History of Gorham, Me., Part 4

Author: McLellan, Hugh D. (Hugh Davis), 1805-1878; Lewis, Katherine B
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portland : Smith & Sale, printers
Number of Pages: 1015

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HISTORY OF GORHAM.

the southerly part of the town, where it branched toward Portland and Scarborough ; and a trail to all the fishing-places, or falls on the river. There was also a thoroughfare through the south part of the town, from Saco River toward Saccarappa Falls, and to Portland. In the Pond fishing was good, and many salmon were caught on the falls on Presumpscot River.

Gorhamtown was then thought to be far into the wilderness; the inhabitants were few, and suffered many privations, but they were stout hearted, and possessed that great resolution and firmness which was required to manage their affairs. They knew that their Indian neighbors were disposed to favor the French in case of a war, and, therefore, as little cause as possible was given them for complaint. The English and Indian children were always at play together, and when the young Indians would be a little vexed at something done by their white playmates they would at once say, " It come war by and by, and me pay you for this ;" and the words of the children were deemed to be the echo of the thoughts of the elders.

When the war was declared between England and France, the tribes, to which the scattering Indians about Gorhamtown belonged, joined the French, and individually all the stragglers went home to prepare for war. This was much regretted by the settlers, as it fur- nished the enemy with a great number of rangers and spies who were able to lead their friends into the settlements at any time, and who knew every individual, with all the resources and means of defence possessed by the inhabitants. This gave to the war a bad feature, and to the enemy a great and much dreaded advantage. Often when war-parties were discovered about Gorhamtown, Indians were seen and recognized as those, who, in time of peace, had made the town their residence. The young men of the settlement more than once met those with whom they had been playmates. In a skirmish, which the inhabitants had with a war-party, one of the young Phinneys rec- ognized a young Indian of his own age, who grew up in town, and with whom he had had many a happy time at play, and in sliding down hill in the winter on birch bark. But the meeting now was not for play, but for life or death. A few taunting words passed between them ; they both fired at the same moment; the Indian missed, but Phinney brought his game, dead, to the ground.

William McLellan, or young Bill as he was then called, when at work one day in the field, saw a young Indian about his own age who had often eaten and played with him, and whom he had many times hired to help him do his boy's stint that they might have the more

THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.

time to play. They had often in sport, when at play, threatened to shoot or make prisoners of each other in case a war should come. Little, probably, did they think of what would really happen when war did come. At the time young Bill discovered his friend, he was crawling on his hands and knees, trailing his gun, and Billy was hoe- ing corn, and his row would lead him directly to the point to which the Indian was crawling, from which with a sure aim he could bring down his victim. Mclellan had his gun in the field, but it was by a stump some rods behind him. He soon made up his mind what course to pursue. Knowing from appearances that the Indian was not aware that he was discovered, he kept on at his hoeing, occasion- ally looking in a careless manner back on his work, as if to see how it looked, and once in a while stepping back a few steps to strike down a straggling weed, that he had left standing. Thus he kept along till he had got nearly within gun-shot of the suspicious point, where his enemy had secreted himself, when he slowly turned on his track, threw his hoe over his shoulder and walked carelessly toward the other end of the field, taking the stump in his way. When he arrived at the stump, he set down and in a careless way commenced, as if at play, to strike his hoe into the ground, and finally moved around the stump to where his gun lay, thus bringing the stump between him and the Indian. Here he was not inactive, but seized his gun, and crawled on his belly some distance, till he got behind a clump of bushes, from whence he could have a good view, and here waited patiently the movements of the Indian, whom he thought he had thrown off the track. As expected, the Indian was completely deceived. He thought young William had lain down to rest himself, and was still behind the stump, and that he was sure of his prize. Could he get at the stump, and surprise his victim, he would make a safe and easy job of it. William could but chuckle a little when he saw his young friend raise himself up and look cautiously about, and with soft and cat-like steps steal his way from bush to stump, and from stump to bush, toward the spot where he believed his victim lay entirely unprepared for his friendly visit. William was not an indifferent spectator, but he lay still till the Indian had got near the stump, and in his immediate vicinity, and where he had a clear range at him. As the thing stood between them he rather wished to speak to his old acquaintance before he fired. And after he had taken a good aim, he called out, " You no shoot young Bill this time," but was careful not to wait for a reply. His leaden messenger was on its way as soon as his words had arrived. The ball took effect in the

HISTORY OF GORHAM.

Indian's bowels. He immediately put his hand over the wound and made for the woods, calling out, " Bill, you shoot him well." Whether the Indian died from his wound was never known. William did not think it prudent to follow him. The young Indian was never seen afterwards, and no others were seen or heard from about the town at that time. It was supposed that this was the first war-path of the young brave ; that he had left his company, who had gone to some other place, and he intended to have commenced his war-like career by the murder of his young friend and playmate. The gun barrel with which the Indian was shot is still in the family, and owned by the author.

The Indians had no permanent village within the bounds of Gor- ham, but in their migrations to and from the seacoast, the places of trade, and their hunting excursions, more or less of them could generally be found encamped on the territory where the streams pro- duced good fishing and many valuable furs. On the falls along the Presumpscot were caught large quantities of salmon, and in the small streams, the finest of trout. Many valuable furs, such as beaver, otter, mink and musk-rat were taken from the streams about here; and the forest was thought to be good hunting ground. Game was abundant, both for food and peltry, such as moose, deer, foxes, wolves, and other smaller animals.

An anecdote is related of the wife of one of the early settlers, Mrs. McLellan, wife of Hugh. When they came into town they were the owners of an old white horse, but, being old, he soon paid the debt of nature, and finished his earthly labors. His death was much mourned by the family, particularly by Mrs. M., and she often wished that his loss might be made up to them, and that they might have another horse, so that when she became homesick and lonely she might jump on to his back, and trot off to Portland, and cheer up her spirits by having a good time and chat with her friends. With this idea in her head, she was standing one day in the door of her log house, when a fine looking horse came in sight, trotting directly toward her, over what is now the Academy hill. The thought occurred to her that he was from below (Portland), and that she would stop him, and have at least one good ride before his owner should have the luck to recover him. When he came near, she ran into the path in order to stop and turn him toward the hovel, or barn, and for that purpose shook her apron at him. But instead of a horse, it turned out to be a fine large moose, and at this unexpected salutation he left in a hurry, clearing fences, bushes, logs and stumps

THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.

in his bounds for liberty, and was not seen afterwards to be recog- nized, and Mrs. McLellan had for a long time to stand the joke of not getting her horse, and of losing the expected ride.

We have reason to suppose that the Indians about Gorham were not wholly dependent upon the chase and the fisheries for a subsist- ence. When the whites first came to the town, tradition says that there were a number of clear spots of land, where neither tree nor bush was found. Some of these clearings were of several acres in extent. One was on the Jacob and Joseph Hamblen farm, so called, now owned by Henry B. Johnson, about half a mile easterly from the village. Many acres of the field north of the buildings on said farm were never cleared by the white man. Neither tree nor stump was found on them. Here it was believed was an Indian planting place, and that here Indian corn was raised before the white man ever set foot in Gorham. On this spot the early settlers made a common corn field for the benefit of all, while confined to the fort. At times when little danger was apprehended from the Indians, the women would take their husbands' dinners to them in this field. It is said that at one time, when the men were in this field at work, one of the women at the fort took her husband's dinner in order to carry it to him. Having arrived at the brook near the field, she was in the act of passing the stream on a log, when an Indian suddenly sprang from a clump of alders to arrest her and make her a captive, or kill her. She instantly sprang back, screamed at the top of her voice, and fled into the woods. The noise she made was heard in the field by the men, who immediately came to the rescue, and the Indian made off, with sundry leaden messengers flying after him. There was a clearing in the southeasterly part of the town, near the river, in the neighborhood of Mr. Riggs's house, where there had been an encampment, or Indian village, and it is believed that here was once a planting place, or an occasional stopping place of the natives in their migrations from Sebago Pond to Scarborough and Portland, and from Saco River to Portland.

When we look over the territory, now Gorham, Buxton and Stand- ish, as then, 1736, covered with forest, with its many excellent springs, sparkling streams, and clear ponds, and apply our present knowledge of the then Indian wants, we cannot wonder that they clung to, and lingered around the spot, dear to them by every tie of nature. The home of their families, the burying places of their fathers, the stately old forest, the trees grown mighty from age, where none had roamed except men of their own race; the abundance of game; the springs of cold water, where they had for ages slaked

HISTORY OF GORHAM.

their thirst ; the streams full of the most delicious fish ; the hunting ground affording the finest of furs ; the proximity to the sea, should necessity compel them to go there; the facilities for going deeper into the forest, its streams and ponds being navigable for their light canoes, which would in a short time take them far to new hunting grounds : these things were their life, they knew their worth and vast importance to them.

The Indians were migratory in their habits. Their subsistence, and manner of procuring it, required a great extent of territory ; and the chase was often precarious, even with a good and large hunting ground. This, coupled with their known improvident habits, rendered privation and want often known to them. The settlements of the whites they looked upon as encroachments, notwithstanding the many benefits dealt out to them in the shape of rum and Christian instruc- tion. They saw only one side-that the whites were intruders, stealing their land, and driving off the game, which they believed to be their own private property. The Indians were not insensible to their situation. They knew that the advance of the white popu- lation, and the cutting and the clearing of the land, were gradually circumscribing the limits of their ancient hunting ground. They believed that they had much reason to complain of the want of faith in the whites, in their not keeping their treaties. Limits to the encroachments of the English would be fixed by a treaty, to which no heed would be paid. They would settle where they pleased, and would be protected ; and the poor Indian would have nothing to say, only when the next treaty was made, he must enlarge the bounds, or give up more of his land, so as to include the squatter. The Indian would return home from the Treaty Conventions, believing that now he had the bounds of his hunting grounds fixed and secured from further aggressions, but this security would be only transient. When other conventions would be held to settle difficulties, what would be his surprise to see a treaty exhibited to him, made up at some previ- ous time, of which he knew nothing, covering territory he believed to be his own, and which he had no knowledge of having sold. What could he say? Why the Indians said at once, and probably they told the truth, that a gross fraud had been committed on them, that their chiefs had been made drunk with the fire-water of the whites and made to sign a treaty, when they knew not what they were doing; that they were cheated out of their lands and hunting grounds, and also cheated out of their furs, for when a small com- pensation was given them for their hard-earned goods, it was usually in fire-water, which made them poor and miserable, and was worse

THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.

than useless, being often the source of quarrels and bloodshed among themselves. "Long and dismal," says the Rev. Mr. Hackewelder, "are the complaints which the Indians make of the Europeans' ingrat- itude and injustice. They love to repeat them, and always do it with the eloquence of nature, aided by their energetic and comprehensive language, which our polished idioms cannot imitate. Often I have listened to their description of their hard sufferings, until I felt ashamed of being a white man."

It is not strange, or to be wondered at, that they should have looked upon the English with jealousy and distrust, and with an eye of favor on the French, who were far from them, and whom they did not meet on their hunting grounds ; who had never cheated them of their lands, or of their furs, being from situation so far apart that trade could not be conveniently carried on between them. To this was added the influence of the priests, who taught the natives that the French were their brothers and friends, who would help to exter- minate the English, and restore them to their homes and hunting grounds.

There was one class of settlers upon whom the Indians looked with perfect hatred, and with whom it was hard for them to keep peace. These were the white hunters, who were a class of hardy, fearless men, inured to hardship and fatigue ; well equipped for their business ; indefatigible in their hunts after game, and who gave the Indians much trouble. The latter said that they were thieves, would rob their traps and steal their furs. However this may be, there was hostile feeling between the hunters and the natives which, it was said, often ended only in death, when the two would meet in the woods, far from the settlements. Of this class of persons, one is known to have hunted on the territory we have described, and some small account of him has come down by tradition to our time.

Bartholomew Thorn, or, as he was called by both Indians and whites, " Bart," had hunted over this region, now known as Gorham, Buxton and Standish, for some years before the first settlement of Gor- ham. Every pond, stream, and hill was known to him. Every Indian knew him, and a mutual hatred existed between them, but he was wary and brave, of an iron constitution, an athletic and sinewy frame, a quick eye, and was a sharpshooter and the possessor of one of the best guns in the region, and was a man with whom few were willing to engage. He was said to be of a taciturn disposition. It was rare that he communicated with any one ; when he did it was on business. The woods were his home, where he would spend months, and not see the face of a white man. Often, for injuries done, the Indians

4:2

HISTORY OF GORHAM.

had threatened, and attempted to take his life; but as often were they, in some way, by his quickness at subterfuge and stratagem, baffled in their attempts, and lucky were the ones who made the attempt, if they escaped as readily. Tradition says that more than one Indian had been missed, when he was about, of whom no account could be obtained. His hatred of the Indians did not extend to their game or peltries. These things he had a fondness for, and was always willing to appropriate them to his own use, however they were come at. One day an Indian went to examine his traps, near the mouth of Little River, and found the leg, of what had apparently been a fine large otter, in his trap, but the body was gone. The leg had been unjointed with a sharp knife. The Indian looked a moment, and the way the thing was done made it as clear as a plain written book to him. He at once believed that Bart was the culprit. After a careful examination of his trap, the leg, and the ground, he made his conclusion that but a short time had elapsed since his otter was taken, and that the robber could be but a short distance from the spot, and if he was right and Bart had taken his game, he knew that Thorn would not run, and that to get justice he had a desperate game to play. He began to look cautiously about, and soon, with Indian sagacity, discovered signs indicating the course taken by the thief, and followed on. He had not gone far before he discovered a smoke where he believed he should find his otter. When he had obtained a position giving him a view of the fire, he discovered Thorn before the blaze, in the act of cooking some game; on a log near by was what he believed to be the skin of his otter, and the much dreaded gun was standing against a sapling a few feet from Thorn. The Indian thought that he had things'all his own way, and that his dreaded enemy was unarmed, and completely in his power; still he was unwilling to shoot Bart if he was not the thief. Of this, however, he had but little doubt. He cocked his gun, took a good range, and then spoke to Thorn and told him that he had stolen his otter, and that he must give it up. Thorn replied that the otter was his, that he had shot him, and that he should keep him. The Indian held up the leg he had found in the trap and asked how many legs his otter had. By this time Thorn had got his hand on his gun, and the Indian knew the talk must end, that no more words would be used, and if he was to recover his property a desperate remedy must be applied to the case. He at once raised his gun and attempted to fire, but it flashed in the pan. The Indian's time had come, his doom was fixed. Instantly the unerring gun of Thorn was discharged, and the injured Indian lay a bleeding corpse at his feet.

CHAPTER IV.

MILITARY MATTERS.

SOLDIERS IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. - THE MILITIA.

In 1740, after the death of Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, Europe became embroiled over the claim of Maria Theresa, his daughter, to the kingdoms left by her father. Charles Albert, the Elector of Bavaria, also set up a claim to the Austrian States. England, in this war, which is known as the "War of the Austrian Succession," took the side of Maria Theresa.

It was foreseen in this country, by both the French and English colonists, that France, ever a bitter enemy to the House of Austria, would lend its strength to assist the pretensions of the Elector, and declare war upon England. A formal declaration of hostilities between the two countries was not declared until March, 1744, but during the preceding year, 1743, the Indians seemed to be uneasy, and things had much of the appearance of an outbreak. The Province authorities thought it best to prepare for defence, and the General Court took measures for the protection of the eastern settlements of Maine.

" Fryday, Oct. 8th, 1743.

In Council Ordered that William Pepperell and Samuel Danforth, Esqrs. with such as the Honorable House shall joyn, be a committee to prepare the Draught of a bill for regulating Houses of Defence (commonly called Garrisons) for the Security of the Inhabitants in the Frontiers of this province.

"In the House of Representatives read and concurred, and Captain Choate, Mr Prout and Mr Leighton are joyned in the affair."

" Fryday, Nov. 11th, 1743.

In the House of Representatives whereas it appears necessary from the apprehensions this House have of a speedy Rupture between the Crowns of Great Britain and France, that the Inland Frontiers in this Province be put into a better posture of Defence, Therefore, Voted that the following sums be and are hereby granted to be paid out of the publick Treasury to be laid out in some of the Settlements in the County of York.

HISTORY OF GORHAM.

"Viz. To Berwick one hundred pounds; to New Marblehead one hundred pounds; to Scarborough one hundred pounds; to Gorham- town one hundred pounds ; to Sheepscot one hundred pounds. * * * All of which sums shall be taken out of the Seven Thousand Pounds Appropriation provided in the Supply Bill now before this Court, and shall be paid into the hands of Messieures Moses Butler, Tobias Leighton, Samuel Moody', James Skinner and Jacob Perkins, with such as the Honorable Board shall joyn as a committee fully author- ized and empowered to receive the same, and (first taking the direction of the Captain General) to lay out in the most prudent manner, in erecting in each of the before mentioned Settlements, for their security during the War, a Garrison or Garrisons of stockades or square timber round some Dwelling-house or houses, or otherwise, as will be most for the security and defence of the whole Inhabitants of each place."

A committee was sent to Maine to locate points at which to build six forts or fortified blockhouses between New Marblehead (Wind- ham) and Berwick. This committee was in Falmouth (Portland) on the 15th of December, 1743, when they probably fixed upon the locations for the several forts. As Gorhamtown was one of the places selected by this committee, there could have been no fort there before this date.

The first mention made of the fort in any records in Gorham, is in that of the old Proprietors. Falmouth, Aug. 10, 1744, application was made by Moses Pearson, Joshua Freeman, Cornelius Brimhall, William Cotton and Samuel Moody to John Gorham to call a Propri- etors' meeting ; which meeting was called by John Gorham, the clerk, to meet at the fort in said Gorhamtown on the 28th day of August, 1744, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. In his return Gorham says that he posted up the notice for the said meeting in the fort in the said town, fourteen days before the time of the said meeting, which would make it the 14th of August. The meeting was held at the fort on said day, when John Phinney was chosen moderator and Moses Pearson clerk.

The fort was situated on the highest land in town, the top of Fort Hill, on the thirty acre lot No. 2, on the westerly side of the old road to Standish, and a little south of where Mr. Palmer recently lived. It was built by the Proprietors of the town, was constructed of hewn timber, and was an oblong square about fifty feet long. It was surrounded by a palisade of heavy timber, set in the ground. This wall was about twelve feet high, and had watch towers, or flankers,

IThis was probably Major Samuel Moody of Falmouth, who was one of the Proprietors of Gorhamtown.

MILITARY MATTERS.

at two diagonal corners. There were two cannon mounted on these flankers for the purpose of defence against the Indians, and to warn the neighboring towns when these were discovered to be prowling about the vicinity. These guns were six-pound swivels, and in the

F. M.PATRICK

FORT, BUILT ON FORT HILL, 1745.

time of the Revolution were carried to Portland, and never returned. After the burning in 1747, by the Indians, of the log meeting-house on Fort Hill, the inhabitants for several years used the southeast flanker of the fort as a place for public worship. As the fort was bullet proof it was thought by the inhabitants that with a proper

HISTORY OF GORHAM.

garrison it could be defended against any force the Indians could bring against it. Happily this point was never tested, as in all the trying times through which the first settlers had to pass, they never were attacked by a powerful force at any one time.

The General Court in 1754 voted four hundred and seventy pounds toward building and repairing different forts and blockhouses. Among those to be repaired were Gorhamtown, Windham and Sac- carappa. Repairs were made on the fort as late as 1757, and these are the last of which we find any record. At a meeting of the Pro- prietors of Gorhamtown, or Narragansett No. 7, held at the house of Mr. Joshua Freeman in Falmouth, March 25, 1757, it was "Voted there be paid to Hugh Mclellan, one shilling and four pence, lawful money, per foot for stockading the fort where the walls are defective, supposed to be about one hundred feet, and to be done with spruce, pine, or hemlock timber, and the bark peeled off, and to be thirteen feet long and ten inches diameter, to stand three feet in the ground and ten feet above ground, where the rocks will admit of digging three feet ; and to be lined with six inch stuff, peeled as the other timber, and to be done to the acceptance of Moses Pearson, Esq., Messrs. William Cotton and Samuel Crockett, a committee chosen to oversee said work." Hugh Mclellan agreed to complete the same on or before the 15th day of April, 1757, and they then "Voted there be raised on each right one shilling four pence, lawful money, for repairing the fort."

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History of Gorham, Me., Part 4

Author: McLellan, Hugh D. (Hugh Davis), 1805-1878; Lewis, Katherine B Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Portland : Smith & Sale, printers Number of Pages: 1015

Author: McLellan, Hugh D. (Hugh Davis), 1805-1878; Lewis, Katherine B
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portland : Smith & Sale, printers
Number of Pages: 1015