Evening journal., 1893-11-21
ROMANCE az a NswsBoY.
Tncidents In the Career or Ex-Governor
Waller of Connccticut

Tncidents In the Career uf Ex-Governor
Waller of Connecticut.
Who does not know genial Tom Wal
icr Of Connecticut? Tom was for years
the leading lawyer Of Hartford. twice
member of the assembly in the Connec-
ticut legislature, once senator and twice
governor Of the Nutmeg State. lie failed
the third time because he inundated
himself on the political altar to save
Cleveland. The president rewarded his
self abnegation by making him cousul
general at London, the richest Office in
the administration.
Tom Walter 40 years ago was news
boy on the ferryboats which piled
between Brooklyn and New York. There
was no big bridge in shoso days, and Inc
boys hovered around the ferryboats,
which carried all Of the human freight
Of the two great cities at that time. The
lads real name was Thomas Waller
O'Grady, and he descended from lam
lily renowned in Irish history.
One ancestor is the famous Baron
feather O'Grady, Ireland's greatest juIist
and the compeer Of Grattau, Curlan,
Phillips and other renowned Irish bar
ristors His granduncle was Thomas
standish Walter O'Grady, the bitterest
Tory and hardest landlord in the good
old bailiwick of Limerick.
Thomas Waller O'Grady's parents
died while he was almost q childin arms.
lie was adopted by an old Dutch family
in New York, but the restrictions i'm
posed upon the future statesman were
so irksome that he ran away and became
newsboy. Many is the time in his
precauous calling in those days that
young Tom was compelled to sleep n
dry ga2ds box at night after an unsais-
factory days labor. Tom had dropped
the family name and was known by his
youthful associates as Tom Waller.
One day while crossing the Fulton ferry
from Brooklyn to New York he IL c q
iussy old gentleman who wished a copy
of the Hartford Courant. il was tho
favorite paper of his native town, und
rs he Thought away ahead of all metro
politan journals. OF course New York
newsboys did not sell country papers,
and Tom told him so.
However" said the cute little fellow
in o reassuring way, II think can get
IL for you" By good luck Tom had seen
an old lady in the saloon reading chat
very paper, which he recognized by the
ancient typeinits headline, and he forth
with came up to the dame and offered to
exchange a copy of a New York paper
for the medieval country sheet. the
lady was q New Englander and ready
for q bargain. She had read The COu-
rant and had no further use for it. She
Thought she had made aclever deal when
she exchanged the country morning pa
per for bright metropolitan evening
journal. Tom knew he had. When he
presented The Couraut to the fussy old
gentleman, that dignitary gave him 81
forhis pains. Then he inquired msname
"Tom Waller" promptly responded
the newshoy. The old gentieman stood
aghast. IL was bis own name. lie tool
down the lads address, looked mp his ref
ercnces and in a fortnight adopted him
/ He had no children. and Tom was hi
! idol. He gave him q sound preliminary
/ education and then sent him 20 i ale col
lege. There Tom graduated with ligl
( honors His subsequent history is to'
familiar to the public TO require repeti
tion.-Boston Herald.