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Show fi-n ty " iBk cn By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ' T ' ,3' L- f ,it d I From Nevada's hoary rldx". from ;jtfV , - '' J . 'PC ' S-'i" .J L ' f stormy co8t of Maine, PAJtv' ,' U -3 U-.wJ i From Lavs Beds and Yollow 8tm tT"'.' ' ' ,rt ' " ,K the Story never waned: ,v f ,s jiJ,--, jJP 4' ' 1?? H? J Whenever duly called, they went. A ' -'Jrt '-" Vl their utepa were never slow; E'-JT- 'X. S VSJto A"! ' ' ' rfJ a ' With "Alma Mater" on their lips M r Jt jf?OSV4,V4 ' " " ' snd "Benny Haven.. Oh" ; WfifaV&J Mfftt . " 4 I When thl. life-', troubled .e. I. WVr" f2 I I o'er and our la.t battle's ,5 k -' V U"'' J ' " " " ' i If God permit, u. mortal, ther. Ilv ?t t 57 " , tfl . hi. bleat domain to view. i-r--V5 :"- , rtj " ' - ". rtO!''? 4 Then we .hall ae. In jtlory Jt - t ' ' 4 . ' . v? crowned. In proud eelevtlal " : S;.--::- 1 l-'jr , ; row F'- - -3,ia- ? IS ''I Th. friend, w.'v. known and ,5'T4-f "Vi, " ' i- w- 10 . ' 5",1 inOM"""" " Benny "aV" iag I' 1 - I HAT officer of the United SennytfavenJ JTortumentzn fBffdandlfoionCkrtietezj- Benny Haven. t By ELMO SCOTT WATSON From Nevuda'a hoary ridges, from atormy count, of Maine, From Lava Bed. and Yollow 8ton the Story never waned: Whenever duly railed, they went. their step. wer. never slow; With "Aim. M.iter" on their lip. and "Benny Haven., Oh." When thl. life-', troubled ea I. o'er and our last battle', through, If Ood permit, ua mortal, ther . hi. bleat domain to view. Then we .hall ae. In nlory crowned. In proud eelevtlal row Th. friend, w.'v. known and loved so well at Benny Havens'. Hav-ens'. Oh!" fMMMHAT officer of the United f f j Stutes army from the mer J est "shave tall" up to a W general with four stars on his shoulders bus not heard fthst verse and for a brief moment been carried back to "Alma Mater," tlie United Unit-ed States Mllltnry Academy Acad-emy at West Point. N. Y.T For one of the most picturesque pic-turesque and beloved traditions tra-ditions of Hint famous military mil-itary school where tradition tradi-tion Is so strong, centers around the name of Benny Havens. Who wns Kenny Havens? One of America's famous generals, a graduate of whom West Point Is proud? A be loved teacher at the academy? Well, hnrdlyl Sometime prior to 1S"2 Kenny Havens came to We3t Point and oe-cpled oe-cpled a one-story cottage a short dls tance west of where the old cadet hos- whin they lacked In muguilude the) niude up In number. The forbidden locality of Benny Havens possessed stronger attractions than the study mid demonstration of a problem in Euclid." If yoo go to West Point today to-day you can find in an old sheepskin bound volume the record of Custer's "sl;ln sheet," bearing the list of offenses of-fenses for which Cadet Custer was reported. In all there are 453 separate "skins" with a total of 812 demerits and mil 11 y of them are for partaking of Benny's hospitality. Since a cadet Is allowed 835 demerits before he Is dismissed, Custer had only 23 more to go wheu he was graduated. - So he came very nearly being denied his chance for fame nnd America came very nearly losing one of her most brilliant cavalry officers. But If Benny Havens had a part In this. It was by no means a unique case. Muny an months) Poe frequently visited Benny's Ben-ny's place of business while It was si III on the reservation and became devoted de-voted to him. The future poet often remarked that "Benny was the sole congenial soul In the entire God-forsaken place." Benny lived to the ripe old age or i eighty-eight years. Tups were sounded sound-ed for him on May 29. 1877, and now lie sleeps In the Highland Union ceme-tary ceme-tary on the banks of the river he loved so well. But West Point Is rich In memories of Benny Havens. If you go there today they will show you 1 he pitcher from which he served his famous cider flip. But most of all his fame Is preserved la the song wlilen has been curried llterully around the world by West Pointers. That song was composed early In his career. It was written about 18.13 when Lucius I I'ltrlon nt Kt i i,.-1 tin H Maiilsnonl In other officer who later became famous could testify to a number of "skins" because they simply could not resist pltal, now the nurses' quurters, stands What his ancestry was or where he came from no ont seems to know. But after all those tilings are relatively unimportant, for the beginnings of a tradition are frequently wrapped In a mist of obscurity, but a tradition Is none the less dear on that account In the early days of Kenny', residence at tlie post he sold to the cadets ale. cakes and elder, and In the winter, buckwheat cukes and cider flip. Later on the elder flip became ale flip and still Inter something a hit stronger was added to his bill of fare. It was this "something" which led to Benny's undoing, for he was expelled from the reservation. By this time Benny had become so attached to the corps of cadets and the cadets had become so attached to Benny that neither could think of allowing this expulsion to meun his retirement to the obscurity from which he had come. So he set un his little the Klghth Infantry was visiting n friend. Kiley A. Arnold, then a first classman. ; Together they spent many a congenial evening at Benny's place nnd, so the story goes, O'Brien and his ' friends composed a poem about Benny and set It to the tune of "The Wearing of the Green." It Immediately Immediate-ly became popular at West Point and for the next quarter of a century-one century-one of the first thlngn a plebe dM was to learn to sing "Benny Havens, Oh " During the summer days of 18(15 when day after day the steamers bearing home tlie veterans of the Civil war passed Benny's little cottage on the banks of the Hudsim the bands would strike np one tune and Benny would hear hundreds of voices joining In thej . singing of: Com. fill your (lasses, fellows, and stand up In a row To singing: .entlmentally we'r. arolnai for to ao: Benny's Pitcher. the charm of Benny Havens' hospitality. hospi-tality. "Benny Havens' character was many sided, kind to children. Invariably courteous to women," so rends a sketch In "Bugle Notes," the handbook of the United States Corps of Cadets, or "the plehes' Bllile," as It Is called at West Point. "He was possessed of a terrible and ungnvernnhle temper. There wns an Indefinite something about his personality, that bound his friends to him by Inseparable ties. Virtues and qualities were his which helped to shape the lives of and give guidance to, as they rose to life's pinnacles, many whose names are now engraved on the pages of history." For Instance there wns a certain cadet named Kdgar Allan Poe. Our Ing the short stay of that erratic In dividual at the ncudemy. (he was dismissed dis-missed after being there about six shop Just ofT the post In what later became known as "The House by the River," a Mecca to which so many of West Point's famous sons made fre-qiient, fre-qiient, even If forbidden, pilgrimages For slipping out of hounds to the hospitable hos-pitable fireside of Benny Havens where food and drink could be Illegally Illegal-ly obtained, contrary to the rules nnd regulations which have nlwnys characterised char-acterised the dignity and order of this severe academy, was one of the offenses of-fenses . for which a cadet could be "skinned" (today they call It "aqullled," I e. reported for one of the many breaches of regulations). For Instance, take the case of Cadet Armstrong Custer of Ohio along about the year 1861. Cusfer himself hns recorded re-corded "my offenses against law and order were not great In enormity but in tna army mere, soorieiy promo, tlon'. very .low . . . 80 we'll ainsr our r.mlnlac.nae. of Benny Haven.. Oh! CHORUS: J Oh! Benny Haven. Oh! Ob! Benny Havena. Oh! We'll alng our reminlseenaes of Henny ' tiavena. Oh I H To our kind old Alma Mater, our rock,. . ' 1 bound Highland Home. I We'll cast many a fond regret aa o'er I life's aea w. roam: I Until on our last battle field, the light I of heaven ahall slow. We'll never fall to drink to her and. W Bennv Havena. oh! CHOKUS: aluy th. Army be augmented my tiro- s motion 9. les. .low May our country In th hour ol need ' be ready for the fo; May we find a .oldter'a re.tlnn pine. beneath a soldier's blow With room enouwh be.lde out arava for Bennv Haven. Oh' |