Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-20

The trouble with The Phoenix in enqur-
ing about Thomas Thompson, the interest
ing aoooGnt. of whose will was pgintetI TWO
weeks ago, was that enquiry was not made
in the right places. The place naturally
thought of was the Water Cure. which in
its palmy days was the resort of all the
elite who came to Brattleboro. The Thomp-
son :. however, did not class themselves in
that social category. and sought a more
quiet, though no less desirable abiding
place. 1t was in the summer of 1861 or
1852 that they came here and spent the
warm months at the Bliss farm. coming to
the village with the approach of cold wealth
er and spending the winter under the hos
pitable roof of the late Mrs. Crandall. who
then occupied the Chaplin homestead on
Asylum street. where \. b. Hall now lives
! Whether they remained during the follow
| ing summer depOnent saith not with GER
tainty. The peculiarities of Mr.. Thompson
and his wife are recalled by several women.
who were then of an age to have eyes for
everything which was going on. Mr..
| Thompson was tall man of sandy COM
pleXion and rosy face, and of a peculiarly
shy and retiring demeanor He was a man
of much cultivation and soon sought ont
his tavorites among some of the younger
folk, the young ladies especially, in whom
he saw promise of future attainment in art
or literature. He had his eccentricitieS
which were very well known by those about
him, and it was no reproach or intentional
discourtesy to him that among the bright
young folk who came within his circle he
was Familiarity spoken of-in secret, OF
course-as Tommy Thompson. His
timidity was one of his most notable char
acteristics. The conveyance by which he
and his wife travelled about the country
was very old-fashioned two-seated car
riage drawn by a big bay horse, not noted
| for its "style' or fleetness. In front was
the peculiar continuance, which The PhW-
nix has already spoken of, for releasing the
horse from the shafts should he recklessly
try to run away. One lady of this village
was passenger in the same railroad ear in
which Mr.. Thompson made his very first
| journey by rail, and she gives a highly
amusing account of the way in which Mrs,
| Thompson and her maid lowered about
| Mr.. Thompson during the ride to Boston,
! sitting either by his side or on a seat in
| front, 10 protect him in case of accident.
Mrs. Thompson was a woman of agreeable
social temper, though not enjoying fully
her husbands litereary and artistic tastes.
After the time spoken of it is not prob
! able that Mr. Thompson again visited
Brattleboro, but on the summer following
his death Mrs. Thompson again came here,
staying for short time at the Francis
water cure, either calling upon or sending
for several of the friends which she had
made several years before. With some of
these friends she carefully discussed the
! provisions of the will, and to them it was
stated that the purpose of Mr. Thompson
was to contine his beneficence strictly to
women who earned their livelihood by the
needle, and, as the will intimates, he did
not wish help to such women to be deferred
until they were actually i'm need, but that
the funds should be used to make life COM
| Portable for them.