Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 116, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1910 — William Benson and Family Start to Attica on Foot. [ARTICLE]

William Benson and Family Start to Attica on Foot.

William Benson is the name of a little dark complexioned man who came here with his family from Tennessee several months ago. For some time prior to Saturday they have lived in the one room formerly occupied by Squire Churchill as an office north of the depot. There was. the father, mother and six children, which made a pretty snug household. “Shorty’ was a very industrious and quite handy little fellow and as far as we ever learned both honest and of good habiti. But he was illiterate and the family of the same mental caliber. A baby was born to them while they lived here and it is said that last summer when the mother was sick and unable to work she would lie on a pile of straw out in the yard, they refused any charity and proffers of aid were spurned. They seemed just as happy as though they lived in a palace. Saturday they decided to move and they packed the little furniture they possesed and shipped it to Attica and Sunday they took up their departure, going by foot down the railroad track. The baby was pushed in a carriage and all the other children were old enough to walk and follow the parents. It is said that they walked all the way from Tennessee to Rensselaer, stopping several places toy a short residence while enronte. The man was right who wrote, "One half of the world don’t know how the other half lives.” J. M. Sauser Saturday received from Montana a large elk’s head, superbly mounted and preserved. The taxldermistry work on it cost about $75.