The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1893-10-04

leading lawyer of Hartford, twice mem
Der of Assembly in the Connecticut Leg
islature, once Senator and twice Governo
OF the Nutmeg State. He failed the thirc
time because he inundated himself OF
the political altar to save Cleveland The
President rewarded his self-abnegatior
by making him Consul General at Lon.
don, the richest office in the gift of the
Administration. Tom is now, in conse.
quence, not compelled to labor at his
profession but is enabled to live in ease
and luxury from the fortune he has ac-
quired.
Tom Waller has more romantic and
even more interesting story than David
b. Hill. Forty years ago he was news
boy on the ferryboats which Piled be-
tween Brooklyn and New York. There
was no big bridge in those days, and the
boys lowered around the ferryboats
winch carried all of the human freight of
the two great cities at that time. The
lads real name was Thomas Waller
OGrady. Like Richard Croker, dictator
OF Tammany Hail. he was the offshoot of
anoble race. Croker, as is Known, is a
lateral descendant of the redoubtable
Squire Croker, Of Ballinagar, famous in
Irish History. Thomas Waller O'Grady
is also descended from family renown-
ed in Irish history. One ancestor is the
famous Baronfeather O'Grady, Ireland's
greatest jurist and the compeer of Graf
tan, Curran, Phillips and other renown-
ed Irish barristers. His grandfather was
Thomas Standish Waller 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 a child in arms. He
was adopted by an old Dutch family in
New York, but the restrictions placed
upon the future statesman was SO irk-
some that he ran away and became a
newsboy. Many is the time in his pre-
carious calling in those days that young
Tom was compelled to sleep in a dry
goods box at night after an unsatisfactory |
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 met fussy
old gentleman who wished copy of the
Hartford Courant. 1t was the favorite
paper OF his native town, and, as he
thought, away ahead of all metropolitan
OF course New York newsboys
lid not sell country papers and Tom told
him so.
However" said the cute little fellow
n reassuring way, 81 think can get
t for you.' BY good luck Tom had seen
in old lady in the saloon reading that
'ery paper, which he recognized by the
!ncient type in its headline, and he
orthwith came up to the dame and
'ffered to exchange a copy of New
FORK paper for the medieval country
beet. The lady was New Highlander
nd ready for bargain, She had read
be Courant and had no further use for
!. She thought she had made clever
cal when she exchanged the country
forming paper for bright metropolitan
vening journal. Tom knew he had.
When he presented the Courant to the
issy old gentleman that dignitary gave
i'm dollar for his pains. Then he in
uired his name.
"Tom Waller" promptly responded
he newsboy. The old gentleman stood
ghast. 1t was his own name. He took |
own the lads address, looked mp bis q
'ferences, and in fortnight adopted !
i'm. He had no children and Tom was
is idol. He gave him sound pre- s
minary education and then sent him to !
ale College. There Tom graduated /
it'll high honors His subsequent 9
story is too familiar to the public to U
quire repetition.