The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-21
''Sam'' FairchiId RevisItS Scenes
 Of BOyhOOd Home
FORMER BRIDGEPORTER NOW PROSPEROUS RESIDENT OF
 FALL RIVER
Recalls Interestingly Events of Other Days-Shooting Pigeons in City
 Hall and Good Goose Story.


 The folks who take delight in rav- ing at the doings of the common coun- cil and who love to talk of the days ,when there "were giants in the land,' and at the council meetings, will hard 1y believe that thirty years ago the gabled roof of the old city hall was so infested with pogeons and the feather council decided they must be gotten rid of, yet the only means they were able to devise of abating the hui. sancea was to hire a riheman to kil them one by one.
 The visit to this city yesterday Of Samuel Fairchild after 35 years, re- ca led the story to the minds of some old residents. MT. Fairchild was the rifleman selected as executioner of the feathered pests and in two afternoons he killed 800. Residents fn the vicinity of the city hall and center of the city, enjoyed pigeon pie for several days. MT. Fairchild received s10 for the job.
 Fol owing the slaughter of the pig cons by MT. Fairchild the late ex- Mayor Patrick Coughlin painted the city building and he wired the gabled front so that other pigeons were ur- able to get in and build fresh nests: MT. Fairchild has two brothers, Fred and William both of whom reside in the West End. At present MT. Fair child is engaged in the hating busi- |, ness in Fall River. He is the in : ventor of machine for trimming hats. Yesterday MT. Fairchild was calling on old Attends, in this city and among those he visited were F. J. Abercrom- bic, Joseph and Fairfield Smith, VII liam E. Burnham, Henry A. Bishop, Jacob Huber and Harry Taylor and Louis Brock.
 Around the famous round table in Harry Taylor's chop house MT. Fair child became reminiscent yesterday. Bridgeport has changed mfg fghtily since he left town and although he found his way up Fairfield avenue-it was called Beaver street in his day-he said other parts of the town were changed so that he was all but lost.
 MT. FairchiId was member of, the Bridgeport Turn Verein when Jacob Huber and Louis Brock were instruc- tors in gymnastics. He was famous fife and pistol shot and with part tionS in a number of the theatres and halls of that day in this city. After ward with his partner he joined the company of Harrigan & Hart and gave professional exhibitions of Its skill
 MT. .Fairchild and his brothers were athletes of standing in their day. The fami- yN homestead was in Broad street on the present site of the Trinity church pa1ish house. MT. Fairchild yesterday recalled the days when a blacksmith shop kept by a man named Gormley stood in Fairfeld avenue where the Standard building is now And the opposite corner, the site of the Warner building was a livery sta ble.
 The Farmer office was in what is now the Sagal building fn Fairfield avenue and across the street was German boarding house the upper story of which was reached by a flight of stairs running up on the side of the building.
 Before he left Bridgeport MT. Fair child won a prize by swimming from Charlie Belknap's bathing pavilion at and and back. Of the starters he was the only one who finished. The prize was ten dollars in god.
 In connection with his prowess as a marksman Mr. Fairchild tells an in- teresting story. One Sunday morn ner Beers in the rear of the doorvard of the latter's home. MT. Beers father appeared on the back porch with a clay pipe in his mouth and settled himself for a smoke. His son remarked to Fafrchi,d, .'oh what a tion MT. Fairchild raised his rifle and shot the pipe from the elder Far child's mouth. Then he did a hurdle over the back fence.
 Another time F. J. AbercrOmbte was psinting in Healys- paint shop on the dump where both he and Fairchild served apprenticeships in the sign painting business. Abercrombie made a mark on the building and Fairchild made ring around it with pistol bullets and finished the performance by putting one on the centre of the circle
 ' After spending several hours with old friends yesterday MT. Fairchld took an afternoon train for Boston. He intends to return to Bridgeport soon for a more extended visit.
 While Mr. Fafrchild was indulging in "reminiscences at Harry Taylor's yesterday someone recalled story about one of his ancestors who former lysi conducted the Sterling house which stood on the site of the present Ar cade hote1
 This boniface whose name was Fair child faced his guests one Christmas day and a mammoth goose was the piece de resistance for the Christmas dinner. The old bird was so tough that Mr., Fairchild could not make dent in it even though he used the cleaver. AS he struggled with the rub Der hided goose it dipped from the greased platter, off the table onto the floor
 MT. Fairchi1d then rfcked up the goose and ca led on one of his guests to open a window. After the man had wonderingly compiled Fairchild took the cooked bird by the legs and hurled it through the window and far out into the street exclaiming as he did so:
 ''There d. you fly, d. you f1y.''