and was present with Goldthwaite when he made the above remark- and declared that he would not make any resistance, or get himself into any scrape- On my return he also had departed,- Neither of those persons have returned- I heard Stephen Grover, say after my return, that as the state of things were and had been for
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some time, it might be a year, before it was settled and perhaps more and perhaps never .-- And that it was impossible to live so, while the English were coming up to harrass us- and we did not know whether we could rely on the States- and had better move off and live some where else - and that if nothing should be done for them, he had determined to move off next summer. I heard Randall Harford say, that he meant to stay as long as he could - that he had a years provisions- that if it came on too hard, he would live on that, and then clear out. A very great and general alarm has prevailed among the people of our state in that quarter, in conse- quence on the proceedings they have experienced and the uncertainty of their dependence upon government- Dur- ing my absence, as I was informed after my return some person had been at Baker's and also called on several other persons to demand the alien tax, on what they call the Bear Tax- The same person I was also informed went up to St Francis to call for it of Americans there. - And he is expected again this winter. I was also informed that an officer had been up with warrants to serve on a number of Americans holding lands there, to answer for Trespass and intrusions on Crown Lands under penalty of a hundred pounds. I saw copies that had been served on John Harford, Samuel Harford, Randall Harford, and Daniel Savage, and have also understood that there were several others. Fears have been entertained and expressed that when the winter- going became good the officers would be up there again and all carried down to Fredericton.
Asahel Baker.
I Charles Stetson, aged thirty four years, was born in Bristol, State of Maine- Lived in Eastport about eight
.
1
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years- and moved from there above the river Madawaska five years ago last July. I settled within about a hun- dred rods of the mouth of the Mariumticook, where John Baker was carrying on business at his mills there situ- ated. It is generally called the Madawaska up as high as we live, but I do not know whether the Madawaska settlement, properly so called, extends above the river Madawaska. It is not properly Madawaska above the Madawaska river, but we generally call it by that name. There was no settler for several miles above the mouth of Madawaska on the north side of the main river up to Joseph Misshu's-but one at a place called the half way house for about some space of six miles up on the oppo- site side. There were several French Settlers on either side of the St Johns, between that vacancy and the place where we live,- and the French call at Chattiqua .- On the north side of the river from the mouth of the Mada- waska towards the Mariumticook where we are, there have come on since I went there about twenty French settlers, chiefly from Canada- and a good part of them have filled in the space above the Madawaska. They are about establishing a new Roman Catholic church at the settlement. -
My business is a blacksmith. I settled with my family next below James Bacon- There were none but French settlers below me The nearest to me lived on an island next below a smaller island near the mouth of the Mariumticook. - The small island is nearly opposite my house,- It was Larrion D'Aigle. He was born in the settlement below where his father lives, and had been there I understood, three or four years, but I do not know exactly how long- The small island contains ten or twelve acres- There was no settler on it. There were none but settlers of French extraction at the mouth of the Madawasca. There was no French settler above
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us- - One came on last summer from Canada and set- tled on the south side of the St Johns above the mouth of the Mariumticook- and he has also a neighbor lately moved from the Madawasca settlement below- There are two or three English and Irish families settled four or five miles up the Madawaska river- and one Irishman lives a little opposite the mouth of that river in a French House.
John Harford and his son John were settled with their families about fifteen miles above the Mariumticook on the Main River and about five miles below the mouth of the St Francis .- There were no settlers of any descrip- tion between us and the Harfords- Several persons have been employed in teaming, hauling and sawing at Bakers mill. - Matthias Acorn, an American came last winter and settled next above Bacon, I saw four or five rafts of boards and shingles belonging to Baker passing down the river, and understood they were afterwards seized and confiscated by the government of New Brunswick. Two years ago Baker, Bacon, and myself were called upon to pay the alien tax by a person having orders he said from a colonel or major of Militia. There has been a new military company formed of late among the settlers, Some of the new comers among the French set above the Madawaska river and above Joseph Misshu's- those near us have had to pay fines for not training. The objection they made, as I understood, was that they considered themselves under American government,- There has been some suing from Tobique among the French at Madawascar from Esquire Morehouse. There is no civil magistrate any nearer. No civil process has been attempted to be served at the Mariumticook until the present year. I was not present but understood that Saufacon a constable came from Madawascer with a writ from George Morehouse Esq to serve on Bacon. I
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understood that an arrest was attempted and repelled by the aid of Baker and some of his hired men- that the constable was driven off and the debt afterwards set- tled. I am not acquainted with the facts. I do not know that Bacon made any resistance- An American by the name of Owen Fitzgerald working at Fish River Mills was arrested about two years ago on a warrant from Justice Morehouse, on a complaint for stealing money from Bacon- He was arrested on the point below the mills at my shop where I was present. No force was used- and no resistance made. He was carried to Fredericton and acquitted. It afterwards appeared that the money was taken by another person.
Charles Stetson
Last 4th of July we agreed to celebrate on Baker's proposal by raising a liberty pole, and hoisting the American Flag and having a dinner all at his home. We considered ourselves on American ground. The number of Americans present was fourteen. We hoisted the American flag before dinner, all of us Americans together. M" Baker was the principal person. Two or three of the French were present; one of them Bellony Tarrio was the fiddler- and dined with us. I did not hear any invitation proposed to any of the French. Nobody interfered with us and we interfered with nobody. We drank toasts and spent the day together, and then went home- The next day Stephen Grover drew up a paper, purporting that we would settle our disputes among ourselves without having recourse to English laws for protection. Baker signed it first; and then thirteen others. - I was present when Miles Emery offered it to Peter Markee- Baker was not present- and I am posi- tive not at home.
Three or four weeks afterwards I heard a story from the French settlers below that Baker had met the mail
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carrier and asked what mail he had- He said it was the Province mail- and that Baker replied if it was the English mail he would take it away, but as it was the Province mail it might pass .- I heard this from one Mattocks- an American who was with us the 4th-and he got it from the French.
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