Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-18
THE THOMAS FAMILY
Board Of Charities to Sue For Support
 -Bro0kside Supplies.

The department of charities held
 meeting last night and awarded con
 tracts to furnish supplies for the
 Brookside home for six months as fol
 lows:
 To the Waterbury Market Co, had dock with the heads off at cents per
 pound, cod at ' cents per pound; to
 J. J. McGrath, fresh flank and plate at
 3 cents per pound, corned beef at
 3-4 cents per pound; to John O'Brien,
 bread at $2.75 per cwt, delivered.
 The bid of Charles Gumpper to fur
 nish meat and fish was not accom-
 panied by the required check and was
 therefore, declared informal. His bid was corned beef at 1-2 cents per
 pound, ribbed beef, 3 1-2 cents per pound and fresh fish at 6 cents.
 The matter of furnishing Ice at the Bro0kside home was left in the hands of Commissioner Castle and Comp troller Russell It is though that some thing can be saved by purchasing from one of the independent com panies.
 John H. Crary, secretary. presented
 report of his expenditures for the past six months as follows: Outside poor, expended $4,244. 10, unexpend-
 ed $S,755.9O: total appropriation, $13.- 900; Brookside home, expended SS,-
 295.62, unexpended $6.7O4. .3S; total ap-
 propriation. $15,0O0; hospitals. expend- ed. $4.2T7.1S: unexpended '$S.755.90: total appropriation $15,0O0 This re- port shows that out of total appro-
 priation of $43.0OO for the current year, only $16,S1690 has so far been expended. Out of $1,OOO appropriated for the city physicians $500 has so far
 been expended
 The city attorney was instructed to ike up the case of the Thomas family and see what can be done towards compelling the town of Orange to reimburse the city for what 1t has .al-
 ready spent which now amounts to, over $1,4O0 1t Is peculiar case. Forty years ago Mary Baldwin,
 now Mrs Charles Thomas. was d
 bright young woman of about 25 sum- mers and had suitors by the score, but while she had a smile and cheer ful word for all, nobody succeeded in getting her consent to change her
 name until Charles Thomas of the
 town of Orange dropped into Water bury and commenced to do some house
 painting He was skillful workman
 and quite good looking fellow, and after a short acquaintance with Miss
 Baldwin, who was a housework girl,
 led her to believe that he thought the
 world of her and that his future happ,.
 ness and probably hers. too, depended
 upon whether or not she would con sent to be his wife. Miss Baldwin took pity upon the painter from Or ange and they were married. For a time things moved along smoothly,
 but it seems that the demon of dis cord crept into the home and after q season of differences Thomas left town and his wife heard noting of
 him for several years. They had one child, Thomas, who remained here with his mother. Years ago Mrs Thom-
 as learned that her husband was dead and she heard nothing to the contrary until year or so ago when her son had his feet frozen in Derby and the authorities there sent him to New Ha- ven hospital and notified the departi | ment of charities of Waterbury that they would pay all expenses. Mir Doran then selectmen, went down to see Thomas and while talking with him at the hospital he informed him that his father was still living in Orange. At that time and for nine or ten years previously Mrs Thomas had been n town charge in Waterbury. and talk
 ing mp the clue obtained at the hospi- tai in the Elm City, Mir Doran round
 cd up Mrs Thomas's husband and then appraised the selectmen of the town of the situation. which was in brief. according to Mir Doran's inter pretation of the law. that for tbe past thirteen years the wife of MT Thomas. a resident of Orange. had been q charge upon the town of Waterbury and that the authorities would look to Orange to pay the bill. The woman's husband had nothing that could be taken for the debt. but Superinten- dent Doran took the ground that she was properly resident of the town where her husband resides and that such expenses as had been incurred l the town of Orange should be paid. Although her husband lived in Waterbury for some time he never ac- quired a residence here and # seems that this Is one of the strong points | in favor of the contention that the mans wife should be maintained by her husband and if not by the town where he has residence.
 Several conferences between the au- thorities failed to result in anything definite and now that it has been de clded to try the matter out in the courts. the public will watch the out come with considerable interest.