The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-02-05
FRlTZ'S HALF LOADS.
Funny Experience With German Who
Went Into the Cattle Business.

IN business way, SAID live stock
commissioner to writer for the Her
aid ont at the Transit house, twas
about ten years ago One morning a
short, fat German, giving his name as
CAM, walked into the office and asked
to see me. He had evidently just come
over from the fatherland, and was the
greenest specimen l ever saw. He
could not speak word of English, but
fortunately / knew enough, German to
understand him all right He did not
appear to have any business, Just
dropped in for social call 1 offered
him chair and handed him a cigar,
which he thrust back He seemed to
prefer dirty old pipe which he hauled
out of his pocket, filed with vile tobac-
co, and was soon putting away to his
hearts content. He did not seem to
care to talk much. From what / could
CLEAN from his disconnected remarks he
had been fairly well-to-do butcher at
small town near Hamburg, in Ger
many There he probably stuffed
sausage and did a good business. Life
was quiet, but pleasant, and there was
plenty of time for him to drink his beer
and smoke his pipe. Had he re-
manned there all would have been
well, but Fritz heard of Chicago.
Whether he ever heard of Amer
lea or any other city / could not
find out. He simply said he heard OF
Chicago. He had no friends or relatives
on this side of the ocean, but somehow
that Irresistible attraction of Chicago
reached to the heart of the quiet butcher
in the little German village, and he
made up his mind to set out for the
west With a bologna in one pocket, a
piece of Limburger in another, and his
pipe in third he left his OLD home to
seek his fortune in the great unknown
land. How he found his way to Chicago
he did not tell When once in the city
he drifted out toward the stock yards,
being guided by his keen scent, per
haps, and landed in South Halsted
street saloon. Here, in some way or
other he heard of me and that ] was of
German descent, which indeed is true.
So, after leaving the saloon. he went
around to my Office in the Exchange
Building and made the. call started
out with. He probably stayed there
about an hour and put on his hat and
went out. / never expected to see or
hear of him again.
About month later there arrived
at the yards car of cattle consigned to
me by Fritz GAM, Virginia, Illinois,
The car did not contain more than hall
load, and the steers were of the very
poorest quality. There was something
suspicious There was no doubt but
that the German was at the bottom OF
it; but why on earth should he send
half load, aud that, too, of a class OF
cattle that brings the least in the mar
ket? 1t was evidently Fritz's first ex.
perience in the shipping business, and
he proved himself as green as he looked.
There remained, however, the possibili.
ty that the cattle had been stolen, and
the fact that there was but half load
gave the impression that they had been
hurried off before the theft was de.
tected. While was wondering what
had better be done with the cattle, in
walked Fritz himself with his round
face redder and fatter than ever He
was even more reticent than he had
been before and simply said he had
bought the cattle and wanted the
money. asked him if he had
any reference at Virginia and he
said he did not He told me if
did not want to pay him the cash to
put it in a certain bank at Peru, Ill.
There was no use in talking about it
further. The cattle had to be sold, so
told him would put the money in the
Peru bank with the understanding that
payment would be withheld unless he
could satisfy the bank as to his identity
and his ownership of the cattle. He
seemed perfectly satisfied and went out
with beaming face. l sold the cattle
for what they would bring and sent the
money with instructions to the bank at
Peru. No complaints were ever re-
ceived from Virginia, and as did not
hear from the bank the German proba-
bly, received his money all right few
weeks later he sent in another half load
from different part of the state. with
OANSho w pun Vic INJURY IHc SAME
bank. In the course of the next month
or so three more car loads came in. In
each case the car was not more than
half filed and the stock of the COM
monest sort. AS he had to pay freight
on full load, he probably lost
about a hundred dollars on each ship
ment He evidently found that the
business was not paying well, for the
fifth was his last shipment Since then
have not seen him nor heard anything
about his whereabouts. His later his
tory remains complete blank. Ills
may have fallen in with some country
men and settled down in some small
town in the state, but it is more likely
that he became disguised and went
back to his little shop in Germany. He
may be there yet, telling his simple
companions of the wonderful city of
Chicago and his strange experience in
the cattle business. | don't know Just
what his impressions of America may
have been, but he was certainly the
most mysterious and peculiar person
with whom | have ever had any deal
ings. | shall never forget Fritz GAM
and his half-loads of cattle Chicago
Herald.
PLENTY To Worry Ahout