Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-05-24
Portland Advertiser.
WHO WAS DAVID ROBBINS:
A Few YEARS IN TIE MIDDLE OF 4
STRANGE Mans LIFE.
OF On TINES IN MAINE.

"REMINISCENCES or On TINES IN MAINE.
Who was David Robbins His own
wife knew not hing of what his life had
been before he married her; his own
children of course, have no idea Of the
name which they should have bourne.
Sixty years have passed since be left this
world, in an unbest and disgraceful way /;
and i; is no; likely that anything more
will ever be discovered about him.
David Robbins, as he called himself,
appeared in the town Of Bethel. in this
State, in 1920. Nobody knew him, or
whence be came. He was powerful
Young fellow of twenty-three, weighing
abou; $50 pounds, athletic, hardy, indus
,rious, and apparently insensiblc to ia
iigue and exposure. He engaged with a
nch farmer named Stearns TO work for
the season. He was an excellent farm
hand. Steady, adaptable, strong, good
tempered, ready and obliging, he labored
on at all kinds of work, as utterly uncon-
scious of WEAKNESS as a machine. When
asked whence he came, he sometimes
mentioned one place and sometimes
another, so that nothing could ever be
really known about him. He never
mingled with the young people of the
neighborhood, but seemed TO find happi-
ness in steady work After his term
with Stearus was out. he went about
thrashing grain for the farmers, receiving
one tenth for his labor. Every week or
two he called on the Stearns family, with
whom he was a favorite. In the spring,
this young mans fancy lightly turned to
thoughts of love, and he asked Mr.
Stearns, one March Monday, for his
daughter. Her parents were astonished.
aud demanded time for consideration, but
he promptly said the daughter under
stood him, and if he ever married her he
should do so within a week. The par
ents hesita,ed, but the daughter was will
ing. He was 10 come on the third day
after for his reply. The parents pom
dered, and while knowing nothing what
ever of the man, excepting for the last
year, they found his record for that time
good, and allowed the girl to marry him,
as he had shown himself honest, indus
trious and good. tempered. The two
were married Saturday, and the next
Tuesday he took her to his ''home' f,
which he said was thirty-fve miles away.
He had quietly provided an outfit during
the winter, engaging men to go with him,
and had stores in abundance. 1t seems
likely that Miss Sterns knew of this plan
before her parents did, although this is
not on record.
The party went on sGow.shoes directly
through the woods to Umbagog lake and
up the Magalloway TO the mouth Of the
Diamond River. Here Robbins settled,
fifteen miles from the nearest neighbor
He hunted moose, trapped other game,
and fished to supply his table, and sold
turs 70 meet his ether needs. In the
spring he cleared some land and planted
small crop. He lived thus for five
wears, cleared 40 acres of land, built a
small two-story house, good barn and
sheds, and had oxen and several cows
thrifty and prosperous man, who, up to
this time had been respected and liked.
In 1925, he went as usual TO sell furs
in Pennington and Phillips. On the
way home, he passed through Avon,then
new place. In passing the last clear
ing this side of the lake, he saw two
children in a potato patch. One, little
girl, was digging potatoes, while her
baby brother, two years old, was toddling
along the footpath by which Robbins
was approaching. The child's name was
James Wilbur. The man spoke TO the
boy, caught him up in his arms, and car
ried him off. Nobody in Avon had ever
seen Robbins before, and it does not ap-
pear that anybody saw him take the
child excepting the little girl, who
of course was helpless. What Robbins
motive was, remains a mystery. OF
course his action must have been prompt.
ed by sudden impulse, as he could not
have known he should meet the children.
But be carried the boy in his arms for
miles, until he reached Umbagog lake,
where a family of st. Francis Indians