Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-18
AN OATMEAL KING.
A MAN WHO STARTED LIFE WITH A
CART.
A Fortune from . Small Beginning-Oat-
Meal Water for Employees to Drink
Personal Peculiarities Poor
to Buy an Overooat
TAkron (oA Cor Philadelphia Times. !

Ferdinand Schumacher is known IS the
oatmeal king" He is a German ard came
to this country thirty years ago He settled
in Akron. Ohio, where he is to-day one OF
the leading and wealthest men Of the place.
Twenty years ago he was poor as q church
mouse. Ina little wooden shanty on the out
skirts of the town he prepared the first Amer
lean oatmeal in an iron kettle. He mai it
satisfactory to himself, and obtaining a small
hand-cart peddled it about town gratis, ask
ing the people to give it trial They liked
it and he started small factory, doing all
the labor himself. His business prospered
Oatmeal was new article Of diet Fifteen
years ago it was impossible to obtain an
order of oatmeal at the best hotel in Amer
lea. To-day it is to be found upon every
breakfast table I'm every civilized land.
From that small beginning Schumacher has
built an enormous business He owns half
a dozen mills, two large grain elevators and
several warehouses, and employees upwards
Of thousand men and women.
Schumacher Is a peculiar man. He II
small, thin and wiry-in fact q regular lit
tie bundle of nerves lie Is q man Of 80 or
more, with small gray-chin beard and a
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, yet for his own use he
drives a single horse with an old-fashioned
open buggy. He is at his mills as early as
and remains until 8 or later in the
evening. He Is q buster man than anyone
in his employ. He flashes in and out among
his bu liings offices and apartments He IL
always in a hurry. His gait is half walk,
half trot frequently he leaves his horss
behind and flutters about town from ths
banking houses to his offices and vice versA.
trotting along at a terrible rate, swinging
his hands and talking to himself When bs
rides his horse never goes fast enough Tor
him and he leans forward, his hands over
the dashboard, pulling with sharp, quick
jerk at the reins Every pull at the reiM
seems to indicate another dollar e.rned.
Schumacher's business offices are the fneaS
in the county and as elegant as any thing a
the kind in Ohio. They are located in .
three-story building of cut stone and plato
glass, with granite trimmings Schumacher
spared no expense in constructing his build
ings or in furnishing his Offices He Is not q
close -fisted man, but gives literally to char
liable institutions, and furnished one third
the capital to build the Akron UniversAlist
church, of which he is a member. lie II Q
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, yet they are
,.rictly temperate. They have learned to
relish a drink known as oatmeal YatGf, even
better than they did theirs sbeef IN the Fader-
land Once each Year Schumacher gives his
1000 employes- picnic. and every New
a tr,F Fao OF OF
Ths one great pecu iarity of this wonder
ful man is his personal attire. He owns two
suits of clothing. One is dress suit, which
he wears only on Sunday, and the other is a
cheap, ready made affair, white with the
ust from his mills This b his business
,Lit He wears it every wherein the mills,
offices, on the street and at home To an
overcoat he Is almost . stranger. Half Of
his employees are better dressed He looks
iaI by and his sons are put to shame at
lines by his costume Last winter the boys
prevailed upon the old gentleman to pur-
chase a new overcoat He threw up his
ands in horror He did not need q new
coat and, besides he could not afford it.
The sons went to their tailor. They in
structei him to sell their father q new over
,at at the first opportunity and at . small
figure, much below its actual value.
Send us q bill for the difference in the
arnount,r they said, "and we'n foot the bill.
But we want dad to get q new coat somehow
or other"
Some DAYS later Mr.: Schumacher dropped
in at the tailor's to inquire after a vest he
aad left to be mended The tailor displayed
! fine overcoat on the counter and spoke of
It's good qualities
What YOU want for It'll" asked the oat-
meal king, hurriedly.
las much as you will givs" replied the
tailor
"An right III give you fifteen tollars."
Tho coat is yours said the tailor, and he
helpsi tho oat-meal man to place it on his
bach
Schumacher went out Of the store after
having paid the SIS, his face radiant and
feeling good over his great bargain
When be reached home that night he re-
marked at the table:
"Vell, bought an overcoat to-day"
His sons were enraptured, and each men
tally rendered the tailor a vote of thanks.
Then Mr.. Schumacher continued:
1t vas great bargain, and l made as
much morey off dot coat in five minutes as
most young fellows make in q whole day."
The young Schumachers were deeply mys-
tilted until their father continued:
Il paid SIS for the coat. Ven / got two
squares away Charlie Boustedt, he comes up
and asked me what it cost l laughed and
-ouldn't tell him. So he feels of the goods
and says he'd give me SO for one like it I
told him I'd sell him mine mighty quick,
aud did. ] give him the coat and got my
$40, and so I'm IS ahead"
The old man laughed heartily, while his