Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-08-25

Wherever Duty Do called they went their steps were
With Alma Mater on their lips and Benny Havens'
Benny Havens Obi" is the epic of West Point.
1t is Il story in song, the story of West Pointers
and their sacrifices for duty, honor. West Point
and country.
This old academy of West Point, laid out on
rugged shelf overlooking the majestic sweep Of the
Hudson, has many priced traditions, unsullied, in
aenable, but none more sacred to her sons than
that of Benny Hnvens. Go to Cullum Memorial
hall Mt West Point and read in imperishable let
ters of bronze the story of her sons She has seen
them march out of her sayports singing Benny
Havens, oh!' and seen them brought back while
minute guns echoing among the granite hills
that surround her. The history of West Point Is
closely interviewer with that of our country; West
Pointers have written bright pages In the annals
of the land.
Their blood has waered Western plains and Northern
Has stained sierras highest peaks, where piercing
Has dyed deep red the Everglades and deeper still.
The sacred Montezuma shades and walls of Mexico.
wherever duty has summoned them West Point
eEs hsys carried Benny Hayens OH =
Ths Story Of Benny Eaveths Is almost as old as
that Of the academy Itself. Many, many years ago,
in 1924 to be precise Benny Havens took up his
residence on the southern border of what then
constituted the post of West Point. ALMOST i'm
medlateiy he and the cadets became friends.
He was n genial soul, generous and of good com
pany and an inlmitable spinner of yarns. and he
and maple sirup. Soon his refreshments acquired
such fame that cadets often slipped away from
their duties and made their way to Bennys retreat.
where they found oblivion for their disciplinary
woes Almost every night after taps saw half
dozen daring cadets, who should have been In bed,
gathered around Bennys bountifu table.
Only for short time did Benny's fare confine
itself to buckwhent cakes and maple sirup. Grog
and wine were added to the menu, an addition
whereby Benny's popularity increased tenfold
About this time the West Point authorities who
had previously shut their eyes to Benny's liberai
ties decided that the time had come to declare
blockade on Benny in far cadets were con-
cerned and consequently Benny's haven of delight
became "of limits" for the future generals and
punishment was meted out by those caught run
ming the blockade. Jefferson Davis afterward
president of the Confederate states had the dis
tnctlon of being among the first batch of cadets
court-martialed for midnight revels at Benny
Havens'.
Benny was warned that his generosity to cadets
was demorazing TO discipline and that unless he
called halt summary proceedings would result
He was unable to refuse those few cadets who
iran IL OUT to his home and finally he was expelled
from the post shortly after 1929 taking his abode
mt the base of n high cliff near the rivers edge
about a mile below West Point. Hero he lived in
n small frame house until his death In 1877 at the
ure of ninety. He was buried In Union cemetery.
about midway between Highland Falls and Fort
Montgomery on the West Point road
Many men who rose TO fame after leaving West