The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-12-21
BY THE OUT EASTER


gone his way. And when he died
Waterbury lost one of the best of
the many good citizens We have
among us. A broken heart, in the
sudden death of Judge Dennis j.
Slavin, his friend, we feel, mad much
to do with his end. He just couldn't
stand it.
Oh, Johnny McGrath, what a rare
and charming character; what a
kind and generous soul; what a
story teller, and what an after din
ner speaker and POSTMASTER. His
equal in SniS respect, was not in the
city, and few in the state could top
him. A humanitarian, he fulfilled
every line of the words, that define
this sort of an individual; charac-
ter student, it appeared many times,
as though he knew exactly the in
tent and meaning of the mind of
the other fellow.
We knew Johnny McGrath for
many years; we knew him in boy
hood, as we did In manhood. There
are some people one forgets as he
grows older, but none of us could or
ever wanted to forget Judge Nc
Grath. He was probably the best
friend of any friend to all of US; he
was in our case, anyway. In his
early days down at the West End,
where he was born, like the other
boys of the district, he played am
ateur baseball. And after his school
days ended here, he went to college.
He was in New Haven, at the Yale
law school, the Sunday night of years
ago, when waterbury suffered from
its biggest fire. And he was among
those who scrambled onto freight
train, on that exceedingly cold night,
to make the trip to Waterbury, with
the New Haven Firemen detailed to
assist the Waterbury Department.
His tale of that particular exper-
fence on that windy night afforded
an interesting story to his friends
at numerous times.
After being admitted to the Bar.
he opened an office here, and
eventually became prosecuting attor-
ney OF the old police court. A pros
ecuting attorneys duty is to arraign
the accused brought in by the police
the night before. In those days of his
early practice, John McGrath knew
many people and occasionally found
one or two of his acquaintance in
the pen as he arrived in court. But
they didn't stay there long, if the
offense charged was of a minor
nature. Their cases were dismissed
forthwith, as they were later when
he was advanced to the position of
Judge OF the court. No one quite
understood the human as Judge Nc
Grath did. We have not yet met
his equal, and we have been going
to the courts now for a number of
years. Judges sometimes are most
severe, due In some cases to a lack
OF experience with their fellow man
Ihey mean well, but they have never
been "out" and know only what act
ually happens around their office, or
IN the vicinity of their own line of
travel. But Judge McGrath under
stood. The benefit of doubt was
always toward the defendant, as the
Bill OF Rights so aptly provides
sometimes we are apt to become vim
dlcitive; Judge McGrath never was
In any act; he couldn't be; he was
born to be fair and Just, and he
never varied from this course.
thousands admired and respected
Judge McGrath. He was a man
who made deep impression upon
people. He talked iluently and was
always recognized. There were no
mumblingS to what he had to saw.
He spoke out, and everyone under
STOOD. He never minced his words:
ne didn't have to be recognized as
a. speaker Of merit by the oratory
OF a noon day body. He kew the
city; he knew the people, and he
could speak from knowledge gain
ed since he first came into the
world. No one read more than he
did; no one memorized more, and
no one could better expalin the
or contents of we'll writ
ten book. Common sense, and the
right to live and enjoy oneself
constituted his philosophy. Water
bury was dear to him: he loved its
inhabitants, especially the native
born, for these were the ones who
knew him so well, and understood
him in his every word Of utterance.
OF course he had critics, just like
the rest Of us. But these, for the
most part, were strangers, and
therefore must be forgiven.
Whatever good one does in the
world counts for the better Of man
kind. Judge McGrath was CHART
able, and many here remember him
for his numerous deeds Of kindness.
He was not Of the kind suspicious
Of the other fellow. He was in the
open at all times. As Judge he