The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-10-16
hUNTINCToN'S HORSES.


Ii is 1un TO hear one millionaire tell
a story of another millionaire, and
here is one of that kimd. Some time
ago he heard that Mr.. Huntington had
a couple of cobs for sale, and being in
want of just that sort of thing the mill
ionaire communicated with Mr.. Hunt
ington and asked his price. In re-
sponse to the note Mr.. Huntington ap-
peared next day in the Office of the
would-be purchaser. He explained
that the cobs were particularly fine
animals, and that he would not part
with them except for the reason that
! they were rather small, indeed too
small for himself and wife, who were
rather large people. The purchasing
millionaire and his wife not being
large people, this of course was no OBJ
lection, and Mr.. Huntington was asked
to state his price. He SAID he wanted
$1,000. Well, the millionaire had seen
the cobs and 50 had his coachman, and
knew that this was pretty long price.
He expressed that opinion to Mr..
Huntington and told him that if he
could get down to a reasonable figure
they might talk business. Mr.. Hunt
ington asked what his idea of a rea-
sonable figure was, and the would-be
purchaser said that he would give him
$500 for the pair. Mr.. Huntington
scoffed at the offer and said that he
wouldn't entertain it for moment, and
the millionaires parted and matters
were left in this shape.
The next day Mr.. Huntington reap
peared and said that he had thought
the matter over, and that he was will
ing to take 5000, but the other party
to the negotiation was not willing that
he should have 5000 of his, in this
transaction at least, and stuck to his
original offer of $500 for the cobs.
Mr.. Huntington talked for some time
and expatiated on the excellence which
justified the 5000 price, but the mill
ionaire purchaser wasn't at all i'm
pressed. Mr.. Huntington was quite as
eloquent as any auctioneer who ever
held forth at Bulls Head or any that
Mr.. Van Tassel had ever employed,
but the eloquence failed of any effect,
and Mr.. Huntington again departed.
He appeared again, however, and ap.
peared and disappeared for all the
days of the next week and several days
of the following week, and altogether
spent perhaps twelve or fourteen hours
in striving to convince his customer
that 5000 was not too much for what
he had to sell. But failing utterly in
this philanthropic desire, he finally
said that he would take the $500 which
was offered if the purchaser would pay
his coachman $25.
'But," said the other millionaire
party, Il have nothing to do with your
coachman."
But" said Millionaire Huntington,
'.my coachman expects something. and
it seems to me that if give you the
horses at your price you ought to pay
him."
Well, the purchasing millionaire did
not look at it in that way. He didn'i
| think that Il coachman on wages-and
he presumed that Mr.. Huntington paid
his wages regularly-was entitled to
commissions, and he thought they had
a demoralizing and corrupting influ,
of the coachman, and he thought alse
that if there were any corruption Ol
decentralization to go forward, it would
have to be done with MIR. Huntington's
money. These arguments were, oi
course, unanswerable, and Mr.. Hunt.
| ington, having spent Il number of val.
liable hours - because millionaire's
hours must be valuable-in attempting
to induce the other party i'll negOtia-
| ton to pay 800 more than he wanted
to pay, and, having failed utterly. ac'
cepted the check for $500, and the
horses were duly transferred.