The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-02-05
PkUCKY PIONEER.
A Travelling Saleslady who Asks no
Odds of her Male Competitors.

A few days since, reference was made
to Miss Alice Bailie, of Peoria, travel
ing saleslady She is stopping at the
Harper house in this city, and will visit
our merchants about every 60 days. She
is plucky little lady, and will not be
trif1ed with, as was demonstrated few
days ago at Clinton. She went into a
store to sell goods, and the proprietor be
ing out the bookkeeper came forward, rep
resentiug himself as the head of the house.
After talking with him for over an hour
endeavoring to sell him goods, the actual
pro prietor came in, when the boOkkeeper
gave her an introduction to HIM. The b.
k. smiled as he thought he had played
smart trick, but he did not look so pleas
ant when the lady showed revolver I'M
der his nose. She threatened to shoot
him for his duplicity, and she might have
carried out her threat, had not the b. k.
humbly asked her forgiveness. The Du>
buque Telegraph has the following in res
gard to Miss Bailie:
Happening into the Julien house last
evening our reporter was Informed that
among the guests was Miss Alice Bailie,
of Peoria, H., q travelling saleslady who
had spent portion of the afternoon in
the reading room, among the gentlemen,
writing letters to her house A gentle
man Informed us that during her presence
in the reading room she convcrsed with
no one, and that nothing was said by the
gentlemen present which could offend her
ears, but all treated her with the respect
due her sex, and he argued from this that
the presence of lady solicitors on the road
would have restraining ana healthful
influence on the travelling men.
Believing that our readers would be in
terested in the recital of the experiences
of the pioneers who had opened new
field of usefulness to her sex, one that
would be improved or neglected accord,
ingly as she had met with success and dis
courasement, the reporter sent up his
card. Soon after the young lady ap-
pCdLSti III tlIG CLCkh ,
She has cheerful and prepossessing
appearance, her countenance indicating
culture and strong character, and she
conversed without restraint. In answer
to the reporters inquiries she said she had
been on the road for about two years,
having gained her inspiration from her
| three brothers, all of whom are travelling
men. She is in the employ of F. Harvey,
dealer IN teas and cigars, Peoria, and of
the Akron, Ohio, StOneWare company
She has had experience as tea faster and
receives from Harvey u salary of s., 500
per year though the first year she travelled
on commission. She sells the stoneware
on commission and srequired to carry no
samples Of it, For this reason she wOn>
ders that Wemott, Howard & Co, do not
employ saleSladies on the road. As an
| instance of the success with which she
is meeting, she stated that she had sold
six Car loads Of stOneWare since Monday
last; also quarter of carload to a
friend, and had sold every tea and cigar
merchant in West Union and Indepen>
dence. She had everywhere received the
respect due her sex and the tea and cigar
merchants had treated her with uniform
courtesy and given her all possible en-
Couragcment. During her two years ex>
peTience she had never been insulted,
and she believed that travelling men were
the most abused class of people in the
country. She speaks German and French
fluently and is now studying the Scanda-
navian language, intending after she had
mastered it to obtain an increase of salary
and to include within her territory North
ern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, which
are inhabited largely by Scandinavians
She expects hereafter to visit Dubuque
every sixty days