Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-03-01
THREE SURVIVORS.
Mr.. Swain Discovers Three Living
Members of the $40 Liberty
Men of 1910.

state NOIcu the IlDtIbl party lIIhtL
for president in 1910, three survivors
only have been found. Their names
and the towns where they voted, all in
Orange county, are
Jonathan Stevens Perham, Brook
field.
Joel Grove StimsOn, Stafford.
Lewis Holmes, Bradford.
Mr.. Perham was born in Browns
vile. Me-, July 5, 1872. The father
of MIR. Perham removed with his fam
lily to New Hampshire about 1873,
thence to Tunbridge, and the son
finally settled in Brooktield about
1923, where he has lived ever since,
leading the life of farmer. lie now
| lives on the farm where he has been
nearly sixty-one years. In lS40 the
anti-slavery men OF Brooktield held
caucus and nominated - Trask
for representative. 1t is not known
that any OF them are now living ex-
cept Mr.. Perham. They east Is votes
for Birney, equalled only by Waits.
field. which cast the same number,
and exceeded only by Randolph,
which polled %. Since that time Mr..
Perham has voted Free Soil, Repub-
lican and "Anti-Secret" tickets. AL
ways a staunch temperance man and
anti-tobacco, he voted for the Maine
law in 1852 and is now Prohibition
ist. lie uses no tea or coffee, il always
in comfortable health, can still walk
to the heighbors', is in his ssth year,
never had a physician visit him pro-
fessionally, reads considerably and
much enjoys company.
Joel O. Stimson, now OF Norwich,
was born i'm Greensboro, July %, 1872.
He lived in STAFFORD in ls40 and there,
with Is others, voted with the i'm
mortal 49," In lS44 Mr.. Stimson
went to Waterbury, where he engaged
in trade until 1868, when he moved to
Norwich where he is today, and his
name will be found in Walton's YER
mont register for this year, as ii has
been for more than half century,
still in trade. Jan 10, 1900, in an
swer to inquiry, Mr.. Stimson writes a
very modest letter, in good hand, and
in speaking of lS3S-40, saws: 81 was
Wing in my sentiments, but on the
advent of the Liberty party, | Joined
and voted as | prayed, that the OPP
pressed might go free" From other
sources many interesting incidents of
his life are learned. Among them is
one which it is said occurred at Wa
terbury. One day colored man and
his wife arrived at the depot. They
ha a travelled nights from the South
to escape slavery and were footsore,
hungry and penniless, and the woman
sick. Mr.. Stimson was hailed on the
street, in sarcasm and derision, about
his love for the negro-spelled with
two g's-challenged to show his sin
cerity in this case. Instantly he
started for the depot, found the fugi-
tiyes, took them to his home AMI sent
for his family physician. In a week
the woman recovered and MIR. slim
son was warned by fellow ''under-
ground railroad director that a
! United States marshal was on the way
TO capture his guests and perhaps
make trouble for him. That night
he bundled them into an express wag-
on and sent his eldest SOC, lad OF 10,
10 take them to another ''station"--a
farm house-frOm which they soon es-
capped to the free land OF Canada.
Mr.. Stimson has always been noted
for his liberality in the course OF hui
manitv. When the civil war closed,
he sent, at his own expense, two lady
teachers South for the freedmen.
One of these was Miss Lucia Garvin
Swain. She went from Woodstock
and is now Mrs. j. 5. Campbell OF
Omaha, Neb.
Lewis Iolmes-A note has been re-
ceived from Lewis Holmes OF Sutton,
dated Jan. 80, 1900. lie says: 81 am
prond that my name stands as one OF
that number. | was living at Brad
ford, Orange county, at that time ana
followed on that line, which resulted
in the Republican organization in "a.
MIR. Holmes is now in his s5th year
and the youngest of the abolition boys
who have yet reported.
This closes my little campaign hunt
TO ma tne suTNlNoie VI NV "
of ls40. Ii has been a very pleasant
reunion with the veteran liberty boys,
and its success is almost entirely due
10 those of the Vermont press, who SO
cordially received and published my
first communication Of inquiry. Many
thanks, of extra intensity, gentlemen
Thanks also to many others in various
sections of the state, who have written
me kind and interesting letters about
this matter. Should any more OF
these "immortals" read these lines
will they please write me, and thel'
names will be added to the list"
AN. SWAIN, Bellows Falls, VT
The New England Magazine.
| The Nau ENGLAND magazine for FebTu