Connecticut western news., 1879-12-03
Birthday Memories.
MIR. WEEDS REoon1EoTIoNs OF HIS EARLY BoYHooD, AND OF FRIENDS LONG PASSED AWAY,

i I'aterUie,C i,a Ne,o York Herald.
 If l am spared until tomorrow vii
 be eighty-two years of age, and I must
 say am very thankful indeed to have
 been spared so long.
 | have been a very fortunate man very fortunate all through life, and have had very successful life. I was born Of humble parents, they were poor and worked hard, and I, being the eldest child, felt at an early age that I ought to release my father from the burden oi my support.
 l was strongly impressed with this idea, and in my ninth year I deter mined to be self-supporting. I went to Cabsk1ll when nine years old and found employment in blacksmishl shop, blowing stripings, as it was called in those days.
 ] was paid a shilling a day and my board. Not very large wages, was it After that I found employment with Q tavern-keeper as boy of all work, and used up the winter in that way.
 In the spring went aboard slocp as cook, and made my first voyage to New York from CatskiIl. This was in loo7-a good while ago-continued MT. Weed, softly, while he passed his hand over his brow.
 At this time my greatest ambition was to become printer. I longed for an opportunity to get into an office, and when l got back to Catskill I saw chance to become an apprentice in the office of the Recorder, published there by MT. Crosswell.
 Just at this time, however, my father moved to Cortland county, and I was Tn great despair at the thought of having to give up my cherished ambition.
 We moved to Onondaga Hollow, and 1 obtained employment with the post. master, who wanted a boy to do gen. eral work about his place and take care of his horse and garden.
 My only pay was to be some school Ing, and fer six months went to school there. By the way, that was about all the schooling I ever had. To my great joy a printing office moved there in l8ll, and l went immediately and ask ed the proprietor, Mfr. Fay, to take me as an apprentice.
 He said l was too green looking and turned me off. Then MT. Hopper, the postmaster, wont to him and interceded for me, and he took me on. I Iworked with him for year and half :; then my master had some trouble and left sud denly.
 Some friends came to me and said that on account of some legal advertisements they wanted the paper continued-it only half sheet-for five or six weeks. Accordingly I printed it. Itwas called the Lync. It was worked on Ramage press, the same as Franklin worked on.
 In 1872 I went into the war as 8 volunteer, being too young to be reg ular. l served three campaigns in that war, and worked at Utica, Herkimer and other places at my trade during the intervals.
 " saw the first steamboat. I saw it in 1907, when it went up the river with Fulton. It was most frightful sight. There was fire, smoke and sparks, and everybody agreed that 1t was 8 most frightful looking sight.
 l was passenger in the first railroad car ever drawn by locomotive engine from Albany to Schenectady. So many events have been crowded into the years I have lived.
 Among the sad things in an old mans experience ono of the saddest is to find the circle of friends and acq uaint- ances growing smaller and smaller. I went to funeral day before yesterday up here at Fourteenth street, and saw Mrs. Tillotson laid away.
 A few years ago I was dining with her and her husband; now they are gone. MT. Spoff yrl, his partner-both we'll known old time merchants-is gone, too. MT. and Mrs. R. M. Blatch- ford, intimate friends of mine, living right opposite me are gone. MT. and Mrs. Moses H. Grinnell are gone.
 MT. J. Sturgis, who used to live right opposite is gone. MT. Robert B. Min turn, one of the truest and best men that ever lived, is gone. My next door MT. James Otis and Andrew arrigan and George H. Aspinwall-all, all gone and all intimate friends of the past"
 At the ROtfOm of Mine