Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1900-1903, 1902-05-17
IN oLDEN DAYS.
"reminiscences Exchanged at the Bust
ness Mems Banquet.


place else one happens to find him
self in this world. I was fortu-
nate in this respect at the banquet
of the Business Men in Odd Fellows
hall Thursday night. I was given a
seat beside Thomas Fitzsimons of
Cherry street, president Of the Novel
ty Manufacturing Co. Mr. Fitzsimons
is one of those sturdy sons of the EN-
erald Isle, who emigrated to the United
States in the forties and by honest
thrift and steady application to bust
ness succeeded in making his mark.
He has a very retentiye memory, is
chock full of interesting anecdotes
about Waterbury when it was in swad-
ding clothes, and although he was but
eight years old when he left his native
sod, still he has very vivid recollec-
ton of the manners and customs in
vogue there in his day and time and
likes to talk of them. He doesn't
smoke, drink or chew, as the saying
goes, and no doubt this accounts in
some degree for his success in life
and general good health. He used to
live in my part of the town, Baldwin
street, and has a soft spot in his heart
for it still. But that is a long time ago
and the place has since undergone such
an oyerhauIing he would need the
assistance of guide to work his way
through it now.
For years Mr. Fitzsimons had charge
of department at Steele &
Johnson's and remembers all the
boys who worked there in those
days, Dennis J. Gaynor, James Nicho1-
son, Richard Leroy. Henry Snagg,
n ID u
Michael and Patrick, John Scully, Dan
Reidy, Maurice Healey and a score of
more others, many of whom have long
since been called away. About TWEEN
ty-nine years ago Mr. Fitzsimons and
two of his shopmateS, Messrs Blake
and Putnam, started the Novelty shop,
and like all men who began with limit
ed means. they had their ups and
downs, but they made it pay and at
the present time the factory employs
in the neighborhood of 200 hands.
When they engaged in business the in
surance men didn't think Mr. FitZ-
simons safe risk and he failed to
get much insurance on his life. His
partners were pronounced o X and had
no trouble in getting all the insurance
they were able to pay on. These gen
tlemen crossed the divide years
ago, but Mr. Fitzsimons is still on deck,
Notwithstanding the fact that the in
surance men thought he was not
destined to spend any great length of
time on this planet.
Mr. Fitzsimons dropped into Water
bury In 1919, and after being here q
few days took a stroll out East Main
street, and wandered into a little shop
near the spot where Matthew Corrigan
did horse shoeing at later day. He
noticed some buttons scattered about
the doorway and, boylike, he started to
ill his pockets with them. While thus
engaged, the owner of the place, Mr.
Hayden, father of the founders of
Holmes, Booth & Haydens, one of the
biggest concerns in town, rushed onto
him and ruthlessly drove him from the
premises, shouting after him as he sped
away that II he caught him there again
he'd skin him. He headed to what is
now known as Exchange place where
he whiled away a half hour gaping at a
man ploughing in a lot with a pair of
cattle, and looking at bullheads dis
porting in pool that stood near by.
A wild romantic spot was Waterbury
in those days. 1t didn't look anything
like it does today.
Eight years ago Mr. Fitzsimons re-
visited the scenes of his boyhood in the
hope that little relaxation from bust
ness and the invigorating breezes of his
native air would restore his failing
health. He crossed over to Ireland
from Liverpool and made his way to
Athlone in Westmeath, q short distance
from the village of Baylin, where he first
saw the light and many of his people
before him. He hired hackman, per-
haps a sidecar driver would be more
appropriate to carry him to Baylin,
with instructions to stop at Moy-
drum castle, the old school house and
other places. The driver wanted to
know how long since he had visited the
place. He told him over fifty years.
The fellow said that he wouldn't know
the place at ALL Mr. Fitzsimons re-
quested the driver to move on and not
come TO halt until he had heard from
him. The man laid the whip to the
horse and galloped off. When he reach
ed the castle he kept going ahead until
Mr. Fitzsimons shouted to him to hold
on, telling him that that was the castle
where he had so often played in his
hicle and climbed the stone stile that
leads into the enclosure and spent Il
short time noting the changes that
time had wrought on this work of a
prehistoric age. The next stop was
made at the school house. He raped
at the front door and was answered
by a lady who directed him to pass
around to the next door and the master
would talk with him. The master re-
ceived him courteously and showed
him through the building. He rambled
about through the different class rooms
until he came to the apartment III
which was located the fire place. Then
he called to the master and his wife
she was the senior teacher in the
building-and pointed out to them the
spot where he used to lay down his
sod of turf which was to form a part
of the fire that was to warm the school
half a century ago. The master
smiled and remarked that that was
long before he was born. From here
he drove to the house he was born in.
When he looked at it he said he must
have made a mistake. That wasn't
the house. This puzzled him some and
while he was thinking how he could