The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-09
Pot Luck Supper To
Be Served ByWomen
Congregational Club Plans Event TOmorrOw-Ellen
Anderson Becomes Bride of Paul Collins
o AWHILE
Correspondent: Mae Villa Babn 1917 watertown Avenue

/ A reception was held at the home
OF the bride for the immediate fam
lily. Later in the day Mr.. and Mrs.
Collins left on an unannounced we'd
ding trip, and on their return they
will reside in Oakville.
500 Nickels to Children Halloween
Emil AL Bussemey, of Buckingham
street will give bright new nickel
to every boy or girl who visits him
on Halloween. Last year, he gave
587 to callers in witches costumes.
and Charlie Chaplin suits. This year,
he expects 600.
All Mr.. Bussemey wants is to
give children good time. He says
that during the ten years he has
been making his unique Halloween
gifts, he has discovered a wealth of
talent in Oakville. He asks every
child who goes to the house to sing
or dance or recite and gets wonder
tufl results. In fact" he says, 81
don't have to ask them to start I
nave to ask them to STOP"
Perhaps one reason why he gets
such kick out of giving children
the price OF an ice cream cone or a
chocolate bar is because when he
was a hid he never had a cent to
spend. He was born in France near
the Belgian border, one of five
children. His father fought in
Franco-Prussian war and in 1885
brought his family to America. They
arrived In New York, and found
times SO bad and work so scarce
that Mr.. Bussemey says he remem-
bers standing in a bread line for
food although he was only a young
child.
New York seemed hopeless place
to earn living so the elder Busse-
mey moved the family to Pine
Meadow, Conn. There, Emile, age
seven, got job in D. B. Smiths
cotton Mill. He worked 10 hours a
day, picking cotton and helping the
weavers for SIPS a week. To him,
five cents to spend any way he
wished would have been a fortune.
Later the family moved to Torring-
ton, and the boy, then IA, got a job
in the Torrington Brass Mill. Then
he went to the Hendy Machine
ompany, and learned the machin-
lists trade. He married a girl from
Pine Meadow, Miss Felice Barbar-
cite, and in 1910 went to Oakville
to work for the Oakville Pin Com
pany. He stayed with the concern
Is years, then went into the real
estate business.
Mr.. Bussemey has built and solo
more than 200 homes in Oakville
and its his boast that he never fore
closed on anyone and never put 6
tenant out in his life.
Mr.. Bussemey says he started hi!
custom of giving away nickels abou
ten years ago. He was i'll, sufferine
from two broken legs received in al
accident and he forgot al abou
Halloween until 20 children camt
to the door for their usual candies
and cookies. He and Mrs. Bussemey
had no sweets to give them so they
scraped up nickels and found enough
to. present one apiece to the delight
ed kids.
The news about the man who
gave nickels away spread quickly
and the next year 81 Halloween
guests appeared. The year after
that, the Bussemeys had 1872 and
the number kept increasing until
last year, it reached 587. Mr.. Busse-
mey says he doesn't know how
much money he has spent this way
over a period of ten years, but
thinks it would amount to about
5000. He always gives a party for
the grown folks so that they can see
the children perform.
guess I'll have crowd of child
rem this year." he added. They're
already shouting to me on the street
that they're coming up. I hope that
as long as live they'll come on
Halloween. love to have them.
didn't have much fun when was a