Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-31
FELL AMONG FRIENDS.
A stranger Whom Mr. McEnery Be
frIended Walked OF With His Valise
and Letters Causing Him No End OF

Thaddeus J. P. McEnery, who is an
nounced to deliver a lecture in City hall on
| Thursday evening, April 49, had a rather
peculiar experience during his voyage
across the Atlantic, and one which has
caused him no small amount of anxiety
since he set foot on the free soil of Amerl-
ca Mr. McEnery needs no introduction
to a large and respectable element of this
community, many of the friends and ASSOC
ciates of his boyhood being among the
most prosperous and best known business
men and mechanics in the city. To use
the gentleman's own words, There are
more men and women in this city whom l
knew in my boyhood and whose voices
chlmed with NINE at school than there are
in the town where was born and reared"
Mr. McEnery is a good specimen of the
well-to-dO class of the Irish people, and
having scholastic education and being
thoroughly conversant with the condition
of affairs in the old land, lecture on this
subject by him will be rare treat to all
who may desire to know something of the
true state of affairs in Ireland.
An incident which occurred to him on
| the voyage across the ocean has brought
Mr. McEnery into much more notoriety
| than he had anticipated and which he had
| no desire whatever to obtain. He comes
| to this country by request of his brother
| in-law, John Mccarthy of Kilfeighney
county Kerry, Ireland, who came to this
country in 1864, and who had not been
heard of since that time until February of
last year. when to the surprise and delight
| of MIR McEnery, his wife and family,
letter was received at the Tralee postoffice
from the long absent member of his wife's
family, giving additional I roof of the old
| Irish adage, There are hopes from the
| Oreon Int none from the grave
| When John Mccarthy went out from his
native town he left behind him besides his
parents, two brothers and two sisters, all
of whom are now dead except Mr. Nc
| Emery wife. 1t was generally believed
that the absent one had been lost at sea
and this supposed fact had been the theme
of many an evenings discussion by the
| dresides among the residents of his native
| heath. The letter which Mr. McEnery re-
ceived from his brother-in-law informed
| him that he was alive and in good health,
stating that upon his arrival in this coun-
| try he had succeeded in obtaining employ
ment as engineer on a railroad in New
| York position which he still held, and
| furnishing him with all the necessary in
| formation as to where he could be found.
| After some deliberation on the part of Mr.
| McEnery and his family, it was agreed
| that he should visit America as soon as
| circumstances would permit. Mr. McEnery
is public auctioneer in his native town
and FASTENED to finish what work he had
on hand preparatory to embarkatlon.
| Everything being settled and provided
with all the necessary information he set
sail from Queenstown on March II, on
board the steamship Campania of the
Cunard line, and after speedy, but very
tempestuous voyage, landed in New York
on March IS.
Mr. McEnery has been a total abstainer
ali his life, but before leaving the old
country he was advised to put bottle of
brandy in his vaise, lest he should be-
come i'll on the voyage and have occasion
to use little stmulantS. The advice may
have been given in good faith. but never
theless to this same instruction Mr.
McEncry can trace most, if not all, the in
| convenience he has come to since his arri-
val in this country. When the ship was
in mid-ocean a man called Mr. McEnery out
of his bed and informed him that his wife
had been taken suddenly i'll and asked h m
If he could furnish him with little
| spirits. With the good nature character
| istlc of Mr. McEnery's race he forthwith
produced his valise and handing it to the
man told him to help himself, not think
| ing but that the valise would be returned.
The contents of the bottle he had no use
for. The next morning the valise had not
been returned and MI McEnery not know
ing the man to whom 1t had been given
was in sorry plight. The valise con-
tanned the address of his brother-in-law
and other letters of Introduction to friends
in different parts of this country. The
vessel carried over 500 souls and a dill
! gent search failed to bring to light the
man to whom the bag had been given.
| No one answering the description of the
person who called upon him and carried
away the valise cauld be found. Whether
| the man drank the contents of the bottle
| and then walked overheard, or disguised
| himself in some manner, no one could
tell. SO Mr. McEnery found himself in
New York without any reference that
would assist him in finding his friend
He tried in every conceivable manner to
learn the whereabouts of the man he
sought but without success. Finally after
| Il two days search he decided to insert an
| advertisement in the New York Herald
and came to Waterbury to spend n few
days with his nephew, Jeremiah G. Stat
terry, ST. Baldwin street, and await de-
| velopments.
When Mr. McEnery came to Waterbury
he did not entertain the idea of posing be-
fore the people as a public speaker, and
| the announcement of his appearance as a
tons on the part of number of friends
rather than any desire of his own tor he
| would much prefer leaving the city in the
same unOstentatlouS manner that he had
| entered it. There are few men better
| qualified, both by education and expert
rnce. to eXpouud the veXed question of
| land tenure in Ireland than this gentleman
| is. having acteo as valuator for the tenants
OF his native town since the land act OF
1881 went INTO effect. Under the pro-
visions of this law whenever disputes
arose between landlord and tenant two
valuators were appointed, one by the land
owner and the other by the tenant. Each
appraised the land and submitted his find
| ing to the court, which resultedhlmost in
.arIably in great reduction In favor of
the tenant When the land act worked 80
we'll for the tenant farmer the townspeople
| throughout the country organized move
ment for reduction of rent in the tene-
ment houses, and committee having been
appointed by the house of Commons to en-
qulre into the grievances srt forth by the
p, pie, Mr. McEnery Was made president of
the household league of Tralee and was
summoned to appear before the committee
i'll London, where he rendered invaluable
services not only to the people of his own
town, but also to those of the entire coun-
try. His home Is on Rock street one of
the principal thoronghfares of the prosper
GUS and picturesque town of Tralee. He
also owns u large farm few miles outside
the town on the Abbeydorney road, within
view of the old abbey so well known to all
the residents of that place, the ruins of
which are still in good state of preserva-
ton and ale we'll guarded by the towns
people The landlord of the place is Will
liam Talbot Crosbie of Ardfert, place
made familiar to the student of Irish his
tory as the seat of one of the most cele-
DRAFTED colleges the country possessed In
the time of her pristine glory.
Mr. McEnery does not propose to fight
against fate, and like the calm, collected
man that he is will to take things
phllosophically. He will leave here after
his lecture, and after making tour
through the country return to his home