The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-02-14
SUCCESSFUL WOMAN oRUMMERs.
Many Branches of Trade Represented by
Clear Headed Travelling Saleswomen.

Clear Headed Travelling Saleswomen.
THE woman drummer has come to
stay, and we men won't be in it in q
short time"
The above is from the lament Of q Ger
tain travelling salesman, who conided
some facts about his business to a report
er the other day. He is mournful, it is
true, "a who would not be when he saw
his vocation slipping away from min:
But he seems to feel that open confession
is good for the soul and accordingly de-
scribes with exactness, narrowing to the
souls of other commercial travellers, the
full extent of the success Of his feminine
rivals in trade.
There is d young woman OF the name
of Lincoln" he says, with logged rosig-
nation. She sells imported hats. So
do when l get a chance. But if expect
to do anything on my route am obliged
to keep ahead Of her, for when she strikes
a town she carries away every order in
it. | must confess that these women
knights of the grip as you newspaper
folks calls us. do much better than the
men in the same lines. They are strong,
clear sighted and clear headed women,
some of them very pretty and all OF them
perfect ladies. Some of them do exactly
as men do-visit a merchant in person
and solicit his orders. Others engage Il
sample room in the hotel, and after mott
flying the merchants wait and receive
them there. There is another class of
feminine travellers who are very swell
and cater to individual custom. know
of several from New York who pursue
this method entirely.
probably the best known woman o.:
the road is Miss Virginia Pool" of New
York. who sells nothing but perfume
She stays in a town sometimes two OF
three weeks, and she does a big business
There is Miss Airline Carson, who sells
millinery in all the large cities east OF
the Mississippi and Forth of the Ohio
She sells over 800. 900 worth of goods ;
year and gets a big salary. Mrs. K. b
= Henry is a we'll known woman drummer
Her husband formerly travelled for IL
{ underwear house of New York. He die,
! and left her with several children to sup
. port.
l DIN "CIl w II AhA "AAo n ~
his route. They had eve sent a wolnal
out. but they gave it to her. n sr
made such a success of it that she is nov
a member of the firm. She goes ont OF
; the road occasionally. and | heard a goot
story about her not long ago. She wa
: at the Weddell House in Cleveland am
. had Just seven minutes in which to cate
her train. She went to her room, put OF
y her travelling dress. paid her bill, ordere'
her baggage down. called a carriage
was driven to the depot five blocks ava
! and caught her train. There are might
few men who could have done that!
and the drummer subsidized into sorrow
full reflections.
lone of the women travellers who d.
pend on individual customers is Miss N
A. Wilkins, who travels for a Philade
phia house that deals in children's weal
She carries eight large trunks. She mail
~ q letter to each of her patrons, sayin
. that she will occupy a certain suit in
certain hotel on a certain day. Whe
:, the time comes. her customers drive u
in their carriages and are shown to hi
- room. where, l can tell you, they leave
lot of orders. Her trade is worth $500
a year to her house. l know of one won
an who sells chewing gum, anotht
laces, another buttons, another furs.
:. nave even heard of a who sci
\ cofins. I'll bet she sells SO many thu
70 the undertakers have to make kindlir
wood of them to get their stock reduced
New York Sun.