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CAPTAIN FISHER “He was a man of considerable intelligence and would rather starve than beg. He made the most of everything.” Hermit, a recluse, a person living in seclusion. Captain Edward Fisher of Easton lived the last part of his life as a hermit according to an article published in the Boston Daily Globe June 29, 1886. I picture him, as described in the Globe article, huddled in the cold on his bed of old rags and coats infested with mice, reading the magazines and papers he subscribed to, or writing one of the several poetry manuscripts he left behind. While his visible space was filled with ashes, garbage, and small animals such as squirrels simmering in a pot over the fire, his inner life appeared to be rich. Fisher kept to his Jewish faith and “was respected by all who knew him, and always did his duty in his way of life with a willing hand, a quiet tongue and a gentle heart.”  Headlines, Globe article.  Central Cemetery on a wet December day.  Captain Fisher's Headstone Captain Fisher was not always isolated. He lived the first 50 years of his life in Mattapan where he commanded a military company and worked in the paper mills. Tragically, all the fingers and part of the thumb on his right hand were cut off in an accident there, crippling him. Married twice, his second wife died in Easton about 1878 leaving him a solitary figure. He chose to remain alone though he had several children, along with friends and relatives who would have taken him in. He lived poorly, keeping a few hens, on one occasion selling grease he fried from a dead hog to the soap man. In his old age he was not bothered by the norms of housekeeping and lived in squalor with hatchets, guns, skins of woodchucks and skunks, papers, root vegetables, dirty dishes, and broken plates scattered about. It's interesting, the lives people live by conscious choice or by default. After his second wife died, Fisher lived as an “eccentric old hermit” until he passed at the age of 82. Fisher lived in his dilapidated house on Center Street near the graveyard. In the end he was found in his home, very ill, by a neighbor and was taken to live with a nephew in Haverhill where he survived another ten days. He was buried in the Central Cemetery near his old home. I hope he found some comfort in his memories and reading in those years, which though his choice, must have been lonely and uncomfortable, as "he made the most of" even this.
Link to Boston Globe Article - June 29, 1886 Anne Wooster Drury [email protected] Law and Order in Easton A little bit about early law & order in Easton. Before Easton had a jail, it had stocks. According to Chaffin the town stocks were several times repaired and/or replaced, leading one to surmise they were well-used. Other early punishments included fines and corporal punishment, “10 [or 20] stripes upon the naked back, well laid on.” Imprisonment for debt was also widely implemented in the 18th century. Vagabondism was considered a crime. Vagabonds’ names were made public, and they were unable to purchase goods or liquor. Such was the first law & order in Easton. Organized policing took some time to develop, and shaming was a popular tool.  Example of Colonial era stock By 1854 the selectmen of Easton had appointed Ward L. Foster to be a police officer, with some limitations in his duties. After the Civil War, in 1867, the town voted to build a police lockup on Pond Street (probably the first) in North Easton, though no person was named as “keeper” until 1875. It’s thought the building was primarily used to contain people who were drunk and disruptive. Noise coming from the lockup on a Sunday morning was reported by members attending mass at the first Catholic Chapel- right next door on Pond Street! After 1885 two constables were hired and paid, however they were officially engaged to patrol the North Easton Village district only. If needed in other parts of town, they would try to help. No wonder thieves like George White and his gang (earlier, about 1800) operated in the Poquanticut neighborhood- so remote and with no help in sight. A second lockup was built in 1886 and located in South Easton, on Almshouse property. It was not unusual for vagrants and tramps to stop at the Almshouse, which was located on Center School property. It must have been an area in need of policing. That building still stands today. It is located on private property on School Street.  Lockup on School Street. By 1898 a new lockup on Mechanic Street replaced the Pond Street lockup. It was brick with a basement and originally had only one cell, although more cells were added later. Initially there were no toilet facilities. Not until as late as 1928 did the Town of Easton officially employ a policeman and not until 1930 was a police car purchased. The Mechanic Street Station was repaired and continued to function until the current station was dedicated in 1968. It still stands- as a private home. I remember going inside once as a child for some kind of license- Fishing? Bicycle? I'm not sure.  6 Mechanic Street, North Easton. Lockup, 1898-1968 It’s interesting how much the world has changed. The first generations in Easton basically did their own policing with customs brought over from Europe and there was little official organization, although the church of course was a civilizing force and had a great deal to say about members’ lives. Settlers in the New World had to be self-sufficient and willing to take many risks in order to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available here. I think I might have stayed in the Old World!  Early Police Force  Dedication of Lothrop Street Station, 1968.  Lothrop Street Station Today.
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