Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-02-27
AN OATMEAL KING.
A MAN WHO STARTED LIFE WITH A
CART.
Fortune from a Small BeSinninS-Oat-
Meal Water for Employees to Drink
Personal Decentralization Poor
to Buy Overcoat.
LAkrnn "a cor. phlladelnhia Times.l

Ferdinand Schumacher is known as the
oatmeal king BE is a German and came
t. this country thirty years ago. He settled
in Akron, Ohio, where he is to-day one OF
the leading and weaithiest men OF the place
Twenty years ago be was poor as church
mouse. In a little wooden shanty on the out
skirts Of the town he prepared the first Amer
lean oatmeal in an iron kettle. He made It
satisfactory to himself, and obtaining small
hani-cart peddled it about town gratis, ask
ing tie people TO give il q trial They liked
it and he started small factory, dong all
the labor himself. His business prospered
Oatmeal was 4 new article OF diet Fifteen
years ago it was impossible 70 obtain an
order OF oatmeal at the best hotel in Amer
lea. Today it is TO be founi upon every
breakfast table in every civilized land.
From that small beginning Schumacher has
built an enormous business He owns half
dozen mills, two large grain elevators and
several warehouses, and employees upwards
of a thousand men and women.
Schumacher is peculiar man. He is
small, thin and wiry-in fact, a regular lit
tie bundle of nerves He Is man of 80 or
more, with a small gray-chin beard and
high forehead He lives in an elegant brick
mansion on Market street, in the city OF
Akron In his stables are fine horses and
costly equipages. vet for his own use he
drives u single horse with an old-fashionel
open buggy. He Is at his mills as early a'
AMI remains until or later In the
evening He is buster man than anyone
in his employ He flashes in and out among
his buildings, offices and apartments. He is
always in hurry. His gait is a half walk,
half trot Frequently no leaves his horse
behind and fiutters about town from the
banking houses to his offices ami vice versa,
trotting along at terrible rate, swinging
his hands and talking 10 himself When he
rides his horse never goes fast enough for
him and he leans forward, his hands over
the dashboard, pulling with sharp, quick
jerk, at the reinS Every pull at the reins
seems TO indicate another dollar earned.
Schunacher's business offices are the finest
in the county and rs elesan: as any thing Of
the kind in Ohio. They are located in
three-Story building of cut stone and plate
glass, with granite trimmings Schumacher
spared no expense in constructing his build
ings or in furnishing his offices. He Is not
close fistel man, bat sive5 literally to char
itable institutions AM furnished one-third
the capital to build the Akron Universalist
church. OF which he is a member. He is a
strong Prohibitionist, AM was candidate
for governor of Ohio on the Prohibition
ticket few years since He will not employ
a drinking man in his mills. Nearly all Of
his workmen are Germans, vet they are
strictly temperate They have learned TO
relish drink known oatmeal water. even
better than they did their beer in the Fader
land. Once each year Schumacher gives his
1000 employees u picnic. and every New
Years day invites them II feast at his house.
The one great pecu iarity Of this wonder
full man is his personal attire. He owns two
suits Of clothing. One is a dress suit, which
he wears only on Sunday, and the other is n
cheap, ready-made affair, white with the
dust from his mills. This IS his business
suit. He wears it every wherein the mills,
offices On the street anl ut home. To an
overcoat he is almost n stranger. Half Of
his employees are better dressed. He looks
shabby and his SONS are put to shame at
times by his coStum.. Lat winter the boys
prevailed upon the oil gentleman TO plr-
chase new overc tie threw up his
hands in horror. He did not need n new
coat and, besides. he could not afford it
The sons went To tier tailor. They in
structed him TO sell their father new over
coat at the first opportunity and at a small
figure, much below its actual value.
Send us a bill for the difference in tn,
amount" they said, and wen foot the bill.
But we want dad TO get new coat somehow
or other"
Some days later Mr.: Schumacher dropped
in at the tailor's to inquire after vest he
had left TO be mende1 The tailor displayed
a fine overcoat on the counter and spoke o,
its good qualities.
What you want for it!' asked the oat-
meal king, hurriedly.
"As much as you will give" replied tine
tailor.
All right I'll give you fifteen tollar-.
"The coat is yours" said the tailor, and he
helped the Oatmeal man to place On his
back.
Schumacher went out of the store after
having paid the SIS. his face radiant and
feeling good over his great Iargain
marked at the table:
Veil, bought an overcoat today
His sons were enrapturcd, AL each men
tally rendered the tailor a Vote Of thanks.
Then Mr.. Schumacher continued:
1T vas great bargain, anl | made az
much money off dot coat III five minutes as
most young fellows make i'll a whole day"
The young Schumachers We're deeply uys-
tilted until their father continued;
Il paid SIS for the coat. Ven l got two
squares away Charlie Bou,teIt he comes up
and asked me what it cost. | laughed and
wouldn't tell him. So he feels of the goods
and says he'd give me so for ono like it.
told him I'd sell him mine mighty quick,
and did. give him thu coat and got my
go and so I'm 81 ahead
The old man laughed heartily, while his
sons looked very sober. The overcoat cost
SEQ. The sons raised the So dus the tailor
and paid it quietly. All last winter FerIi-
nand Schumacher wore his overcoat of the
winter before. This year the boys will
probably read him the riot act, and make it
compulsory for him to purchase new over
coat and wear it,