Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-18
NOTIFIED TO LEAVE
Caseys Don't Want 10 Go From
 Their Old HOme.

W. hol iit you SoiHb lo do Witu me?' inquired old Mrs Casey of Liv- cry street to one of the city officials who dropped in this morning to in quire when she intended to vacate the premises. Her home has been secured by the city as part of Li- brary park and the work of filling in has now reached her place and she has been notified to leave, but it is | not thought the park committee will | force her out until she finds a place | to stay, which at best will not be very long, for she is old and feeble | and the thought of leaving the home she has occupied for the past thirty five or forty years has almost brok- en her heart and she does not know which way to turn.
 | The old lady was feeding her chickens at the basement door when | the visitor called and as soon as she saw him she immediately knew that there was something up. Still she spoke cheerfully, invited the stranger in and set chair for him and then went on talking about her hennery and it's tenants, adding that for many day they have been her only source of revenue. While dilating on the good qualities of her poultry she stopped suddenly and as if the seri- ousness of the situation had just dawned upon her she remarked with some feeling that she wished God had called her before she had lived | be torn down over her head.
 
 must have been some mistake in fix ing a price on the value of our place. All they allowed was S1,500. That is not enough for our house and lot so close to the new depot. If they want this place that my husband and | myself managed to hold by denying l things that we needed they ought to give us what it is worth. Somebody told us to go to law, but you know what that means It costs something and if we begin to pay lawyers there will not be enough left to lay my bones away beside those of my hus- band and four children, God rest them, over in St Joseph's cemetery. This is not very handsome tene- ment, but it would have done well enough as long as l live and then my girl could look up some more deslr- able place. No, sir, 1 will not take what they have offered me for this little home that l have been paying taxes and water rent on for so many years. Even the other day 1 got a | bill for the water just the same as if l they were serving any that one could use."
 Asked what she had decided to do, the old lady paused for moment or two and then said: T don't know but I think I'll try and see Mayor | Thoms. Some say he is hard man, but you can't believe what everybody says, especially about public official He must have a heart and this being so I don't see how he could stand by and see me left without home be- cause my place is wanted for other purposes. If it has to come down and l must go the mayor and the city fathers ought to be willing to give me the full value of what they want belonging to me. l leave this to you now if you owned this place what you would consider fair price 1 for it. No, my friend, I'll never let | it go for that. I'll stay here and ! they will have to take me out if they i don't furnish me means to get anoth- CT home so long as they are taking the one I have"
 This is not half what Mrs Casey had to say and it lacks much of the meaning she put into %her own way of stating her case. It was interest | ing to see how she figured upon mak- ing a living on her two or three doZ- en hens but after you had heard her and considered that they represented all her stock in trade one could easi- l ly understand what the breaking up l of the home meant to her. Her health is not good, but for one of her years she is unusually bright and in addi- tion to her being able to state her case very cleverly regarding her present troubles she tells interesting anecdotes of the time of her girl l hood in her native town of Ballyma- hon, on the borders of Longford, and | West Meath, close to the scene of 1 GOldsmiths charming Deserted Nil- lage." At first sight one might think ! the old woman was very unhappy but this is not so. Her daughter lives with her, and while they do not ap- pear to have much means, yet there is evidence of peace and contentment about the modest dwelling not al ways noticeable in more pretentious abodes.. To be sure they are wor- ried over not knowing where they will have their Christmas dinner but the old lady and the daughter. too have presentiment that Mayor Thoms will do something towards helping them out and the visitor ad- vised them to see his honor and as- sured them that he would receive them cordially.