The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-02
Ben PIummer. Aged 60.

One of the venerable and respected pa
trIarchs of Wichita early history, still
! living in this city, is Uncle Ben" Plum
mer, residing at S01 South EmporIa ave-
nue. Mr.. PiUnmer came 10 this city the
first time on the 10Th Of January. 1873.
leaving a few months later. In ISIS he re-
turned and has lived here ever since.
and during all these evenrfuI twenty
years he has lived III che same block.
most of the time In the same house.
Forty-eight hours after Mr.. Plum
mer's arrival he had heard Of Buff
have been fast friends ever since. II is
Uncle Ben's boast cha; he knows the faces
OF every man woman and child In Wch-
tia who have been here TWO years or more
during this quarter century Their names
he may not always recall. but ne de-
clares he knows the faces. He is an
ardent G. a. R and belongs TO Garfield
Post No Is. and for twelve years was
custodian of Garfield hall and a faithful
one. On the 24th Of last February while
scrubbing the floor of the hall. he grew
suddenly faint and fell in swoon three
times before he could summon help. Since
then7he has been back 70 the hall but
twice. and at once gave up the work.
He was born in 1880 and on the 18th OF
next January Will be So years old. II he
and ms career are interesting. and they
surely are, no less esteem and nigh re-
spect can be extended 10 his life help
meet for surely his aged but active and
vigorous wife certainly has been Mrs.
Plummer says she is as much entitled 90
a pension as any woman in America, and
from her own record and history. and that
of her immediate relations for genera
lions. this would seem true. For fourteen
months she was with her husband in the
army camps. looking after him and the
welfare of the other boys as well. She
had also the care of three children. one
a baby in arms. AS a hint of her won
derfuI capacity for hard work and CHEEKY
willingness it may be said that she cooked
for fifty men every day through these
fourteen months. baked bread for GO more.
washed for Is and carried all the drinking
water one-half mile. One day all alone
and with no help she got dinner. and a
good one, too. for los men, breakfast that
morning for 30 and supper at night for
ten. and every moment of this long. hard
day she carried in her arms a sick. wee
baby. If that alone would not entitle
her to a slice of Uncle Sans bounty. then
no other soldier ever got one worthily
She says now that If Mr.. Plummer had
been able to spare ner. she surely would
have gone to the late Spanish war to help
the same way. No less interesting is the
story OF her ancestors whose loyalty and
patriotism seem to be a tribal trait. On
the day when the independence Of the
thirteen colonies was declared. the 4th
day of July. 1876 in the city OF Boston.
Mrs Plummer's grandfather carried the
flag in the big parade and later served all
through the war OF Revolution In the
war of 1912, her father carried the flag; in
the Mexican war her brother was a SOL
der. serving with distinction and finally
in the Civil War she and her husband
served faithfully and well. Thus some
member of her own family served in
every war so far this young nation has
ever had, save only the recent little hide
and seek skirmish with the diseased and
feeble old crippled monarchy across the
sea.
Not all the great buffers are poker play
srs.-Atchison Globe.