Putnam patriot., 1912-09-27
Thomas 0. Edmsnds, Native Of THomp.
 son Fishes SmsIf at S2.
VETERAN BANDMAsTER FIRM DE
 voTEK oF GRAND OPERA.

"Smelts are becoming as sea real actors, said sz-yeaf-oid "Colonel Ormsby Edmands. for years a promi- nent band and orchestra leader in this city, as he jumped out of the tender Of his motor canoe ssIsolde" in which he spends almost every pleasant day "smeltingn in Hinghsm harbor, from the middle Of June until the first of October.
 "Why, bless you man, continued the colonel, s.I used to catch between 10, ,OOO and II ,0o0 smeits season and realize from their sale st least sI0O, most Of which was spent entertaining friends at the grand opera. Now I'm lucky if I get enough to pay for the bait. l wish the Bull Moose big chief would suggest g plan which would check race suicide in the smelt family.
 "Smeit or no smelts, shall atteD d the grand opera during the next seq son twice a week. l always have g box Wednesday afternoons and enter tain a dozen friends and Saturday af- ternoons l am content to occupy a bai- cony seat.
 From early boyhood, when, at the age Of r, he mastered the violin with out a tutor. and al l6 led the choir singing at the Baptist church in Web- ster, tle colonel has been passionately fond of music and "aHytbing good in the acting line, be says.
 My faeorite anniversary date in the year is sept. II. = he continued, "for on that night every year since '54 l have seen the show, without regard to it's character or quality, at the Boston theatre.
 ''I was there the opening night, Sept II, Il, when comedy, "The Rivals, or, Trip to Bath, was pre-. sented by a stock company. The house was then called the Boston Academy Of Music. Al the 50th anniversary eight years ago, there were l6 present who were in the opening night audi ence Last Wednesday night ] sa. "The Greyhound.
 "CoI.7 Edmands was born af l Thompson. et., Aug 2l, 1880. Ht w as the son of farmer Hosea Ed mands, al whose home he remained until Is years old, when he went L work "aring oa the Norwich * Wot cester railroad
 IL was in la52 lhat he came to Bos ton with his wife, Hannah Bufan White Edmands, who died in Hing ham, four years ago. Until he had [ good start in his musical career he wa employed as a stationary engineer and incidentally, worked eoVer-time" per fecting his Knowledge of the violin ant cornet.
 "When the Boston Brigade bano busted up in the middle sixties h. said, "I quit shoYeling soft coal, en listed several of it's best performers and with others organized the Ed mands Military band and orchestra We gave the people of Boston 'som' music for over a quarter of century The band is said to .haye made good al the Worlds Peace jubilees, held .ir the old Boston Coliseum in '69 anC i72.
 "It provided music for the Nationa Lancers in Washington on the occa sion of the first inauguration Of Pres ident Grant in '73, and for 26 consecu tive winters the orchestra furnished music at the Laneers' hops. Fof 2- summers the orchestra held forth al good old Melville Garden, Downer'' Landing.
 "I said good by to the band in tho last of the eighties, and retired d: leader of the orchestra on Labor day 'g3.n
 Col Edmands went to live in Somer' vile in i963, and since 1895 he has made his home in the colonial man. sion built l51 years ago., known as "Rocky Nook !" on East street, Hing ham, near Nantasket Junction. Col. Edmands resides with daugh- ter, Miss Mary Gertrude Edmands, who for the last x years has been the contralto at the Arlington street church, this city. Anothor daughter, Mrs. Eva Macomber, wife of Albert Macomber, lives nearby.-Boston Her aid.