News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-08-16

Tom Thumb was a brave little man.
He had lots of presents in his pretty
little house in one of the prettiest of the
New England towns, and some of these
presents were most valuable. There
was snutf-ooX from Prince Albert, the
husband of Queen Victoria, presented
TO Tom Thumb when he was shown to
the Court at Windsor. This he priced
very highly, as well as a number of
other elegant things which were given
him by the nobility and gentry of Great
Britain. On one OccasiJ IN the knowl-
edge that he kept these articles in his
house excited undisguised envy of
party of burglars, who thought they
would have an easy job with the small
family. Tom was awakened at dead of
night to the knowledge that burglars
were in the lower rooms, His wife
begged him to let them complete their
work on the plea that his life was more
valuable than all the gold and silver ia
the world. But the little man, who.
though small in stature, had the cour-
age of a giant, went to his bureau
drawer, took out two handsomely chased
revolvers-one was a gift from the
Crown Prince of Prussia-and crept
down to the parlor, where he saw two
men busy at work on a safe constructed
IN the wall
''Stop that" he said, quickly, ''or
here's a bullet for each of you.
The men turned round in alarm. and
almost laughed to see the diminutive
figure that stood few feet off. One of
them threatened him.
IF you make a step toward me, I
fire" said Tom and they saw a revolver
In each of his little hands.
you're a plucky little fellow" ex-
claimed the other burglar, ''and, by,
I'll have nothing to do with this. >
Then, addressing Tom: eff we go, will
you keep quiet? q
leave my house, said Tom.
Al this moment Mrs Stratton, who had
come down and saw the scene, screamed
aloud. The two burglars thought no
more about it, but made a rush and |
scrambled out of the window. In the |
flight one of them dropped a gold signet |
ring, which Tom was ever after proud to |
show as a memento of his encounter |
with burglars. He was never after mo- |
Tested.
Tom was very fond of sailing. Once |
he had the tiller and was skimming |
along the Sound with party of friends. |
a four year-Old boy who was PLAYING |
about the deck fell into the water. The |
mother screamed.
S'Hold the tiller and bring her
around" shouted Tom, and in an in
slant he was IN the water swimming
toward the browning child, whom he
had soon reached and whom he held up
IN the water for fifteen minutes while
q IL.
get the thirty-foot boat around.
cit was said of Tom Thumb" re-
marked an actor recently, "that at the
time of the Newhall House disaster in
Milwaukee, Tom Thumb fed with his
Jewelry, leaving his wife behind. This
Is not true. She had tainted, and when
they were found toward the foot of the
stairs he was carrying her as well as he
could, and would not let go when assist
ance arrived, SO that they both had to
be carried out together When he
reached the street he tainted, too. But
his pluck stood by him during tn criti-
cal period, and he saved his jewelry,
too"
Tom Thumb used TO say that he
would give up all the money he made to
be the size OF any ordinary man, and this
was particularly the case when he would
come across some cOwarllv bully. At
one time he was so annoyed by insults
levelled at himself and wife by such
people that he kept a ''heeler' by linn.
who on the slightest prOvocation would
"'clean out a crowd" in regular Sullivan
style. The class soon found it out, and
Tom had a quiet time of it.
He often spoke OF his visit to Eng
land, and referred to the Queen and
Prince Albert.
THE Prince Of Wales, he said, "was
Just about my size then, and seemed to
take vast interest in me. But the
Queen was very kind, and seemed to be
almost as much delighted as her son,
then only child. The impression was
so good that on two other occasions we
were ordered to the palace"
Tom was too good a Republican to he
overcome by the honors showered on
him by royalty. His demeanor was not
precisely bold but confident in the ex-
IRENE. He was very young at the time.
The Court of England was mostly made
up Of young people, VictOria's age be-
ing only about twenty-five. When he
went back the last time all that was
changed He did not see the Queen at
All, 1oI BIG "Oulu IuuJuBe Ill no duluSe-
ments, but the Prince Of Wales. then
just married, invited Tom Thumb and
his wife to Marlborough House.
Tom Thumb was well off, but not &C
tually rich, when he died At one time
his fortune was quite large, but it
dwindled down in various specuations
and he was compelled to take the road
again When he passed away he was
worth fully $50, 200, however, which
was good deal for such a small man.