Freestone County, Texas Obituaries Obituary of Robert Lee Savage (AUG 1 1882 - JUL 21 1905, buried at Union/Tacker Cemetery) US Navy. Died in service when a boiler explosion occurred on the gunboat USS Bennington that was in San Diego Bay, California on 21 July 1905. The USS Bennington served as a escort and patrol ship to the supply ships to the Philippine Islands during the Spanish American War. The USS Bennington had just returned from the islands of Hawaii. ============================================================================ Fairfield Recorder - July 28, 1905 issue Death of Robt. L. Savage Last Friday the gunboat Bennington was wreck[ed] in San Diego Bay, California, by the explosion of a boiler and 53 of the crew lost their lives, and many more were fatally injured. On the ill-fated battleship was Robert Lee Savage, a citizen of Freestone county, a son of the widow Savage who lives in the New Providence community, and his name appears in the list of the dead. Deceased was raised in Freestone county, and was aged about 23 years. He had been in the Navy about two years, enlisting at Waco. ============================================= Fairfield Recorder - Fairfield, Freestone Co., TX. - Sept. 1, 1905 issue Robert Lee Savage Robert Lee Savage was born August 1, 1882, died July 21, 1905, lacking only ten days of being twenty three years of age. He was born at Rogers Prairie, Texas, but when quite small he with his parents moved to Denison, Tex., living there a few years and then moved to Santa Anna, Tex. His father (Dr. W. S. Savage) died at that place, and a short while afterwards his widowed mother, (Mrs. Mary Savage) moved back to Denison, and very soon moved to this, the New Providence community, where Lee has since made his home. It had always been his desire to become a sailor and on Oct. 9, 1903, he left home, and joined the U.S. Navy. He enlisted at Fort Worth, Texas, for four years, and left that place Oct. 19, arriving at San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 27, 1903. He was immediately placed aboard the ship Pensacola. Remaining on this ship until Dec. 28, 1904, he was then placed on the ill-fated Bennington, where remained until the explosion on July 21, 1905, when he was fatally injured, dying a few hours after being removed to the hospital. He had been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, since he was twelve years old and his daily walk proved him to be a Christian, and his death further proved this, for his dying message to his mother was, "Tell mamma I'm ready to go, and not afraid to die," and almost with his dying breath he said to Ensign Perry, who lay dying beside him: "Good luck to you, I'll meet you in Heaven." Although his suffering was great, he exclaimed to the ones who bore him away from the wrecked ship "what is the use of complaining," and died without a groan. All that loving ones could do was done to have his body sent home for burial, but all in vain, and on Sunday evening, July 28, he was laid to rest with his dead comrades in the Fort Rosecrans cemetery, near San Diego, Cal. He was a member of the W. O. W. camp at Donie, Tex., where he is missed. He is missed in the church, in the community, and by his sailor friends, but most of all he is missed in the home, where a mother, two brothers and two sisters are heartbroken over the loss of one they loved so well. Lee was always kind and affectionate to them, and when thousands of miles away, wrote to them often. Lee always remained a faithful worker for the Lord, and why this noble Christian boy should be taken from us when such are needed so much in our land and country, is a mystery to us now, but some day we shall know, and while we live let us strive to live as Lee did, so when we come to die we may be able to say as he said, "I am not afraid to die, I am ready to go." ONE WHO LOVED HIM