The Republican journal., 1881-06-02
Who was David Robbins

Who was David Robbins?
A FEW YEARS IN THE MIDDLE or 4 STRANGE
MANS LIFE. REAIINISCE CENCEs OF OLD TIMES IN
MAINE.
Who was David Robbins! His own wife knew
nothing of what his life had been before he mar
rled her; hisi own children, of course, have no
idea of the name which they should have borne
Sixty years have passed since he left this world
IN an unblest and disgracetui way and it is not
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 lS2O No
body knew him. or whence he came. He was a
powerful young fellow of twenty three weighing
about $50 pounds, athletic hardy Industrious
and apparently insensble to fatigue and exposure
He merely said that he wanted work He en-
gagged with rich farmer named Stearns to work
for the season. He was an excellent farm hand
Steady adaptable, strong, good tempered, ready
and obging. ne labored on at all kinds of work
as utterly unconscious of WEAKNESS as machine
When asked whence he came he sometimes men
toned one place and sometimes another 50 that
nothing could ever be really known about him
tie never mingled with the Young people Of the
neighborhoOd. but seemed to find happiness in
steady work After his term with Stearns was
out he went about threshing grain for the farmers
receiving one tenth for his labor. Every week or
Two he called on the Stearns family with whom
fancy lightly turned to thoughts of love and he
asked Mr.. Stearns one March Monday for his
daughter. Her parents were astoundcd. and de
manded time for consideration, but he promptly
said that the daughter understood him and if he
ever married her be shCuld Dc il within a week
The parents hesltated but the daughter was will
ing. He was to come on the third day after for
bis reply The parents pondered and while know
lng nothing whatever of the man, excepting for
the last year, they found his record for that time
tIta or IN nm, la
had shown himself honest. industrious and good
tempered. The two were married SATURDAY, and
the next Tuesday he took her to his home
which he said was thirty five miles away. lie had
quietly provided an outfit during the winter en-
gagged men to 90 with him and had stores in abund
ance. 1t seems likely that Miss Stearns knew Of
this plan before her parents did although this is
not on record
The party went snow shoes directly through
the woods to Cmbagog lake and up the Margallo
way to the mouth OF the Diamond river Here
Robbins settled, fifteen miles from the nearest
neighbor He hunted moose trapped other game
and hshed to supply his table. and sold furs to
meet other needs In the spring he cleared some
land and planted a small crop He lived thus for
1--we years, cleared To acres OF land, built small
two story house. a good barn and Sheds and had
oxen and several cows-a thrifty and prosperous
man. who, up to this time, had been respected and
liked
In 1875, he went as usual to sell turs in Farm
lngton and Phillips. On the way home, he pass
ed through Avon then a new place In passiDa
through the last clearing this side Of the lake he
saw two children in a potato patch One little
girl, was digging potatoes, while her baby brother
tive years Gid was ,,l,ilijg aI1iA ;lt t,,utpati M
which Robbins was approaching Tie chlld's name
was James Wilbur The man spoke to the boy
caught him up in his arms and carried him off
Nobody III Avon had ever seen Robbins before
and ii does not appear that anybody saw him take
the child excepting the little girl who of course
helpless. What Robbinss motive was re
mains mystery. OF course his action must have
been prompted by sudden impulse as he could
not have known he Should meet the children
But he carried the boy in his arms tor miles. until
he reached mbagog lake. where d family of st
Franci; indians were camped They asked him
what he going to do with the baby and he
said he found ii in the WuOds apd shuuld "cUt il
up 10 bait sableS They begged him not to do So
but he declared that he would uutiI a lnotherIy
squaw offered to buy the poor child and rive
Robbins beaver skin Robbins took the skin
and left the stolen baby with the Indians The
poor child could only savthat his name was ..Jin
and so his new mother called him White Jim
Wild search was made bv the Avon people for
poor little jimmy Wilbur but in vain The,
found some fragments of the childs dress which
it seems Robbins had torn and scattered to induce
a belief that the child had been eaten by wild
beasts-and all the child'S family and the neigh
bors gave him up for dead The Indians knew
nothing OF Robbins. whence he had come or
whittier he went, and presently went back to their
tribe in Canada taking the white baby with them.
Presently Robbins who had thinueu the game
in his own neighborhood moved farther into the
woods-up to little kennebago lake Here he
found two hunters, named Kinds and Cloudman,
who had been hunting On the lake for wears and
camped there They claimed the hunting ground,
but Robbins, who seems to have been apt to ret
his own way, prevailed on them 10 take him. al
though not wllingly into their partnership They
built company camp agreed to meet there with
their spois from time 10 time and started IN ,it
ftreut ways with packs and traps. returning occa-
slonally TO deposit their turs in line camp After
seven weeks Of unusual success they SET 4 lay to
meet at the camp divide their gains. settle. and
90 home But when Kinds and Cloudmau reached
the camping place they saw where the camp had
stood, only trackless sheet of snow. The cam,
had been burned down Its precious contents
were gone An obliglpg snow. storm had obliter-
ated every trace and the two hunters were with
out turs or provisions alone in the forest Robbins
did not come.
And presently il occurred to the men that he
was tho h,I o+olo,, tb. r,,.s trol .