The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-18
REMLNTsCENCEs
Of an Army Officer From East Haven in the
 War of 1s12-A Citizen Vindicated.

| Of an Army Officer From East Haven in the War of 1s1e-A Citizen Vindlcated.
 Frequently there are matters of local historical interest that do not involve a great amount in dollars and cents, yet they may be worthy of notice.
 In the month of May 1876, c. W.. Bradley, who was then superintendent of the New Haven almshouse, gave to Christ church of East Haven, the Epis- | copal society, promissory note for the sum of $50 bearing interest at the rate | of 6 per cent. per annum, and to be known forever as "The Susan Thomas Memorial EndQwment Fund" The pro ceeds from said fund were to be applied for the sole benefit of the Sunday school in the purchase of books and papers, in each and every year. Mrs. Susan Thomas received for a long time a, large pension from the United States government. She resided with MT. Bradley when he was in East Haven, and he was her financial agent for many years. Mrs. Thomas was al- ways foremost in church work, in fact one of it's pillars. She died in 1876. Her husband was Captain John A. Thomas, who was an officer in the regular army in the war of 1S12 and was at one time captain in the Twenty-ffth regiment of infantry, and also in the command of the garrison at Fort Hale. He died in 1S41, aged sixty-four years.
 To go on with the story it can be truthfully said that the East Haven church Sunday school had the yearly and regular benefit of this money for years, until the church was closed and without services and without a Sunday school for long time.
 At the annual meeting in 1893, when Rev. MT. VanIngen, the assistant at St. Paul's, was pastor of the church in East Haven, the claim was then made that the church did not recognize Su- san Thomas in any way, and that Mir. Bradley was obligated for the full pay ment of the note with interest without any limitation.
 In addition to this it was said that there was no evidence of any kind that Susan Thomas was 0 factor in the case, and that the said note was simply an evidence of indebtedness and must be paid.
 The note had now become outlawed and Mir Bradley taking advantage of this fact refused the persistent de- mands of the society, but promptly of fered to carry out his original prom ise to the church and the Sunday school to the letter, pay all back interest, give a new note with an approved endorser. This the management-the wardens and vestrymen-refused to accept, and suit at law was threatened
 The matter has rested-nearly two years-unttl the present time. On East CT Monday of this year, at the close of the annual meeting of the parish, an examination was made of a package of valuable papers belonging to the East Haven church, and which had been held by the late Charles T. Hem ingway, a former treasurer of the so- ciety
 In this bundle of papers was found a long written document dated May, 1876, the design of MT. Bradleys gift and blank receipts to be used in the | of the earnings of the | memorial fund. The following is a 1 copy of one:
 East Haven, Conn, .....,, 18.. The Susan Thomas Memorial Endow-
 ment. MT. ....-..,.-... ..-.,..A...,,.....s.-. Treasurer of Christ Church Society. Pay ......., ,........-............ or order, 1 .................... ..,........ Dollars. 1 GOT the earnings of the above endow- 1
 ment for the year ending ;. ., 1S.,)
 Si1D't Sunday School l
 .............,..,.....R Rector. This finding of papers nearly twenty | years old revives the memory of Mrs. | Thomas and places MT. Bradley in a |