Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-20


office explains why SO many letters go
astray. It is announced that 1900 let
tiers are "posted" every day that through
misdirection or miscarriage of some kind
bring up in the dead letter Office, never
reaching the hands for which they were
intended. The carelessness of letter
writers is responsible for the greater
share of this postal failure. Thousands
of letters are returned to the parties
sending them where the precaution has
been observed of placing the address of
the writer on the outside of the enve-
lope.
NEARLY all the members of the "Col-
onep company which gave such good
performance at the opera house last
evening, spent the summer in Litchfield,
where they have given several entertain
ments. The initial performance of the
"Colonel" was given there a few weeks
ago. The company is good one and
deserves success"
BY the way, speaking of Litchfield, I
would remind you that this is the best
historic town, which is just now
crowded with city boarders. A new
attraction, which the townspeople are
Justly proud of, is the finely equipped
engine house, the gift of j. Deming
Perkins. 1t is one of the most complete
houses to be found in New England. It
is not only fire house, but it also has
reading room, billiard and pool room,
| bowling alley, hospital ward, containing
light snowy white beds, a ladies' dress
ing room, a kitchen, dining room,
several bath rooms, and in fact you will
find there everything to be found in the
leading metropolitan club houses.
When you go to Litchfield "get in
with some one of the seventy-five active
members and be shown through their
coy house.
| THE case of John Sullivan should re-
ceive the attention of the selectmen.
Sullivan is harmlessly insane old man
who believes that the world is his and
who wears a heavy overcoat when the
mercury is counting the one hundred
mark. He was sentenced to the town
house the other day for climbing to the
top of building near Union square,
armed with an axe, to prevent couple
of lightning rod agents from doing
their work. Sullivan has no relatives in
Waterbury, having for years lived on
the charity of the good-hearted keepers
of a South Main street hotel. The
town should pay for his keeping.
THE way some people practice decep-
tions is illustrated by the extreme meas
ures a local tea dealer took to represent
another the other day. The dealer
called on Fourth street and represented
to a woman that he had entered the en-
ploy of James Phelan and was selling
his goods. The man had just left the
house, after making sale, when Phe-
lan's wagon came along, and the trick
of the unscrupulous dealer was found out.
~
! JOSEPHINE FLORENCE SHEPARD who
| so acceptably played the title role in
, 1.-The Colonel last night is the daughter
, of Mrs w. J. Florence by her first hus
, band, the late Joseph Littell. Upon the
death of Mr. Littell the daughter was
placed in the care of the late w. J
Florence, who had her educated al
Mount st Vincent academy, Yonkers
N. Y. Later, she was taken to France
where her education was completed
Miss Shepard is Catholic, and was con
firmed Josephine Florence Littell. Re
turning to this country she married
quite young and became a society leader
being member of the Ameranth ORA
matte club of Brooklyn, and the WALLACE
club of New York, at that time having
no idea of ever adopting the profession
5 as means of livelihood. She had Otter
, appeared in concerts and gained con
siderable reputation as singer. Shortly
after this Miss Shepard was seized with
the desire of adopting the operate stage
l as profession, but fate decreed other
, wise, and in 1884 she made her profes
sional debut with Lolita, remaining with
that clever soubrette three seasons, ther
joining Estelle Clayton's company. Sht
next Joined A. NJ. Palmers 'tPrivatt
? Secretary" company, and later was en-
t. gagged by Daniel Frohman for "Tht
Wife" company, for two seasons. Mis-
Shepard is handsome woman, with {
fine stage presence. She is a bright con
5 versationalist, speaking French, German
= and Italian, and fine musician, with 4;
strong mezzo soprano voice.
THE calling out of the National GuarC
: of Pennsylvania, New York and Ten
the fact that the Connecticut stat,
militia has actually been called int
: service Of this kind only once in {
: quarter of a century. Even in 1877
when the great railroad riots in Penn
a Isylvania called out the militia in tha
? state and in New York, and Connect
D cut was called upon to hold itself il
D readiness, the soldiers were not called
out. The arsenals and armories were
g for a week or so, but the nearest they
e came to calling out troops was in New
f Haven, where, on July 9th, the com
e panies and the second company of thu
Governors Foot Guard were summoned
f and put under arms owing to a feal
\ that there might be trouble. In 1882
f the hatmakers' strike in Danbury
r aroused no little anxiety, but the troop
+ were not called out. The Hartford
i companies were pressed into service il
q February, 1889, to assist in the work O
! fescue at the ruins of the Park centra
hotel. On June IS, 1891, an order wa
l. issued from the acknowledgement
q office, authorizing Assistant Adjutant
+ General Van Kuren to order out an,
necessary portion of the Bridgepor
= battalion of the Fourth regiment to co
a operate with the civil authorities il
q keeping order in that city, which wa
! threatened with riot in consequence O
r the notorious police row, hardly we