River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-10-12

| eu6Ct, ne rcmaiD0u DOuIU 10 the noun
tains. | do not take much stock in
that story, az the ancients were-most
of them-scally fellows"
A Remarkable WOman-HOw Mrs
| Frank Leslie Won Her Success.
New York letter : yesterday / met
Mrs. Frank Leslie on her way to New
YORK, which she visits from Saratoga
for two days each week, to sign checks
and direct the policy and management
! of the thirteen illustrated periodicals
that issue from her immense establish
ment. Her position, as [ happen to
know, is by no means sinecure. She
is thorough woman of business. She
delegates as little of the work as posi-
BILE to assistants, and make it point,
summer and winter, to sign all checks
and money orders herself, make all
contracts for supplies, see the proofs of
all articles before they are published
and approve the makeup of every
periodical before it is sent to press.
When in the city she gets to the office
by 8, and stays there till or 4, though
the establishment is now so well organ
lied that so much attention can
scarcely be necessary. | suppose the
novelty of being the head of such a
vast business has not yet worn off, and
Mrs. Leslie wishes to prove, what is
now sufficiently ,obivious, that she is
quite qualified for the difficult and ex-
acting post.
o l knew well Mr.. Leslie. who died so
b ddenly two years ago. He was not
enly an artist of rare skill and power,
ut was business man of tremendous
nergy. | suppose it sknown thathis
name was not originally Frank Leslie
at all, but Henry Carter. He was an
English boy, and when his father sent
him into the large dry-goods shop of
his uncle in London, he studied and
practiced art on the sly, made pictures
for the illustrated papers under the
nom de crayon of Frank Leslie" and
finally bolted and came to New York
to pursue his chosen calling. Finding
that the fame of his adopted name had
preceded him, he adhered to it, and
when it became obvious that nobody
knew Henry Carter, he applied to the
legislature and had his name changed
to Frank Leslie. Ofhis struggles against
poverty and opposition for twenty-five
years it is not necessary to speak now,
nor of his assignment in 1873 Il think
after which he became alienated from
his sons. While in the enjoyment of
his splendid health he was told on
New Y ears Day, 1880, that he had but
ten days more to live. He made his
will, giving, if / remember rightly, all
his property to his wife, and enjoining
on her to Ego to the office, sit In my
place and do my work"
sit was not so easy to obey when my
husband told me to go down and rescue
the business, and pay the creditors, and
manage the establishment" said Mrs.
Leslie, when | congratulated her on her
splendid success. "The whole concern
was in the hands of receiver The
creditors was clamorous, and naturally
they did not want "a woman TO have
the management"
"But you seem to have justified Mr..
Leslie's confidence in your ability.
"The bushes certainly never was
so successful as it is now" she said
quietly; "but, perhaps, it is somewhat
attributed to the prosperous times. /
have just footed up the books for this
year-my first-and am gratified to find
that the establishment has made, clear
profit, 10000 more than it ever made
in year before under any manage
ment." :.
Her face glowed with satisfaction as
she spoke. "You have not had any
easy time" / said.
mot very. had eight lawsuits the
first year, and won them all. Mr.. Les
lies sons tried to break the will. 1t
would have been shame if they had
succeeded, for Mr.. Leslie had disin-
herited them for their misconduct, and
positively refused to see them during
the last year Of his life, and it was only
to crafty me he consented to let one
of them come to his death-bed with
protestations of penitence. Then the
creditors tried to get the whole prop
erty and drive me out. / refused to
60. They said they would give me
$4,000 and send me to Europe. was
absolutely without money, suffering
for the very necessaries of life. But /
said: No; lam Frank Leslie's widow,
and will carry out Frank Leslie's in
structions to the letter whatever hap
pens. Under the composition with
the creditors it was necessary that |
should Immediately pay Sc, 900 for a
release. | had no money. | knew
nobody of whom | could borrow it. In
the midst of my perplexities lad IN
the office, without my knowledge,
called on Mrs. Thomas K Smith, of
Brooklyn, and laid the case before
her. She was wealthy and
kind-hearted lady-a total stranger to
me-and the result was that she gave
me. without security, her check for
$50, 000l You may imagine how sur
prised and grateful was to come into
possession of the property through
such means. This was in May of last
year. l agreed to repay the fist in
stallment Of 5000 on Nov. /, but the
summer was prosperous one, ans. last
October / repaid the entire sum OF
$50, 600 and interest before the first in
stallment was due. / was free from
debt and rejoiced. 1t was like being
snatched from shipwreck."
els the name being pirated any
more?'
"No; that has been finally settled
and to clinch it, | have had my name
changed to Frank Leslie by law. So
my name is no longer Miriam Fallin,
or Miriam Leslie, or even Mrs. Frank
Leslie, bus just Frank Leslie, exactly
like my husbands and identical with
the trade mark"
Show came the business to take
such sudden strides last summer"
"Well, in the first place, every man
-, A. n n 1Ia ..Sfo hi;Sb ~, a,,f foIt Tho a
lief of our being lfee once more: they
were all loyal and true, and did Their
best work. Then poor Garfield s death
gave us tremendous impulse that
lasted nearly all summer. During the
week after the assassination we publish
ed three tremendous editions, and we
sold $4,000 in Cleveland alone with IL
Illustrations of the funeral. In the four