Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-17
PUT OUT OF BUSINESS
Old Man Who "Tinkered" Around
 Has Nothing to Do.

"I'll jack up the job and go live on
 the town." remarked an old fellow this
 morning as he took Il seat on bench
 in the park. apparently dissatisfied
 with his lot in life and looking as if
 he thought the world had no further
 use for him. After he got through
 fuming and fussing about with his lit-
 tie leather satchel he touched a match
 to his pipe and after taking a few
 whiffs out of it he felt better and
 talked cheerfully with couple of men
 who were nearby. Years ago he was
 an upholsterer in Boston and made
 good money at the business until the
 panic of '13. when he was forced t0
 the wall and lost every dollar he had.
 To make matters worse his wife and two children died. and to top things
 off he fell and broke his leg the day the last of them was buried. When
 he got able to hop around he didn't have a dollar to his name. and his friends were few and far between. In time he managed to get hold of set of tools and with them as his only 1 fortune he started out to do odd jobs around Massachusetts, and finally i driffed into Connecticut. He struck | Waterbury the year of the blizzard and got such an unfavorable impression
 of the place that he left after being here one night and was glad to get his heels out of the town. because he had n notion that il was "a poor spot Tor | his business. Ten years later he made
 another call. and this time he had bet | ter luck. Things came his way and he remained about town for nearly a | year. repairing chairs. sofas and doing such other work in that line as needed i attention in houses he visited. Since | that time he has made regular trips to | Waterbury and never experienced any i trouble getting all the work he could swing into until this year. when he was told at almost every door that f tbere was nothing for him to do. He i laid all his woes at the door of the de nartment of charities. whom he said ] mt the uphoIstering business ''On the l hog by having all they can get hold | of done at the BroOkside home. He declared he was going to get square | with the city by remaining here long f enough to acquire a residence and live { on the public so long as they have i knocked him out of business. The old | fellow said the Brookside home chair repairing department hurt more than the rransients and mentioned the names | of two ar three local firms that feel the competition keenly. If the workshop at the institution does no more harm | than put an occasional nomad ont O. a job people won't find fault over t. | Waterbury can spare few travelin: | trsadeSmen and if the hoarst of rha6 ties would enlarge the scope of its op-
 eraiisIrs by adding umbrella meIIding. | tin can soldering and grinding scissors. ' houSekeepers would be relieved of the ' annoyance many are put to in answer
 ing questions from unwelcome callers.
 who often force themselves into
 houses in spite of the women folks and insist upon getting something tO do. If these articles were called for and re- | turned by some responsible parties there would not he much left for the
 wandering umbrella man and joker
 with the zTinflstone- no Inprp than there now is for the oid feIEow who
 thinks somebody should have a chair ready for him fc uphoIster every time
 he comes around