Colonel Raymond Robins had fond memories of his first years in Hernando County. Raymond was sent to live with relatives here after his father lost his inheritance and his mother was committed to an insane asylum. Raymond Robins spent seven years in Brooksville with his first cousin, Mrs. McKay. McKay acted as a foster mother to Robins. The family lived in Bodine Grove, a 100 acre orange grove started by McKay's father Dr. Bodine. As a child he visited the Snow family several times at their home on the top of what is now called Chinsegut Hill. He returned in later life to buy the Chinsegut estate with the help of his sister. 
Raymond's sister was the famous actress Elizabeth Robins. She moved to England as a young lady and became known as "Ibsen's High Priestess" for her performances in Henrik Ibsen's plays. She socialized with the likes of H. G. Wells, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.
Although Raymond had only one year of formal schooling before attending college, he graduated in 1896 from George Washington University (then Columbian College) where he studied law. He worked a diverse array of jobs as a lawyer, miner, in mining relations, and as a labor activist.
Raymond married Margaret Dreier in 1905, an independently wealth labor activist. Margaret was president of the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) for fifteen years starting in 1907. Under Margaret's leadership the WTUL led the push to unionize woman workers.
Raymond worked with a number of Presidents. He campaigned for Presidential Candidate William Jennings Bryan the cousin of the Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings from Brooksville. He was a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt and was considered for a cabinet position in President Calvin Coolidge’s administration. He was an advisor to Herbert Hoover and worked closely with Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to establish diplomatic relations with Russia.
Chinsegut was a gathering spot for the rich and famous of the time. Robins would entertain the dignitaries on the Hill or at his house on Bimini Isle on the Gulf of Mexico. Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and James Cash (J.C.) Penney were a few of the leaders of business, science, and politics that stayed with Robins.
In 1929, the stock market crash wiped out much of Margaret's fortune. Raymond had been involved with the First National Bank since moving to Florida in 1923 and became the chairman of the bank.
Perhaps one of the most significant impacts the Robins had on this area was their backing of the First National Bank in Brooksville during the Depression. The majority of small country banks were folding during this time. The savings of farmers and townspeople disappeared with the downfall of the bank. 
The Robins, realizing the seriousness of the situation backed the First National Bank with what was left of their fortune, preventing its failure. The Robins did this at great personal financial loss. In a statement following First National's merger with Hernando State Bank, the Robins explained, "We are not bankers, and we acquired the majority control of the First National bank to save depositors from loss and to prevent other unhappy conditions in our community in the after boom and subsequent depression years. To achieve these results, including the safety of deposits and integrity of the First National bank, we took personally a heavy financial loss."
In September of 1932, after a tour of hundreds of cities campaigning in favor of prohibition he disappeared. He checked out of the City Club of New York and headed on his way to a White House Council with President Hoover. He never arrived at his destination. The press at the time assumed that the mob or other pro-alcohol elements had kidnapped or killed him.
Colonel Robins' whereabouts were unknown for two months. He was found in the mountains of North Carolina in the town of Whitaker with a population of 500. He was described as suffering from amnesia. Residents of the North Carolina town said he came to the area in early September "tramping the mountains and looking for minerals." While living in the North Carolina town, he went by the name of Raymond Rogers and also gave speeches supporting re-election of his friend Herbert Hoover. He wore overalls and grew a beard. He built a tree stand or "look out" on a mountain behind the hotel he was staying.
Prohibition agents were in Whitaker, NC on separate business, when a barber named Frank Redmond told them about the resemblance of "Raymond Rogers" to a newspaper clipping he had of Raymond Robins. Robins may have actually suffered from an amnesia type episode or he may have had a mental breakdown. Robins was under a tremendous amount of pressure financially after backing the First National Bank. He put Chinsegut up for sale, but was unable to find a buyer.
First National was merged with Hernando State Bank in February of 1939 in order to create a single stronger institution. The Robins explained within the same statement, "The merger of the First National bank of Brooksville with the Hernando State Bank should make the latter one of the strongest and most prosperous country town banks in Florida. There has never been sufficient business to support two prosperous banks in Brooksville."
Three years before the merger, Colonel Robins fell from a tree in 1935 resulting in permanent paralysis from the waist down. The Robins cited this injury as a reason why they desired "to be relieved from the responsibility of a bank."
Raymond was an invalid for the last years of his life. During his life he traveled a long way from his birth in Staten Island, New York on September 17, 1873 to his death on September 26, 1954 at the age of 81 and burial at Chinsegut. From Finding gold in Alaska to heading the expedition for the American Red Cross in Russia, Colonel Raymond Robins certainly saw the world.
The mysterious disappearance of Raymond Robins is a small part of a life dotted with many intriguing elements. We hope to discover more about Colonel Raymond Robins in articles to come.