Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-22
WONDERFUL CHANGES.
How a Once Prosperous Travelling
Salesman Was Robbed ofa For
tune.
\ Hair.Breadth Escape From
Lynching at the Hands OF
lnfiurialed Farmers.


Milwaukee Sun.
Hello, says business man, as he
cane down the avenue one morning
this week, TO a melancholy looking
chap that had seen better days, you
look little of color. What you up
to noW?"
"0h, a little Of everything, said
the hard looking citizen. Just been
the rounds Of the fairs selling soap to
erase the grease. Money enough in
it, when you can get bar Of common
soap for five cents and cut it up into
fifty pieces, and sell them for ten
cents, with a little tinfoil on, but the
grangers are all on to the scheme,
thanks to the dun newspapers, ard a
man can't make decent living"
"Why, three years ago you were
selling lightning rods and flying high, -
said the merchant. You had dia.
mond pin. and champagne was not
good enough for you. Well, time
changes all things"
There's where you are right, said
the hard looking citizen. And the
newspapers are to blame for it all. |
have seen the time could make fifty
dollars day putting up lightning
rods. Drive up to house and talk
to man about rodding his barn,
at so much a foot, and ne would
figure that it would cost, say,
sixteen dollars, and be would sign
an order. Before the ink was cold
would have seven or eight men with
adders all over that barn. They
would 60 over it like cats on back
fence. and put points on every corner,
and conductors down every side. The
farmer and his family would look on
in amazement, and be so pleased at
the improved look Of the old barn
that they would not kick at the mum
Der of points. Then we would 20 of
without collecting the bill, and in
about three weeks our collector
would come along with bill for three
hundred and eighty-seven dollars and
forty seven cents. and the farmer
note, all signed, aud demand the pay.
The farmer might faint Always but he
had to pay it. Oh, of caurse, if he
seemed hurt, we would throw off the
odd cents, just to show a christian
spirit. But the condemned newspa
pers have kept talking about highway
robbery under the disguise Of light
ming rod peddlers, till it is as much as
mans life is worth to 90 through the
country on a lightning rod wagon.
Actually, they chased me out of Dodge
county two years ago with dogs. At
least | thought they were after me,
butt found out after | got out of the
country alive that it was a pack
Of hunting hounds belonging
to Van Brunt, Of Horizon, after
fox. But want to say to you in
confidence, that when / heard those
hounds, and saw the men on horses
back, no streak OF creased lightning
ever made better time than did with
that lightning rod wagon. | felt al.
most as scared as | did out in Mime,
sofa during the Ozier willow excite
ment."
What about the 0zier willow ex-
element" asked the merchant. 81
never heard about that
Didn't you ever hear about that
Well, must tell you. That was too
good, aud the seedy man laughed.
Don't you remember about fifteen
years ago, the agricultural papers we're
advocating the planting OF 0zier viii,
lows on prairie farms, they would
grow 50 rapidly and hardy, that the
first year the willows would make the
best kind OF fences, and after that they
would furnish an unfailing supply Of
fuel. My partner aud | went out
in Southern Minnesota, and we
took orders for over thirty thousand
dollars worth Of 0zier willow cuttings.
Every farmer snapped at them. We
went to the bottoms, along the Missis
sippi river, along in the spring and cut
willows, these common willows, aud
in the spring we delivered them and
took our money, or the farmers notes
which We sold at the banks. The
tanners set out the cuttings, expecting
TO realize all that the papers had said
don think single willow, of the
tens OF thousands that we delivered
ever grew. They were Of no account
on earth. never thought much Of il
Afterwards, except to laugh at the
tanners, till four years ago some iel,
lows wanted me to go out in Mime
sofa, shooting chickens. | didn't
think | would see anybody | had ever
sold willows to, but one day our party
took dinner at farmhouse, near All,
bert Lea. The farmer looked at me
and after a while be says TO his wife
Marian, that man looks like the ri
rate that sold US them Ozier willers. u
and Mariar put on her spectacles aud
looked at me and said, Hiram, il is the
same erltter. as sure as you live " Well
! was in fix. But | tumbled to myself
in an instant, and got up from the table
and shook hands with them, and told
them had seen the error Of my ways
and Joined the church, and was now
travelling through the country m lkinp
amends for the swiniie, BY PAYING
back the amounts that had been paid
TO me, and | actually paid that old
granger nine dollars aud sixty cents
and the old fellow was so pleased thai
he asked me 10 lead in prayer. But
kicked on that, and when he told
bis boy to saddle up the old mare and
90 around to the neighbors and tell
them that the 0zier willow pirate had
got religion and was there TO pay them
back, | told the boys we had better
90 out and shoot a few more chickens
Tor supper, and | could pay them Of
N body. We got away and took q
freight train for Austin, and | got out
OF that country alive, but heard they
we're prepared to lynch me. | would
not 90 back to southern Minnesota
Tor a million dollars. o. times are
different now. You don't want 10 buy
a cake Of soap to take out greese spots
do your"
The merchant said he had some
pretty good bar soap at home, and tbC
interview concluded.
Gieauings Prom Foreign Fields
Copenhagen is to have an English
church.
Many protests are made against OK,
cesslve baggage charges on the Cont,
nent.
Rome, Italy, has just instituted .
society for the protection of street
children.
Mr.. Parnell has subscribed G25O TO.
wards the projected monument Il
Father Burke.
Last year l6l 1852 Italians emigrated
TO- other countries, as compared witt
1882 in 1881.