The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-04-09
REDDIIjICC

Bedding, April 8-The last name of the man who has figured in the pauper section of every annual town report for the last f5 years under the i designation of "B1ind Joe'' seems to l be unknown to anyone in Bedding. In 1 the next report he will be the subject l of one more entry varying from it's l predecessors by giving the cost Of hls | burial and thus marking the close Of 1 the chapter as Blind Joe" died a few days ago from gangrene follow | ing the freezing of his feet during l one of the cold spells of the winter 1 He had reached the age of about To. A resident. sometime since deceased, l brought him to Bedding soon after his coming to this country from his native Ireland. He was then husky lad, and a willing worker, but cata- ract growth on both eyes destroyed his sight after he had been here a year or so and his only refuge was the poor house then maintained by the late Squire" James Sanford as first selectrnan and since. as an institution, having had many changes in respect to keepers and locations. Stohd and tuncomplaining the blind man shifted from one to the other, keeping in TO- bust health and always willing to do such tasks as his disability permitted. Meantime the frugal taxpayer was often moved to expressions of impa- tience at seeing the charges for ''Rlind Joe's'' supports staring him from the record during successive years and wondered if something could not be done about it. Members Of successive boards of selectmen de- cIared that they felt the same way and defensively and desparingly ask ed what could be done They said that townwise the mans brief stay in Bedding previous to his blindness was the only residence affecting his status as a foreigner and consequently he could not be shunted off and upon some other town. Neither could he -Ibe saddled upon another state and he had also failed to qualify as a state pauper of our own Connecticut. Fur thermore heshad no kin on this side or across the water able or willing to care for him. Long range opinions from doctors who had been consulted were to the effect that a surgical op- eration on the eyes would probably be only a waste of money. To deport Joe back to Ireland by smuggling him through the legal barriers was also a plan discussed and dismissed. So the unwe1come guest stayed On un- til exposure due to his own careless ness brought the end.
 What constitutes a public service vehicle within the meaning of the staee law requiring the owners to furnish a bond as an insurance of in, demnity to passengers who may be injured while riding in such vehi- ' cles is a doubtful matter which many local car owners would like to have cleared up. They are the ones who carry passengers to some extent while not making business of it and would probably cease to be carriers were the law applied to them as the premium cost of the $1O,000 bond re- Quired for a seven passenger car is $250. Robert Nichols, who carries the mail between the Ridge and West Bedding sought information on the subject from Inspector Kirk of Beth- el and was advised that it would probably be all right to take passen- gers over this route, but that ex- tension of the service to other points would call for bonding. The doubt regarding the bonding statute also exists as to the Federal Government law imposing a $1O yearly tax on every motor vehicle which carries passengers for hire. The definition is not qualified in any way and pay. ment of the tax would seem to be re quired for the transportation of eveR a single passenger, although as ye; no attempt has been made to enforcd it locally with such a degree of strict ness.
 Bills amounting to about S700 for snow removal were approved by the selectmen at their meeting last Mon day, making a total of $1,50O which
 
 ter to keep the roads open. The sum is far in excess of the cost in any previous year and will probably cause a readjustment of the appropriations already voted as these set aside only $1e0 for snow removel. The $1, 400 deficiency can be met by a tax rate higher than the original estimates called for and this will presuma, bly, be done at the adjourned town meeting which the selectmen have appointed for Saturday. April IT, al 2 o'clock. The roads are getting set tied rather sooner than was expected , after the spring breakup although tn. autoist must still go wartly to avoid getting mired in the occasiona sloughs which remain. The Putnam Park road is again impossible.
 The death of Mrs. Marion Luther which occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the home of her parents in Red ding Center, caused deep sorrow il the community. She was daughter o Captain and Mrs. Charles Day anC her marriage to Howard Luther tool place only about three months ago Lately she suffered an attack of tn, ! flu, but was conva1escing when ty phoid fever developed. Owing to he weakened condition the fatal termi nation of the disease seemed iron the start to be inevitable. Her az