The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-08
"reminiscences of Tom Thumb.

"reminiscences of Tom Thumb.
Tom Thumb was brave little man.
He had lots of presents in his pretty
house in one of the prettiest of the
New England to - ms, and some OF
these presents were most valuable.
There was a snuff-boX from Prince
Albert, the husband of Queen Victo-
ria, presented to Tom Thumb when
he was shown to the Court at Wind
sor. This he priced very highly. as
we'll as a number of other elegant
things which were given him by the
nobility and gentry of Great Britain.
On one occasion the knowledge that
he kept these articles in his house ex.
cited the undisguised envy of a party
of burglars, who thought they would
have an easy job with the small FAM
ily. Tom was awakened az dead 0f
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 in the world. But the little
man, who, though small in stature,
had the courage of 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 par
lor, where he saw two men busy at
work on a safe constructed in the
wall.
"Stop that" he said, quickly, "or
here's bullet for each of YOU"
The men turned round in alarm,
and almost laughed to see The dimin-
utive figure that stood few feet off.
One of them threatened him.
IF you make step toward me, l
fire." said Tom, and they saw re-
volver in each of his little hands.
"You're pIucky little fellow" ex-
claimed the other burglar, "and, by
., I'll have nothing to do with
this" Then addressing Tom: "Ifwe
go, will you keep quiet"
"Leave my house," said Tom.
AT this moment Mrs. Stratton, who
had come down and saw the scene,
screamed aloud. The two burglars
thought no more about it, but made
rush and scrambled out of the win.
dow. In the flight one of them drop
ped gold signet ring, which Tom
was ever after proud to show as a
memento of his encounter with burg
lars. He was never after molested.
Tom was very fond of sailing. Once
he had the tiller and was skimming
along the Sound with a party of
friends. A four-year-old boy who was
playing about the deck fell into the
water. The mother screamed.
"Hoid the tiller and bring her
around" shouted Tom, and in an in
stant he was in the water swimming
toward the drowning child. whom he
had soon reached, and whom he held
up in the water for fifteen minutes
while the people on board bungling-
ly tried to get the thirty-foot boat
round.
at was said of Tom Thumb" re-
marked an actor yesterday, "that at
the time of the Newhall House dis
aster in Milwaukee, Tom Thumb fled
with his jewelry, leaving his wife be-
hind. This is not true. She had
and when they were found
toward the foot of the stairs he was
her as well as he could, and
would not let go when assistance ar
rived, 80 that they both had to be
carried out together. When he reach
ell the street he tainted, too. But his
pluck stood by him during the 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 an ordinary man, and
was this particularly the case when
he would come across some cowardly
bully. At one time he was so an
noyed by insults leveled at himself
and his wife by such people that he
kept "heeler" by him, who on the
slightest provocation would "clean
out crowd" in regular Sullivan
style. The class soon found it out,
and Tom had a quit 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 a vast interest in me.
But the Queen was very kind, and
seemed to be almost as much delight
ed as her son, then only child. The
impression made was so good that on
two other occasions we were ordered
to the Palace"