Cora had a story to tell, yet it had been locked up in her memories for many years, as when it had happened when she was twelve years old, living with her grandparents, John M. and Selena (Beal) McFarland.

    Cora had been born in Montville, Me. in 1866, the daughter of Henry C. and Abigail (Bailey) McFarland. Cora remembered her father, and that sometimes he could be withdrawn and quiet, keeping to himself. Yet, he was a kind and loving father.

    One Sunday morning when she was eight years of age, Henry told Abbie, Cora and his parents to go on to church without him, as he had some work to do. The family attended the North Montville Meeting House. Henry had a sister, Eliza, who had married Hollis T. Gowin. Eliza had died four years previously from complications of childbirth. She was thirty-six years old. Henry had been depressed, among other things, at the loss of his sister and her baby.

    When the family returned from church, Henry could not be found. The neighbors came out to aid in the search for him. They found thirty-three year-old Henry in the meadow behind the farm buildings, where he had tied his feet together, and drowned in six inches of water.

    Cora and her mother, Abbie, lived on with his parents in North Montville, about three miles from Freedom, near Halldale. The old farm house was on one side of the road, while the barn was across the road.

    When Cora was ten years old, her mother, Abigail, married a big robust man by the name of George W. Rowell, who came to live in Grampa and Gramma McFarland’s home. George had spent seventeen years in California, allegedly amassing some money for himself. He had returned to his hometown of Montville. He, at first, helped with the farm work, being quite affable. The next February, George and Abbie had a baby daughter, whom they named Alice. Alice was a joy in the household. Cora willingly tended her baby sister, who was a happy child, and making the days cheery, even for her grandparents.

    But, even young Cora noticed a difference in George. He paid a lot of attention to both Cora and baby Alice. It was attention that made Cora uncomfortable at times, and was noticed by her grandparents.

    George spent a lot of time away from home, and when he was home, he was sullen, moody and even threatening at times. He often smelled of alcohol, which was offensive to Cora, as her grandparents, and her father did not drink alcoholic beverages. Cora had been taught at church about the evils of alcohol. Cora could sense tenseness in the household, but nothing prepared her for what finally happened.

    Cora grew up, attending Freedom Academy. She married Charlie Vose, a very gentle man in Knox, Me. Though they had no children of their own, they adopted a son, named after her father, Henry.

    Charlie owned a very large farm in Knox on the Hoxie Road, where they lived a peaceful life, though the work was hard. They had a small herd of cows, a flock of chickens, some sheep and annually raised a hog or two for the meat, lard and salt pork.

    Charlie was a prosperous farmer and a highly respected citizen of Knox, Me. where he had spent his entire life. He had been a teacher, supervisor of the schools, and had served as Treasurer and Town Clerk of the Town of Knox. When Charlie was twenty-two years old, before he married Cora, he was converted to a belief in Jesus Christ as Savior in a revival by Rev. James Washburn at the North Montville Meeting house. He was one of twenty-four converts who were baptized on July 3, 1887, and who joined the Free Will Baptist Church in North Montville. Charlie and Cora were always active members in the church and community. Charlie died in Dec. 1910, being attended by Dr. C. M.Whitney, having a lung affliction. He was forty-three years of age.

    Cora continued on the farm, hiring help and having boarders to help with farm chores, haying, gardening and all that goes with running a farm. She lived as a widow for twelve years. Each spring, Cora hired help to ‘press’ hay in the barn, done with an invention called a ‘hay press’. For several years she had hired John W. Morse of Belmont, Me. to bring his ‘hay press’ to her farm. John came with his crew, which included his young son, Amon Morse, and his son-in-law, Jephtha Buck.

    While the crew was working at the farm, Cora boarded and fed them. Her large open chamber long ago became a bunk-house to put up workers. One evening after supper, Amon asked Cora about where she had been born and raised. Cora told of events in her life, her father’s suicide when she was young, and how, at age twelve, she had been present when her grandparents were murdered. She had been a witness at the informal inquest as to the events that happened on the cold snowy night about 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, 1879.

    Amon was totally mesmerized as Cora related the following story. Her step-father, George Rowell, had been away for some time. George told the family that he’d been in Belfast for a bottle of rum for his cold. He was seen driving his horse at a break-neck speed. When he arrived in Belfast, the horse was over-heated with foam at its mouth from the trip. George had spent three nights in Belfast, two nights of which were spent at a relative‘s home, returning home on Friday. Grampa and Gramma were very concerned. That night, Grampa had asked neighbor, Alonzo Raynes, to stay the night with them.

    Mr. Raynes left in the morning, sending his young hired hand, Fred Bennett, back to the McFarland home to spent the day and night. The family was growing increasingly afraid of George. When evening came, he was difficult and surly, saying that he wanted his little girl, Cora, and his “angel baby” Alice in his room.

    George grabbed Cora and baby Alice, taking them into the front parlor and closed the door. Fred left the house to get Mr. Raynes. When Grampa and Gramma came into the parlor to get the girls, George knocked both of them to the floor, pounding them with his fists. Cora was frightened, and the baby was crying. George drove the elder couple from the house, then he went upstairs, apparently to get his gun, which was later described to be a “King’s Arm“, with the barrel running the whole length of the gun. While George was out of sight, Cora took the baby and went to the barn across the road.

    Cora’s mother, Abbie, had gone down the road to get Oscar Evans. Mr. Raynes, who lived about a quarter mile away, was coming up the road, where he met everyone, who were telling him of their fright. Grampa attempted to go back to the house with Mr. Raynes. George was standing in the doorway with his gun, which he fired toward them. They heard the bullet go by them. Cora came out of the barn with the baby, which Mr. Raynes grabbed, telling Fred Bennett to get Cora down to the Raynes’ house. They all passed the elder McFarlands, who were slower than they, after having been pushed around by George.

    They did not realize that George was following them with his gun. He overtook Grampa just a short way from the Raynes’ house, hitting him so hard with his gun that he probably was killed instantly, smashing the gun stock at the time. He then caught up with Gramma, beating her about the head and face with the gun barrel. Grampa and Gramma had been small in stature, no match for the larger George.

    Cora was the last one to get into the Raynes’ house. She had heard George beating her grandmother, and heard her moan. George arrived at the house, where occupants were shaking with fear. They had armed themselves with sticks of firewood, even though they knew it was no protection from his long-barreled gun. George began beating out the panels of the door with his gun barrel. Thinking that they all would be killed, Mrs. Raynes said, “Get your gun from the bedroom, Alonzo! Shoot him before he kills us all!” With that Mr. Raynes, a small man, shot through the door, shooting low to wound and stop George, who fell backwards into the snow, with his gun barrel by his side.

    Fred Bennett came back to the house, telling them that the neighbors were coming down the road. The men tied George up with a rope. They left with a lantern to check on Grampa and Gramma, giving the rope to Cora to hold. She was so scared, but George who was face down in the snow never moved. The Halls came with other neighbors, and discovered Grampa and Gramma McFarland dead in the blood-stained snow.

    George’s horse was harnessed, taking the three dead, victims and perpetrator, to the McFarland home, where they were laid out.

    On Monday, a reporter from The Republican Journal came out from Belfast on the train to Thorndike. He hired a sleigh and driver, who came down seven miles over what he termed the ‘worst roads in Waldo County’. He spent the night at Mr. and Mrs. Raynes’ home.

    The Sheriff and Dr. A. J. Billings came out to perform their official duties. During the next few days, many neighbors and onlookers came on their sleighs to view the site where the carnage had occurred. Thankfully, a snow storm overnight had covered any traces of the beatings.

    The bodies of the McFarlands were taken to the Church where they were laid out for their funerals, held on Wednesday forenoon, with Rev. J. Small of the Freewill Baptist Church of North Montville conducting the services. Both Grampa and Gramma looked very peaceful, if no one had known of the tragic night’s events. They had been married forty-seven years, and died together, trying to protect Cora and baby Alice.

    The Town Officials took charge of George’s body. They are all buried in the Halldale Cemetery, where Charlie Vose is also buried.

    Cora’s faith in God helped her to cope with all that she had witnessed as a child. Her mother, Abbie, married as her third husband, in 1881, when Cora was fifteen years old, to Charles McCorrison, who was always very good to Cora and Alice. Abbie and Charles had a baby son, Henry C. McCorrison, also named after Cora’s father. Cora was always close to all her family, especially her half-sister and brother.

		Home of Charles & Cora (McFarland) Vose - Knox, Maine

    Cora was surprised, even at herself, at being able to tell the whole story to Amon. She hadn’t even thought of some of the details of that night long ago until now. Amon never forgot the story, telling it to his daughter, Isabel, in his latter years.

    Cora and Charlie had been members of the Grange in Knox. She had many friends in her adopted town, having lived there for over seventy years of her life.

    Cora married John W. Morse of Belmont in 1922. They lived on, for twenty-nine years together, at the farm on the Morse Road, formerly called the Hoxie Road. John died there in 1951. He was buried in East Searsmont in the Marriner Cemetery with his first two wives, who had died very young.

    Cora proudly held the gold-headed cane, having the distinction of being the oldest resident in the Town of Knox.

	Cora (McFarland) Vose-Morse  1956 - Age 90 years

 Cora died in Dec. 1960, aged ninety-four years, having lived through some terrifying events in her lifetime. Amon’s wife, Mary, recorded that there was a bad snow storm on the day of Cora’s funeral. It was fitting that there was a snow storm, as on the night that her beloved Grampa and Gramma died, protecting Cora and her baby sister. Cora is buried with her beloved Charlie in the Halldale Cemetery, where Grampa and Gramma McFarland are also at peace and rest.