USA > Maine > Oxford County > Bethel > History of Bethel : formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-1890, with a brief sketch of Hanover and family statistics > Part 33
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the Rangeley, where he disposed of his furs and purchased supplies which he toted back for the support of his increasing family. He seemed to be prosperous and contented, and half a century after, his aged wife informed me that this was the happiest period of her whole life.
This season of prosperity did not long continue. Circumstances to be related hereafter broke up and made desolate the home at the mouth of the Diamond, and scattered the family, never to be re- united on earth. Mrs. Robbins must have been fond of her hus- band. She was brought up in a home of plenty, if not of luxury. She had kind parents and brothers and sisters, and she had spent her youth in a neighborhood noted for its social qualities and gener- ous hospitalities. And yet, in a wilderness, fifteen miles removed from Errol, where the only person she would be likely to see year after year, save a neighbor or two and the members of her own fam- ily, was an occasional hunter or trapper, or a strolling Indian, she spent the "happiest period of her life." She was a brave-hearted woman. In the trapping season Robbins was often absent for weeks together, and she lived alone with her children. Bears prowled around her dwelling, and the blood-curdling cry of the panther was often heard at night. The sneaking loupcervier, in the daytime, would watch her from a distance when she went to the spring for water, but he was careful to keep beyond the reach of her rifle, in the use of which she greatly excelled. And so the years glided by, years of care and toil and watchfulness, yet years of con- tentment and peace for the little family living on the far off and lonely Megalloway. Yet all the while, calamity with dark pinions was brooding over this devoted household. The circumstances which led to the catastrophe here intimated, I will now proceed to relate.
In the year eighteen hundred and twenty-six, there lived in Let- ter E Plantation, a township situated between Phillips and the Rangeley Lakes, a man named James Wilbur. He was the son of John Wilbur, and was born in seventeen hundred and ninety, in the town of Durham, Maine. Many of the quite early settlers of Franklin county moved there from the town of Durham, and among them were several members of the Wilbur family. James Wilbur was a quiet, peaceable man, not brilliant, but of fair ability, a man of integrity, industrious and thrifty. The place he had selected for his home was quite remote from other settlements in the county,
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and was on the very border of civilization, toward the lake region. There was then only a lumberman's road leading from Phillips to Rangeley Lake, and no travel in summer except by fishermen and hunters. On his way to Farmington to sell his furs and procure supplies, David Robbins quite often passed by the Wilbur place, and was well known to the family. Mr. Wilbur's wife, Sarah, born in seventeen hundred and ninety-five, was from Martha's Vineyard, and both he and his wife were inclined toward the religious sect known as Quakers or Friends. At the time of which I am writing, they had several small children, all daughters but one. The son was named for his father, but was called "Jim." There were two daughters older than he, and he was about three years of age.
One day in the autumn of eighteen hundred and twenty-six, "Jim," with one of the girls, either was sent or went of his own accord, accounts differ in this regard, from the house in the direc- tion of the woods and the lake. They had been away some little time when the girl returned to the house without the boy. It is said that they engaged in play until they became tired, when they laid themselves down upon the leaves and fell asleep. When the girl awoke, she missed her little brother, and calling aloud to him, she received no answer. Supposing he had awakened and returned to the house, she hastened there herself, but found that he had not been there. When she awoke she found the little red frock which her brother had worn lying upon the ground near her, and this she carried to the house. In much alarm the mother hastened to the spot and made a careful examination. The garment was entire, and there was no evidence that any wild beast had been in the vicinity. She at once became convinced that the child had been stolen by some person or persons unknown, and that the garment had been left to give the impression that little Jimmy had been de- voured or carried away by a wild beast. It was known that Rob- bins was at Farmington the day before the boy was missed, and that he left for his home by the way of the Wilbur place, on the same day. But he did not call at Wilbur's at this time, nor did they see him pass by. Mr. Wilbur at this time was absent from home.
The alarm increased with every hour, and the news soon spread through all that region of country. Every man and boy joined in the search, which was continued for two days and nights. Some thought that the child might have thrown off his garment and strayed away into the woods, prompted by childish curiosity, and had some
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faint hopes that he might be found. They built huge fires by night, and loudly called his name during the day, but the echo of their own voices was the only response. After two days had passed, and every nook and corner within a radius of two or three miles had been examined, all remaining hope was dissipated, and they became convinced that "Jimmy" had been captured, either by an Indian or white man, and carried away. Circumstances pointed very strongly to Robbins, but the question came up, what could be his object? He had children of his own, and if he had none, he could not hope to conceal the child from the anxious search of his parents and their friends. His place was visited, but no evidence of guilt could be brought to bear upon him, and he was not molested.
From that time forth, melancholy brooded over the home of the Wilburs, and their bereavement was such that they refused to be comforted. They continued the search for the lost child. They interviewed Indians wherever they could find them. They visited their encampments, and carefully scrutinized every child. Reports would often come to them of a boy, and later, of a young man of English descent seen with some strolling band of Indians, and liv- ing with them, and many long, tedious and fruitless journeys were taken in consequence of these stories. Mr. Wilbur and his wife grew prematurely old in their search, attended by so many disap- pointments, and finally left their homestead in Franklin county and moved to Bethel. Their daughters had grown up, and had sought employment in the cotton factories of Lowell and Saco, and the old people lived alone. Often have I seen them riding out together, and a more disconsolate, heart-broken couple I never saw. Though hope had long since died out, they still seemed to be watching and waiting, with an appearance of inexpressible longing which was pitiable in the extreme. Their lost darling seemed to be ever in their thoughts, and they never tired of talking of him.
It has already been stated that the daughters had grown, and had left the paternal roof for employment in the factory, but they had never forgotten little Jimmy, and being strictly enjoined by their parents, they had made it a point to visit every Indian encampment in the vicinity of their place of abode. During the summer sea- son, strolling bands of Indians had been in the habit of stopping in the vicinity of Saco, sometimes at Biddeford Pool, and some- times at Old Orchard, where they made baskets and other simple wares which they sold to the factory girls, and to the citizens gen-
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erally. Many a time had the Wilbur girls visited these temporary Indian camps, and gone away without results, until it became more a matter of form than otherwise. Twenty years had elapsed since the disappearance of the child, and not one word of intelligence had been received in response to their numerous inquires. The mystery was as profound as on the day of its occurrence. It was in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six, while the Wilbar girls, Persis and Hannah, were at work in the factory at Saco, that they learned that a 'party of Indians had gone into camp in the suburbs of the city. In accordance with their custom, they embraced the first op- portunity to visit the camp, and interview these sons and daughters of the forest. Hardly had they reached the camp, when their at- tention was directed to a person wearing the Indian garb, spoke the Indian language, and had an Indian wife, and yet had all the ap- pearance, in form and feature, of a white man. As they approach- ed nearer they were struck dumb, as it were, at the close resem- blance between this Indian and their father. Their stature, their form and features, making allowance for the difference in their ages, were almost identical. He was sunburnt aud swarthy, and filthy, as Indians generally are, but notwithstanding all this, the resem- blance to the elder Wilbur was very striking. Somewhat recovering from their surprise, the girls made inquiries, and found that this young man was indeed of English parentage, though he had been with the tribe from childhood. They then entered into conversa- tion with him. Like the rest of the party. he could converse in broken English, but his early recollections were shadowy and obscure. He did have an indistinct recollection, which he expressed in his broken way, of living in the family of a white man and woman, where there were other children ; of making a long journey through the woods with a white man, and being given up by him to the Indians. He also remembered that his name was "Jim," and this was the name by which the Indians had always called him. He was brought up at the Indian village on the Saint Francis River in Canada, and there he married his Indian wife. He had frequently accompanied bands of these Indians in their summer excursions into the States, but this was the first time he had come with them to Maine.
All the circumstances were such as to convince the Wilbur girls that their long lost brother had indeed been found, that their long and patient search had at last been rewarded. They informed the
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young man of their relationship to him, gave him their account of the affair, and spoke of the patient search of their father and mother, who they informed him were still alive. He received their account with Indian stoicism, almost with stolidity. In fact, he show- ed but little interest in the whole subject, much to the chagrin and . disappointment of his sisters. The story soon became noised abroad and hundreds visited the camp, and probably the Indians had never before found so good a market for their simple wares. The sisters. furnished Jim with a new suit of clothes, and when he was dressed up, his hair trimmed, and his face washed, the resemblance to his father was still more apparent. The aged parents were at once notified of the discovery and positive identity of their lost boy, and preparations made for a family meeting. These incidents occurred about for years before the railway traversed Oxford county, and the stage coach was the only public conveyance. The Wilburs- were at this time on a high hill away from the travelled road, about two miles from the stage route. It had been arranged that the father should come down from his home to a little hamlet in Milton plantation, and await the arrival of the stage. The meeting took place at the house of Amasa H. Merrill, where the stage usually stopped to leave and take mail, and is described by those present as having been very affecting. But it was as nothing to the meet- ing which took place between mother and son at the Wilbur home- stead an hour later. Jim was accompanied by his Indian wife, and several persons had assembled to witness the meeting. Pen and tongue are wholly inadequate to describe this meeting. The young man for once, threw away his stoicism, and falling upon his mother's neck wept like a child. The recognition was complete. As father and son stood together beneath the roof-tree, no one present could for a moment doubt their relationship. Probably the re- semblance between father and son was never more marked and striking. Jimmy also had time to think over the past, and several incidents of his early childhood were recalled by him. Fragments. of a story told him by his mother were repeated and remembered by both. His description of the white man who had led him away, so far as it went, tallied with that of Robbins, and there was no. longer any doubt in the minds of the people that he was the abductor. What the object was, can only be a matter of conjecture. Not much could be learned from the Indians, who preferred to be ret- icent upon the entire subject. There was a story put in circulation,
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but how much reliance can be placed in it I do not know, that when Robbins was leading the child through the woods, he met a party of Saint Francis Indians, who were out hunting, and the chief of the party asked Robbins what he proposed to do with the child. The answer, which seems almost incredible, was that he was going to bait his traps with him. The heart even of the savage was touched with pity, and he offered Robbins three beaver skins for the child, which offer was accepted. Of course Jimmy was too young to understand anything of such transactions, but there was nothing in his own story incompatible with this, and if anything, it was rather corroborative.
But to return to the Wilbur homestead. It has been stated that the meeting between mother and son were indiscribably tender and affecting. Strong men unused to the melting mood, could not restrain their emotions, and wept like children. The only person who was not deeply moved by the spectacle was the Indian wife, who seemed to view the proceedings with jealousy as foreboding evil to her. Jimmy remained with his parents a few days and then returned to his Indian friends at Saco. I saw him several times while he was with his parents, and, if necessarry, I could add my unbiased testi- mony to the close resemblance between him and the elder Wilbur. Every inducement was held out to him to remain with his parents, but without avail. They offered to adopt his Indian wife, and at their death to leave him their property, but this latter consideration was without weight with him. He wanted no landed property, and he had so long led an indolent and slip-shod life that the very idea of responsibility was odious to him. While he dressed like an Indian and spoke their language, he had none of their native cun- ning and shrewdness, and was regarded by them as a poor Indian, and as he was ignorant of most kinds of work, uneducated, slothful and lazy, he would doubtless have made a very poor white man. The Wilburs continued to reside upon their hill-side farm for some years, and every year they received a short visit from Jim, who was sometimes accompanied by his wife and sometimes not. Finally the family moved to Martha's Vineyard, and the old people have long since been gathered to their fathers.
In the year eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, there lived in the town of Milan, New Hampshire, a man named Abner Hinds. He was the son of Abner and Lydia (Ball) Hinds, and was born in Dublin, October thirty, seventeen hundred and eighty-four.
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Soon after he reached his majority, he married Betsey Pierce of Dublin, and moved to Milan. This town is situated on the An- droscoggin River about one hundred miles from its mouth and some twenty miles below where this river emerges from Umbagog Lake. At the time of which I write, the township was unsettled, Hinds being among the very first to settle here. Milan is still a border town, though the great wilderness belt adjoining, which stretches far away into Canada, has been broken here and there by small set- tlements. Hinds was a famous woodsman and hunter, and spent much of his time in the forest. He was an expert trapper and gathered rich harvests of furs in the township where he lived, and those lying contiguous, which at that time abounded with every variety of fur-bearing animal common to American forests in this latitude. In his hunting trips, Hinds was often accompanied by a man named Seth Cloutman, who was also an early resident in Milan. Together they traversed the forest year after year, and until the more valuable fur-bearing animals such as the beaver, the otter and the sable had become less plenty. Then they resolved to go farther into the forest and in September, eighteen hundred and twenty- seven, they started with all their hunting paraphernalia, by means of canoes up the Androscoggin and far beyond the Umbagog Lake, expecting to be absent several months. From the Umbagog,. they passed into Richardson's, then into the Great Mooselucmagun- tic and through it to the Kennebago River, and so on to the Little Kennebago Pond. Near here they proposed to erect their home camp,
Meantime, David Robbins had continued to hunt and trap on Magalloway until he had thinned out the otter and other fur-bearing. animals, so that his gains had become unsatisfactory. He also re- solved to seek new hunting grounds, and taking his birch canoe and. his traps, he started for the Little Kennebago, a few days behind Hinds and Cloutman. It is not at all probable that Robbins knew of the prior occupancy of the territory, but on his arrival, Hinds. and Cloutman claimed the exclusive right to hunt in that region under the Indian rules of priority. Robbins appeared very friendly,. and suggested the idea of putting their traps into one stock and. forming a co-partnership. He was a very persistent man, had. come prepared for a long hunt and after much persuasion, induced. them to accept of his proposition. They built a large camp some three miles east of Kennebago Pond, as a general rendezvous, and.
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then allotting to each his territory, each departed his way, setting. traps and each returning to the camp occasionally, to deposit his furs and obtain supplies of food. This they followed for about seven or eight weeks, and were successful beyond all expectations. But winter in this region, which, through its great depth of snow, places an embargo on all hunting operations was fast approaching, and their supply of provisions was also running very short. Con- ferring together, it was agreed that Robbins should go to his home. on the Magalloway, and bring in what provisions he could to help. them out until they could close up the season's work. Meanwhile,. Hinds and Cloutman were to go over the lines and gather in the furs and take up the traps. This would occupy them about twelve. days while they had about five days' provisions, but they thought they could trust to their hunting skill to make up the deficiency.
Soon after this, and before Hinds and Cloutman had completed their rounds, the weather became cold and nearly two feet of snow fell. After severe suffering they reached the camp or rather the site of their camp, nearly at the same time, but their late camp was in ashes and the ruins covered deep with snow. They were nearly exhausted, were entirely destitute of food and fifty miles from the nearest habitation, and felt that death stared them in the face. At first, they supposed the burning to be acci- dental, but on more mature deliberation, they calculated that Robbins had at first plundered the camp, then burned it, and had secreted the furs where he could return for them subsequently. He had no idea his fellow hunters would ever return, as he sub- sequently confessed. Hinds was a man of iron mold, and with wonderful powers of endurance, His courage under difficulties was a leading trait. Cloutman, on the other hand, though an ex- pert hunter and trapper, was easily discouraged, and when he found the camp destroyed, and all their hard earned peltry consumed or- stolen, he completely broke down, and was plunged into the depths of despair. Hinds cheered and scolded him by turns, and em- ployed every device to arouse his dormant energies, and succeded so far as to get him to set out for the nearest settlement.
The cold weather had frozen the lakes and ponds, and in crossing a small pond Cloutman had the misfortune to fall and fracture one of the bones of the shoulder. The fracture was reduced by Hinds, and afterwards he carried Cloutman much of the way on his back. They shot occasionally a rabbit and a partridge which kept them
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from starving, and they kept from freezing at night by camping in some sheltered place and keeping a good fire. At length after al- most incredible hardships, they reached the settlements at the foot of Lake Umbagog, early in the month of December. Here they rapidly recruited, and in a couple of weeks were able to go back over the ground in order to gather up the remaining traps and the game that might be in them. They then started for home, but before they reached the lake they struck the trail of Robbins, who with sleds, had been after his plunder. They then pushed on to the home of Robbins, and arriving at his honse inquired for him. His wife, who was evidently ignorant of his treachery, replied that he had gone to Farmington, to dispose of his furs. At this time, Robbins evidently believed that Hinds and Cloutman had perished in the forest, and that he could safely dispose of the peltry and enjoy the proceeds.
At this season of the year, the only travel in the lake region was by means of snowshoes, and Hinds and Cloutman being supplied with these indispensables, determined to waylay Robbins on his return and force him to give an account of his doings. They knew his route would be by way of a certain river, and having learned from Mrs. Robbins how long he had been absent, they also knew that it was nearly time for him to return. The lake country at this time was considered almost without the pale of the laws of the State ; there were certain rules and regulations adopted by hunters and trappers which could not be violated with impunity, but in other respects, each man was a law unto himself. So Hinds and Cloutman set out to meet Robbins, and about the middle of the afternoon they sighted him on the river, and soon afterward they met. There was a look of astonishment on the countenance of Robbins when he rocognized his former comrades, followed by evi- dent signs of fear. He tried to be calm and collected, and address- ed them in a friendly manner, but received no word in reply. His two antagonists were fully armed with rifles, hatchets and knives, but they did not for a moment think of using these weapons upon a single man and unarmed. Cloutman was a timid man and left the settlement of the question entirely with his companion. Hinds knew that all talk would be useless, and when Robbins ex- pressed great joy and surprise at seeing them alive and well, he answered nothing, but divesting himself of his weapons and pack, he squared off and knocked Robbins down. He then proceeded to
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give him such a castigation as the circumstances seemed to call for. Robbins begged for his life and made a clean breast of it. He promised to make full reparation so far as money could do it, and as money was what they needed and wanted, they listened to his proposition. They repaired with him to his house and there effected a settlement. They treated him very leniently under the circumstances, exacting only their proportion of the proceeds of the peltry they had secured. Robbins did not have money enough by him to pay the sums agreed upon, so he turned out four head of young cattle, and gave his note for the balance. Cloutman was paid in full, and Hinds took the note in his own name. They then started for home, but they found it extremely difficult to drive cattle through the forest in mid-winter. They struck across for the Connecticut river, followed this down to the vicinity of North- umberland and then crossed over to their home on the Androscog- gin. Their families had anxiously looked for them for several weeks, and were delighted at their safe return. The perfidy of Robbins as related by Hinds and Cloutman, was soon repeated at every hearth-stone along the border, and created intense excite- ment and indignation.
Cloutman had now had enough of life and adventure in the far off lake region, and resolved not to venture there again. Hinds, on the other hand, was one of those restless men who loved adventure and courted danger, and he had no sooner recuperated from his last trip, than he resolved to try again. His oldest son Benjamin Frank- lin Hinds, born March seventeen, eighteen hundred and thirteen, was a precocious youth, a chip of the old block, fearless and fond of the woods, and he besought his father for permission to accompany him on the next trip. The father somewhat reluctantly consented, and they at once set about the necessary preparations. These were made and they started for the Kennebago country about the middle of February, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight. The second son of Hinds, recently deceased, wrote me under date of December twenty-seven, eighteen hundred and eighty, that he well remembered the morning when his father and brother set out on their journey. The rest of the family were out watching them as they ascended the high grounds on the left bank of the Andros- coggin, and exchanged signals with them a moment before they disappeared from view. They little thought this parting was to be forever, and that the glimpse they caught of the forms of the
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