The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-09
AGED WAR HORSE
DRIVES TO TOWN
Civil War Veteran Enroute
from Soldiers Home
to TempletOn
SCORNS AUTOMOBILE;
RIDES BEHIND. PONY

George w. t. Perkins Is His Name
Il Years Old-Baehelor. tOO-Owns
Nice Pine Tract-Has no Relatives, so
He Adopts His Horse.
George w. J. Perkins. Bennington,
was the way an old gentleman registered
himself last night at the Princess apart
ments And the other guests of the place
were soon made to know that George w.
!. Perkins was some character.
Mr. Perkins is Il years old and vet
eran of the Civil war. Although native
of Massachusetts. he came to Vermont IN
1861. enlisted with the ninth regiment of
this state. being a member of Company
q, proceeded with his organization as far
as Harpcrs Ferry, where he was taken
prisoner by the rebels. but he was subse-
qUently exchanged. rejoincd his command
and finished out the conflict.
I'm living at the Soldiers Home in
bennington" the old gentleman coniided
to guests at the Princess, but my prop
lerty is on the edge Of TempletOn. Mass,
to which place I'm now enroute. Yes,
! I've a nine-acre pine tract down there.
| The smallest tree on the area is seven
/ inches in diameter. the largest will meas
ure two feet-the average is probably l.
to II inches.
Say. continued the aged warrior,
quite vOluble for one of his years, we
1 had an unusual experience over at the
/ Bennington home last January. There
were nine of us Grand Army men using
one table at that time in the dining room
and-would you believe it?-fve of that
party all died within the space of week.
Two Of the old boys went hence the same
! day. too"
Mir Perkins then resolved himself into
a reminiscent mood lie related a pa
thetic story of the mOrtuary records Of his
comrades in arms. DO you know said
he. that - So Civil war veterans passed
away last year-that's a fact: and the
death toll in our ranks the past five years
shows an annual increase of 1000.
'TwOn't be long till we're all gone.
In a more confidential mood Mr.. Per
kins confessed that he's bachelor. You
see" he proceeded. Il always figured
that couldn't afford to buy two pounds
of beef to have one pound cooked. Not
only is Mr.. Perkins living in single bleS-
SedneSs. but he says he has no known liv-
| ing relatives. So he has adopted his little
bay pony While that boss lives he
declared. and I've got a dollar, 80 cents
of it will be for the pony
| Mr.. Perkins is making the journey from
bennington to TempletOn via the pike
routc-driving his pony. They departed
| from Bennington Thursday, but towards
evening the fog and low temperature made
| it prudent for them to put up over Thurs
| day night in Wilmington. From that
place they started yesterday morning, ar
irving here in the afternoon. They now
are we'll on their way to Templeton.
where the veteran and his pony will spend
| the summer.
| Before leaving Brattleboro Mr. Perkins
paid his respects TO the late Charley BLY,
of this place He. too, was a Civil war
veteran. Taps for BLY, were sounded in
the Soldiers Home last January and his
body rests in a LEGAL cemetery.
| When | came through here last fall.
said Mr. Perkins. Charley was in town,
and he gave me a most cordial welcome.
Since he's gone, it makes me sad to come
this way"