The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1905-10-25
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
Items of local interest taken from the columns
of The Press, thirty years ago.l
October go, 1873. :

The room assigned him had been for
some days before occupied by an actor
who required sleep during the morn
ing, and whom the cham bremaid had
been ordered not to disturb. In max
ing the rounds on Friday morning,
finding the room locked, she, suppos-
ing it still occupied by the actor,
made no report. Saturday morning
the chambermaid again found the door
fastened, but from the closed room
now came strong odor of gas. A
glance into the room through the
transom showed Mr.. Leonard lying
dead in bed, with the gas from the
burner fully turned on. Mr.. Leonard
was not a man likely to have blown
out rather than turned off the gas,
and the theory of Mr.. Squier is the
more likely one. He found the stop
of the burner to turn very easily, the
slightest touch moving it. The burn
er was some distance from the bed,
would be quite likely to turn it off
with the left hand, at the same time
glancing at the route to be traversed
in the darkness to reach the bed.
The forefnger of the left hand would
thus be behind the thumb piece, and
in removing it the burner might east
ly be re- opened. Mr.. l.. had with
him over 500 in money, and several
Thousand dollars in value of papers,
These were all cared and accounted
for by the proprietor and coroner.
Mr.. Squier had the body placed in a
casket, and started with it for home
at p. m. on Sunday. Arriving at
Palmer at 8 O'Clock carriage in
waiting started with the remains for
the house of mourning, Where at mid
night the sad watchers received back
the inanimate form of the husband
and father who had so recently gone
forth in full health. The funeral
services we're held on Monday at 2 p
m. The attendance was very large,
but a small proportion being able to
get within the house. Service3 we're
conducted by Rev. F. L. Batchelder,
and at the close long procession fol-
lowed the remains to the cemetery,
near to his late residence. The re-
moval by death even, under ordinary
circumstances, of such man as Mil
ton Leonard would be severely felt.
Actively interested in public matters,
inAronfiol his folloXU q p,
have repeatedly shown confidence in
his honesty and prudence by electing
him to offices of trust, he receiving
the votes of men of all parties, though
himself an active and working repub-
lican. At the time of his death he
was serving his fifth consecutive term
as first selectman, a position he had
held at intervals before. The name
of Leonard has been an honored one
in stafford's history, and on the old
homestead where his father before
had followed the pursuits of farmer
and blacksmith, Mr.. Leonard had
passed his days in the same honorable
occupations.
About s O'Clock Monday evening
fire was discovered in the picker room
of the old Valley mill at the Hollow,
and in spite of all exertions that
could be made with such appliances
as were at hand the entire ell, in
which the picker was located, and
soon after the main building, was
hopelessly wrapped in flames. The
light was seen in this village, and
the first stroke of the alarm given at
exactly 8 O'Clock, summoning Tor.
rent engine company, which, after a
few minutes hesitation from seeing
the fire deaden as the ell burned low,
and before the main building was
fairly ablaze, were soon on the road,
arriving in time to save a quantity of
wood and some sheds, also to prevent
injury to such of the machinery as
had been got out of the building.
The origin of the fire is unknown,
though probably it was from spontan-
eous combustion. The Valley com
pany recently became insolvent, and
have not operated the mill since last
spring, but since July, Henry Cham
plin has been running a portion of
the machinery on lease. Mr.. Cham
plin had left the mill soon after Z
o'clock, and when the alarm was Civ
en- was at Crawford & Banfords in
this village buying supplies He es-
Inmates the value of stock in the mill
at $1,000, having shipped his product
COTTON warp very closely. Some of
the stock and machinery was saved,
though in bad condition, and proba-
bly, of little value. The building
and machinery we're insured for 1923,
900, and Mr.. Champljn's loss is prob
ably fully covered by insurance also.
The firemen before leaving for home
we're generously fed by Messrs. Claud-
Jus Harvey and Rufus Weston, an
abundance of hot coffee and food for
tifying them fol the tramp homeward,
the journey to the fire having ex~
hausted the horses attached to the en-
CINE, so that the company were
Obliged to draw it home by hand
power. The mill at the time of the
burning was the property, subject to
some mortgages, of Claudius Harvey,
late agent of the Valley Co , who
took the property ON the dissolution
of that company a few months since
The property could not be duplicated
for $4,000, though in the present
depressed condition of the cotton bust
ness smaller sum would cover it's
market value.
Born. Wales, 21st, a son to
Andrew FL. Royce.
Died.-In Stafford, 9th, Joseph