<\/p>\n
I want to tell you today about a somewhat freakish case that caused prolonged trial in the old province court at York, Maine, more than 250 years ago.<\/p>\n
In 1723, one Thomas Hanscom brought suit for assault against a trio of women. The plaintiff testified that on a certain day he saw Eliza Shaw and Mary Hanscom in his oat field, and he ordered them out because they were trampling down the oats. The women refused to leave and Eliza said she would trample all she pleased. Nevertheless she did leave, saying she would call her mother, Tomasin Hanscom. The mother soon returned with Eliza. The mother came violently at Thomas, but he got clear of her. Then she took up a stick and came at him again, and he took the stick away from her. She then
\ncalled Thomas a red-headed devil and said she would knock his brains out if she thought he had any. She then struck several blows on his head and shoulders with another stick.<\/p>\n
When he took that stick away, she pounded him with her fists and tore his shirt. Thomas said he was obliged to throw the woman to the ground, but she still clung to him. Meanwhile, Eliza and Mary called to their mother, “Kill the brute. Kill him!” Eliza picked up a large rock and started to throw it at him, when he grabbed her hand, diverting the rock to the ground. Thus, said Thomas, he made his escape.<\/p>\n
Joseph Harmon, J.P., testified that Thomas Hanscom claimed he had been assaulted by the three women, who threatened to take his life. The J.P. ordered the constable to arrest the three accused and present them in the court at Kittery on July 21, 1723. Then came the testimony of one of the women, Mary Hanscom. She said she and Eliza Shaw were picking peas among some oats when Thomas Hanscom appeared and called them cursed devils. Eliza left to call their mother, who returned at once with her. The mother told Thomas to get out of the field or she would throw him out. Her mother and Thomas then grabbed each other, and Eliza tried to throw a stone at Thomas. She saw the mother have a stick in her hand, but did not see her use it. Then, when her mother was on the ground, Thomas ran away.<\/p>\n
Eliza Shaw testified that she and her sister Mary went into a field belonging to her mother Tomasin Hanscom to gather some peas that had been planted there among oats. Thomas Hanscom then came to the fence, called them cursed devils, and demanded to know what they were doing. They told him they were picking peas. He then ordered them to get out or he would kick their behinds. Eliza then said she would go and get her mother. Thomas said he would drive her mother out also. Thomas then grabbed the mother and threw her against a stump. The mother then cried out, “You have broken my
\nback. ” Eliza then said she and Mary helped their mother into the house and put her to bed, where she had to stay for two weeks because of the injury. A doctor was called, who bled the woman and gave her medicine. Eliza further said that Thomas had called her and Mary by many foul names, “as bad as could be invented.”<\/p>\n
A neighbor, Mary Brown, testified that she was at the door of her house when she saw a man and two women in the oat field. One went away and soon returned with another woman. Then she saw the man and one woman clinging together and saw the woman fall to the ground while the man went away. The other two women then pulled the fallen woman to her feet and dragged her into the house where Tomasin Hanscom lived.<\/p>\n
Further testimony revealed that the field did belong to Mrs. Tomasin Hanscom, that the plaintiff was her son and brother of the other two women. The quarrel had therefore taken place between mother and son. Evidence as to who struck the first blow was not clear. The jury decided that the women were not guilty as charged, that the altercation was unlawfully aggravated by Thomas, and he had to pay the cost of court.<\/p>\n
Another case involved an incident farther into Maine than those early York towns. In fact, the site of this case was Georgetown at the mouth of the Kennebec in 1724, when Abraham Ayres brought charge of murderous assault against Ludwig Magoon. Ayres testified that, in the employ of John Leighton of York, he had occasion to pass through Georgetown, where he was denied lodging by Innkeeper John Butler. Ayres sought refuge in the inn because he considered his life threatened by Magoon, who pointed a firelock, cocked it, and held the muzzle against Ayre’s breast.<\/p>\n
Magoon accused Ayres of being one of half a dozen men who, a few days before, had beaten and stabbed one Thomas Newman and had nearly killed him before he was rescued by one of the selectmen and other Englishmen. Magoon, armed with a gun and a pistol, furiously threatened Ayres that he would beat out Ayres’ brains. Magoon shouted that if the high sheriff and all the sheriffs in the county were there, it would make no difference. About the same time a friend of Magoon’s held up a walnut stick and threatened Ayres with it.<\/p>\n
The most damaging testimony came from Luke Noyes, a seaman on a sloop tied up at Penhallow’s wharf in Georgetown. He said he saw Magoon accost Ayres with his gun, that when Ayres broke away, Magoon pursued him on board the sloop, backed him against the gunwale and pressed the muzzle of the gun into Ayres breast. Noyes was sure the whole trouble was caused by the attack on Newman which he had witnessed. He said he did not see Ayres among the attackers.<\/p>\n
Magoon was fined 20 shillings and costs. Not all of the cases before the York Court of General Sessions were either civil or criminal. Some were petitions of citizens, pleading with the Court to exercise its authority to grant communities protection
\nagainst the Indians. Such a petition, made by the inhabitants of Scarborough in 1723, was worded as follows: “Hereas your petitioner is one of the eastern frontier settlements, being exposed to the rage of Indians, from whom they have suffered much, and are confined so that they can follow no employment for their sustenance, and are consequently much impoverished, and the few settlers left are greatly discouraged to continue in this place, and no others are settling in it, they cannot possibly provide sustenance for a gospel minister to take care of their precious souls. They must therefore
\nquit with their minister, Mr. Henry, because they cannot support him. Your petitioners therefore implore first, that you grant them relief by settling upon them a benefice for the said pastor; and second, that you urge the government in Boston to provide them with garrison defense against the Indians.<\/p>\n
Now let’s see what an old gazetteer said about Maine industry 150 years ago. It said: “In the manufacturing and handicrafts connected with the ordinary pursuit of farming, Maine has made considerable progress, and has industries generally sufficient to its needs. But in manufacture for export, Maine is behind other states. Only in one area does she excel – in the building of ships. While lumber is indeed exported, little of it is in the form of finished products, but ships are built, stepped, spread with sails, and manned in Maine. Just beginning is the export of woolen cloth, hitherto confined chiefly to manufacture for home use. But in respect to other manufactures, Maine is yet in its infancy, and must depend upon Massachusetts and other states, as well as upon foreign imports.”<\/p>\n
The account went on to say: ”Most of Maine manufacturers are small establishments, usually in private families, where the chief occupation is farming. In a few places small shops for the making of cloth, leather, nails and a few other articles have been set up. In Portland, there are works for refining salt from mineral imported from England. Yet, even a third of a century after the making of our national constitution, all Maine industries together employ a much smaller proportion of the population than in any other state north of Virginia.”<\/p>\n
When we consider the plight of Maine farms today, we should not wonder at what a vast difference has been made by our people’s increasing dependence on manufacturers to supply employment that provides the means to get a living.<\/p>\n
In 1893, a Winslow native, then living in Massachusetts, had much to do with the World’s Fair at Chicago, put on to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. He was Timothy Paine who set up several exhibits and
\nmanaged to get some recognition for himself. He was the author of a book called Solomon’s Temple, and in 1892 had published another work, Holy Houses, a detailed account of several biblical structures. He persuaded the Maine Board of Managers for the World’s Fair to place that book and a model of Solomon’s Temple in its Maine exhibition with this dedication: “To Maine of Sacred Memory, where this originated at Cloverside in Kennebec County, on the last Sabbath in 1852, but was finished in 1892.”<\/p>\n
Cloverside was the Frederick Paine farm in Winslow just across the bridge over the Sebasticook on Route 32. In 1852, it included not only the well-known Paine homestead, but the commercial complex including the lGA Market and the Dexter Drug Store.<\/p>\n
Preserved is a letter written June 17, 1893 by Charles P. Mattocks of Portland, Executive Commissioner of the Maine Board of World’s Fair Managers to Timothy Paine. It said: “We are in receipt of your letter of the. 10th and can truly assure you that your proposed dedication of Holy Houses will be used in the Maine exhibit at Chicago.”<\/p>\n
Thanks to the printed reverse side of that letter we know who were the Maine people most prominent in preparing our state’s share in the big event at Chicago in 1893. Members of the Commission appointed by President Harrison were Henry Ingalls, Wiscasset; Augustus Bixby, Skowhegan; James Boardman, Bangor; William Davis, Portland; and Clark Edwards, Bethel. A group of women, designated as Lady Members, included Mrs. Mary Burleigh, wife of Maine’s governor; Mrs. Sarah Bixby, Skowhegan; Mrs. L. M. N. Stevens, Portland; and Miss Helen Staples, Hanover. The Maine Board of World’s Fair Managers appointed by Gov. Burleigh included Charles Mattocks, Portland; Dr. Callahan, Lewiston; Hall Burleigh, Augusta; Joseph Bass, Bangor; Mrs. Lucinda Bellows, Freedom; and Mrs. Agnes Paul, Fort Fairfield.<\/p>\n
As is well known by many Maine people today, the attractive building of Maine granite that represented our state at that 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, was taken down stone by stone and reconstructed as a library on the grounds of Poland Spring.<\/p>\n
Year: 1976<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #1081, Broadcast on April 4, 1976<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35493,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9618\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}