The saga of Maine's only lynching appears to end in the cool month of September in 1873 when Cullen's skull was scurried away by a Prof. Bateman from Bates College. But, thanks to Voscar and his suspicions, we find that perhaps Bateman was a phony of some degree.....no record of Bateman was found to exist at Bates.....and his real purpose, other than his claim that he needed the skull for more research into the strange science of phrenology, will now never be known. Now, sometimes a story can end twice (seems a bit impossible, doesn't it?) and what you're about to read is the "second" conclusion of this story; it occurs 10 years after the lynching and certainly adds a great deal to the meaning "Bloody Half-Acre". So, readers, let's fast forward to a few years following and again visit Chapman Plantation where the murders of Hayden and Hubbard took place in April of 1873.
Recall that John Swanback along with Minot Bird escaped the axe of Jim Cullen at Swanback's camp seven miles out of Mapleton. In June of the next year, 1874, Swanback married a widow, a Mrs. Charlotte (nee Davenport) Akeley of Fort Fairfield. In the meantime he returned to his property in Chapman and constructed a new camp-home about 500 feet from the site of the old where Cullen had axed the 2 sheriffs. Soon after, Swanback brought his new wife and her two children to live in their new home. A few years later a John Hanson from New Brunswick purchased property next to Swanback. He, too, had married a girl in the Davenport family, in fact, she was the sister of Swanback's new wife. We might suppose that for at least a short time the two families lived happily and harmoniously next to each other, being family and all that. But, later, Hanson made the decision to take up the raising of animals and took it upon himself to build a fence around a piece of pasture which would contain the animals. The fence indeed contained the animals, but it also prevented Swanback from easily accessing the road to Mapleton, especially when he had a load of shingles to deliver. This caused a great deal of friction between the two families and frequently the two men entered into nasty confrontations. The arguments weren't over disputed boundary, but right-of-way. Countless times Swanback had to dismantle a small portion of Hanson's fence in order to be on his way with a load of shingles headed for Mapleton. Finally, one day Swanback reached wit's end and called his stepsons out to remove the fence. Hanson came out snorting, rifle in hand, to interfere. Not seeing Swanback, Hanson yelled out for him to come out and to "fetch his gun with him." Both men met at the fence and argued heatedly. They had confronted one another many times; the boys thought little of this one despite the call to arms. As they yelled at each other, Hanson leaned over, picked up a piece of fence and replaced it. Swanback simply kicked it down again. After several times Hanson warned Swanback that one more time might come to something a little more than words. Well, one more time Swanback kicked a rail and the two men squared off and fired their rifles at each other. Both bullets hit their intended targets. The bullet from Hanson's rifle entered Swanback's arm between the wrist and the elbow. The bullet from Swanback's rifle found Hanson's heart; he dropped and died moments later. Swanback was indicted for murder and appeared in Houlton court. He was found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder; sufficient evidence was presented to show he acted in self-defense, therefore securing a lighter sentence. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in state prison, but pardoned 2 1/2 years later because of sickness.
After jail Swanback and his family removed to New Hampshire where he died in 1902. Hanson's
widow later married a fellow named Pendexter. She later died in Dexter, Maine. So, the story of Maine's only known lynching closes with a "final" end culminating with the third murder on the same spot. Townsfolk for the last 132 years have referred to this spot as "Bloody Half-Acre" and certainly with good cause. In 1917 a doctor from Presque Isle, Eugene Doble (Doble Block on Church St.) purchased a 1,000 acre tract in Chapman. This large plot of land included "Bloody Half-Acre". For many years relics of Swanback's camp were visible; folks would occasionally scrounge for souvenirs like buttons and bone fragments. A tall pine which stood not far from the camp site was referred to as "Cullen's Pine". Many attempted to buy that tree from Doble through the years in order to render it into souvenirs, but Doble vowed never to allow that as long as he owned the property. Today, little or no evidence of that infamous spot remains, although a few are still able to point to it with certainty. It's just another small, wooded area in the forest indistinguishable from another.
In conclusion I must point out that the very spot on which Cullen was hanged is still being argued by those who have grown up with the lore. I stated that it was on the old Ray Higgins' farm on the right just entering the town of Mapleton. Others will argue that it was, in fact, across the road....reckon no one will know for sure. Regardless of right or left, up or down or even crosswise, when one drives by the old Ray Higgins farm, one is just a few feet from the hangin' spot...make no doubt about that.
A few of you might wonder from whence the term "lynching" derived. During the Revolutionary War a Virginia farmer, Captain William Lynch, organized bands of townspeople to dispense justice to outlaws and British collaborators. These bands became known as "Lynch mobs" and hanging someone without a trial became known through the years as a "lynching".
And now we say goodbye to the bloody saga of Jim Cullen. Someone years from now will resurrect the story, rewrite it and present it once more, perhaps with a slightly different twist. Every good story deserves to be retold every now and then........
Thanks for reading "Forgotten Times". Stay tuned for more