Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-06-02
PRICE THREE CENTS
Death Of Ben Robinson. once . Slave

An unusual and mestinteresting life his-
tory Was ended vi hen Ben Robinson, aged
81, breathed his last at midnight Tuesday
at Mrs. l.. B. Flint's on Park street,
where be had been boarding for some
time past.
Ben was born in North Carolina a slave
and when he was hardly more than three
years old his mother was sold away from
him and sent down the river to New Or
leans. Later he himself was sold TO
neigh boring planter by the name Of
James Furbey and as he Was being taken
along the road to his new home be saw
bis father working in one OF the old mas
ter's fields, and he wanted TO go and
speak to him but even this poor consola-
tion was refused to the child.
One day when be was ten years old he
was cultivating cornfeld with mule
at New bern, n. Gas Company c, 9th Yer
mont regiment, went marching By aud
the Northern soldiers called TO the lad to
join them. lie couldn't, he said, with
out asking "massa,n but Company G felt
perfectly able to cope with "massan and
so convinced him that ne left the mule
and cultivator in the field and committed
himself to the protection Of bis new
friends.
The first year Of his army life be re-
mained with Company G, one of whose
members was John Manney, then of Mid
dlebury. The next year Ben came into
the service Of Lieut.. William Holman Of
Company q, 9th Vermont, who found the
ooIured boy so faithful and willing that
he brought him home to Braintree at the
cad OF the war.
The lieutenant assumed guardianship
OF Ben, sent him to school with the
white boys and when he WAS q gave
him 1900 te begin life for himself. This
money Ben unfortunately lost through
misplaced confidence in the man to
whom he loaned II, but as be was sober
and industrious he became more than
self-supporting and bad a comfortable
sum on deposit at his decease. He
worked on farms at first but for many
years had been night watchman for the
mills. He was employed in that capacity
by the E. f. Emerson company, when in
February the heart disease which caused
his death compelled him to stop work.
The soldiers had always great interest
in him and be was sincerely attached to
them as his deliverers from bondage.
Thirty years after the war John Manney
came from Middlebury to live in RAN
dolph and Ben recognized him by his
voice as member OF the Company G,
which took him out OF North Carolina.
Only few days before be died he spoke
OF those days and wondered II the old
mule was still standing In the eorntield.
Boy and man, Ben was contented and
happy in mis- Northern home and had
been heard to say that he didn't believe
there was another place in the world
where, in spite of bis dark skin, he would
have been treated so white. And he de-
served the treatment he received; for he
was a good citizen, honest, quiet, we'll
\ meaning and worthy of respect. He
served his country loyalty though in
humble way and the old soldiers gave
him the friendship accorded 10 COM
rade Tn 1892 be went to Washington
with the veterans at the time of Nation
al eneampment to try and find some trace
Of his father, whom be hoped might still
be living but learned instead that the
only parent be remembered bad long been
dead. His surname, after the fashion ct
slaves. be took from his master and was
first called Ben Furbey but afterward
added the name Of an earlier master, Rob.
inson, by which he preferred To he
known.
He bad often expressed a wish to be
buried by the Grand Army and his funer-
al in the Methodist church at o'clock
this afternoon was held with the hon-
ors CT L. S. Grant post, No. 90. Il was
hoped that A. c. Holman, son Of Lieu-
tenant Holman, might be present from
Boston to serve as one Of the bearers, who
in his absence we're Comrade John Man
ney and three OF Ben's schoolmates, f. $.
Abbott, Allen Flint, Jr., and Henry sey-
mOur,