Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-07-26
Jacob Strawn, the great Drover.

The papers frequently mention this won
derfully successful farmer and drover, who
emigruted sometime since, from Muskingum
county, Of this State, to Illinois. In letter
to the Tribune correspondent thus tells Of
him:
In the vicinity Of jacksonville 10 the most
noted man in Illinois, not excepting the "little
giant" am told that he is a native of Mus
kingum county, Ohio, and that he emigrated
to the praires many years ago with money
enough to buy a quarter section of land. He
is o! medium stature, but his frame has been
Of immense power and toughness Some
time when he.has been purchasing cattle he
has accomplished the almost incredible feat
Of riding on horseback nine successive days g.
nights with no sleep but what he got on the
saddle. His Judgment Of cattle is almost
lnfallible. He will ride into drove Of cattle,
glance over it with incredible quickness,
counting the number, singing ou, the average
OK, computing from him the whole drove, and
offering price for the whole more promptly
than many would for single OK. He has
the reputation Of being fair dealer and will
not haggle with those who sell and buy OF
him. lfhis customers like his terms that ends
the matter, and if not it certainly ends it.
lie measures out his plans weeks ahead by
the half hour, never falling in his engagement
and never forgiving the Ioggard who keeps
him waiting. His cattle business enlarged
enormously until he purchased and sold many
thousand year. All the money not needed
in the business was invested in lands, and it is
said that he has never been known TO sell an
acre His home farm contains ten thousand
acres, and gentleman told me that one field
on that farm, planted year after year with corn
contains three thousand acres, and another
four thousand Near La Sale he has a tract
! Of some six or seven thousand acres, and be-
sides those many smaller farms off section,
less or more. His landed estate is said to be
worth million of dollars.
His mode of dealing with tenants is charac-
teristc. He assigns them certain tracts, and
tells them he wants them to put up SO many
acres of corn, agreeing if they work well to
pay them so much busnel for the crop wher
ripe In the fall he brings each man his
money, and then drives to each certain
number of cattle and hcgs, and says; "I viii
pay you SO much head to feed these tbi
winter all they can eat, and you are to hav,
them at my house on the first of next May ;.
On the specified day his droves are comm
in from all directions, and Buyers from tn
East ano cities are there, attending IN
greatest cattle market in the West. if not i
/. America. The beef cattle on the ground
; amounts to thousands, and the drovers al
Bile to get what they want. And what
inguar, this man never keeps book accounts
retaining the minu,est details of his immens
business in his memory, and filling up his Ell
gagements with perfect exactness.
A Few years since such protracted taskin
of mind and body. broke him down, and al
,od that he is showing too many signs of ag
1 for man said not to be 60. In some respect
he is the most remarkable man in Illinois, tn
like Of uhom will not soon be seen again
His name is Jacob Strava.