Norwich bulletin., 1922-03-07


what may be considered a special mile
stone on lifes way.
Ten years ago, on the 50ta1 anniversary
of the Monitor Merrimac battle news
papers and magazines throughout the
country thoroughly reviewed the event.
and the name Of Thomas Taylor, then as
now of Putnam, figured largely in the
stories. At that time he reluctantly and
rather difHdently acceded to the. requests
of The Bulletin correspondent for
story.
It seems that Tommy, as he is famM-
| iarly known here. had been gowing up on
a. gentleman's place in yirginny, sab. and
| that as the Civil war progressed his
Imagination was fired as to the possibili-
| ties open to him in helping the Union |
cause.
| Accordingly, as the youthful dreamer |
| worked and played, his brain was busy |
and finally evolved a plan of getting |
away and making for Norfolk, where the |
Yankees had a foothold for their opera |
tons in that field of war activity.
With every detail of his plan of escape |
worked out to a. nicely. young Taylor
| climbed out of bed at the midnight hour, |
stole silently down the stairs ard made
| his way to the stable where he saddled
his masters finest riding horse, and as
carefully as possible made his way off
/ the plantation. Through the night he
! 4OuSs Icell1lS sale III OpS udTkHeSS, anu
! hid when the hour of daybreak came.
| Eventually, with the horse of no further
use to him, he abandoned the animal and
finally arrived at Hampton Roads.
He had made his way to Fortress
Monroe the day before the arrival of the
Monitor which had come steaming down
the coast from the north and the youth
was seized upon by one of the officers of
her crew as a very suitable young per-
to art md how ToY17r
took up quarters on the Monitor and SO
had little choice as to the succession of
events when the craft steamed up the
roads to engage the formidable and sup
posedly lnvincible Confederate craft
. pommy's description Of the fight itself
IS intensely interesting. He pictures
wildly the members of the Yankee
crew, stripped to the waist, as they fed
the guns of the Monitor with their mes
sengers of death, and of how nearly
naked bodies of the gunners We're f1ecked
: with blood as solid shot from the Merri-
mac crashed against the Monitors arm
ored sides and turret Scattering particles
: | of metal that were shattered off the
railroad iron that constituted part of her
armor. Give them hell y is the order
that he ascribes to a Union officer who
2 was directing the fight of the Monitor in
e the very thick of the battle, land we
: sure did do just that thing Mr.. Taylor
says. MI 1dyFOT Was pressed INTO ser
t vice as d powder monkey throughout the
t fight.
. No man who has not lived history in
e the making can look just as Mr.. Taylor
E looks when he tells the story of that
y great battle. He doesn't tell the story
n except under more or less pressure, and
S he hasn't said a word about it on the
4 approach of the 60th anniversary of
what without doubt is the greatest event
in his career. 1t seems fitting, however
. | that attention should be called to it
g ! so here is an outline of his part in the
y affair and it may again recall to the
+ | minds of Putnam people that Thomas
4 Taylor is of real Importance in this
n town.
= County Agent F. L. Davis of this ct,
has arranged a dairying and fertilize
n institute to be held at Danie!son tomol
row "wednesday that should be OF
special interest to farmers throughout
\ this territory. There are to be sessions
G at 10 a. m. and at l p. m. A program
Il of addresses has been arranged for both
sessions.
IS Isaac Champeau. lons associated with
a the dry goods and ladies' garment trade
Il in This city. has entered the employ OF
o Bugbee & Wu,f. Mr.. Champeau assumed
t his new duties Monday morning.
Douglas ". Smith of Dayton. o., came
/ here and Monday assumed his duties az
It head of the service station of the Putnam
D Motors Inc. Mr.. Smith has had Iona
= experience with the line of cars handled
" by the local company.
The so-caIIed financial meeting of tht
:, city Of : utnam was held at the municipa
If building Monday morning and the usua
/; appropriations feT the different city de
partments for the ensuing year were pu
- through.
in Radiaphone parties are becoming pop
h ular in Putnam. Recent conversation,
n PICKED up here include talks between A
h l. I. company representatives in New
10 York and the steamship America Talk
~ between the shore station near New
MS York and the vessel, hundreds of mile
I'd out at sea. have been picked up clearly il
n this city.
III It is Of special interest that some i'm
he provement is noted in the amount of rail
a. road fre,Gflt business beng transacte
ly through this city.
March 15-Wednesday of next week
es has been set as the date for a banout
T. at the Putnam mn in this city for mem
nj bers of the W;ndham county locals of tn
IS New England Mix Producers associa
ue ton These locals recently won a figh
for better shipping and raft condition
=. from the Boston distributors and withou
i doubt they VII derive special enjoymen
~ from getting together and talking it owe.
ne | Richard Pattee, Boston, managing direC
On tor will be one of the speakers at tll
al meeting at which other addresses will b
e made
.or Miss katherine Byrne was in Bosto
III Monday on business trip.
in The Putnam Chamber of Commerce
" arranging for q general Dollar day
Putnam. and every effort will be made
ed create a success.
in Rev. David A. Pitt, D. D., of the Ger
trail Baptist church, Norwich, addresse
is the clergymen's fellowship meeting at IL
~ Congregational church here Monday, h
vii subject being st. Paul, the Minister
on Ideal
Struggle in India, Egypt and. IreIar
ne will be the subject of John Jay Whit
~ head, Jr., when he addresses the men
Tue bers of the Woman's Civic club of tn
city next Friday evening.
- Police officials III towns hereabou
o. have received reql ests from the sta
motor vehicle department at Hartford
.eu have motorists keep the registratic
gre plates on their cars free from obscuri1
'lq matter, such as mud. for instance, at tn
VA particular season of the year.
This city was Interested Monday NOR
mo ing in a report that half dozen mer
ille bers of the state police force were O
W. W. waiting for something on the River roi
- Sunday afternoon, but there appeared
-4e be very little Verifcation for the stor
A. E. Wilkinson. a vegetable grown
Nr~fI1 10