The Indianapolis journal., 1885-02-01
AN OLD MANS CAREER.
Outline of the Busy and Successful Business
Life ef Mr.. Alfred Harrison.

Outline of the Busy and Successful Business
Life Of Mr.. Alfred Harrison.
Mr.. Alfred Harrison has been subscriber to
The Journal from the first issue to tho present
time, period of over sixty-two years For full
ly sixty years Mr.. Harrison has been in active
business and knowing that an outline of his ex-
periences would be of interest and value to our
readers, the Journhl requested from him .
sketch In obedience TO the request. Mr.. Har-
risen has furnished the following
tsfY BUSINESS LIFE.
ssWhen was Thirteen years old / was in
dentured to a dry goods merchant of Brookville.
in this State, for term of seven years. At the
age of seventeen / was sent By that gentleman
with a stock of goods to Salisbury Wayne coun-
ty. The county seat soon after being removed
to Centerville, took the goods TO that place,
where remained until had disposed of them,
returning then to Brookville When my in
The gentleman whom had served gave me an
honorable discharge
81 was then employed by Mr. John Conner
and Mr.. Richard Tyner as clerk Ia store they
had opened in Indianapolis, receiving salary OF
$120 year. | remained with them from June,
1923, to the following February.
1.-TWO Connersville gentlemen, being about to
establish dry goods house at that place, offered
me one-third of all the profits il | would go over
there and take charge of it. | accepted the
offer, bought the goods, fixed up a nice room
and commenced business.
Every soon after this Mr.. John Conner came
into the store and told me that If l would return
to Indianapolis and manage his business he
would, just as soon as he had finished a large
mill lie was then building furnish a good capi-
tal buy out Mr. Tyner, send me to Philadelphia
to purchase fine stock of goods, and give me
half the profits. This offer was so good that
my Connersville friends agreed TO let me 60, if
would send them a young man to take my
place. Mr.. Austin Morris, then very young
man. carried out my contract, soon sold off the
goods, and closed up the business
Il had been with Mr. Conner but two months
when he was taken sick in Indianapolis, on his
way home from Washington City and died. /
had given up my Connersville friends and as
was thinking what would be the best thing to do,
Mr.. William Conner, a brother to Mr. John Con-
ner, called on me and assured me that his broth
er's contract should be carried out. He fur
nished capital of $4,000 and l went East and
bought the goods. We remained in business to-
gether seven years, when | sold out my interest
to Mr.. Conner and Colonel Russell
AS there was no prospect at that time that
indianapolis would ever be anything more than
an inland mud town moved to LaPorte, from
which point shipped wheat to Buffalo, bringing
my goods around by the lakes / shipped the
first wheat ever sent from Michigan City to the
Eastern market
after the passage by our Legislature of the
internal Improvement act, returned to Indian
apolis and was elected one of the directors of the
branch bank of the State In this capacity |
served for twenty years. How long the bank
continued to do business before 1t had to suspend
l cannot recollect. Its suspension was caused by
its large discounts to stockholders, directors and
merchants. | feel proud of the votes l gave
against the large discounts which caused the
trouble. The Legislature legalized the suspen-
sion Tor five years. Upon the reorganization
Mr. William Ell. Morrison and myself were the
only ones of the old directors retained on the
new board. That board consisted of Calvin
Fletcher, president; Thomas Ell. Sharpe, cashier;
James Southland, teller; George Anderson, an
old Scotch carpenter, Mr.. Sponable, shoe
maker, James Sulgrove, sadler, Julius Nicolai,
Morrison and Alfred Harrison, merchants
At the first meeting of the board
we passed a resolution that no director
should have discount of more than $780, and
that he should not have tnat without two good
indorsers at the expiration of the charter Mr.
Fletcher and myself contracted with the State
board to redeem all the outstanding circulation,
for which we gave bond and were paid in ad-
vance the amount we had contracted to redeem
it for.
from its commencement to its completion; and
Mr. Daniel Yandes and myself agreed to finish
the road to Union, lay the track, build the
bridges &C.. and to take the stock of the road as
into Indianapolis over the Madison railroad was
shipped by me.
'.As agent for Pittsburg iron firm. did quite
large BUSINESS selling 200 worth of iron
steel and nails. Later, in connection with a
friend in Philadelphia, did small but very
profitable brokerage and exchange business, the
capital being $40, 900; and in the year 1886 in
vested GIG, 900 in real estate for New York
friends.
"Mr. James S. Brown and myself were chosen
by the Legislature to superintend the erection
Of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum. made all the
contracts hired and paid all the hands, furnished
the materials. and stood an investigation when
the work was done. For this l never received a.
cent of compensation. During the progress of
the building borrowed, from the late Stoughton
Fletcher. 500, 600, on nay own responsibility, to
keep the work going, as the appropriation was
not sufficient In all my ventures, such as
have named have been successful My ruin
has been brought about by too exclusive devo-
ton of time and attention to the tile factory.
My whole thought and pride was to make it
great success, and think can say that when I
left it it was as complete an establishment of
tho kind as there is in the world.
'yf this little history of an active business
career shall prove of any advantage to young
men just starting in life, / shall be glad. Any
one who is truthful, industrious. economical,
and willing to be advised by men of experience,
Is sure TO succeed. A. HARRISON"
Not Fish Commissioners for Fan.