The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-08-24

about IL years old, said MIR. Sorg, "my
father died and had to go to work to
maintain largo family. l was first mp
prenticed to u moldor, but nfterward went
| to work in n tobacco factory, and it was
In tho tobacco business that 1 mado my
first money. Early in tho sixties new
tariff bill passed congress, increasing the
tax on tobacco. There was u great rush TO
have large quantities of tobacco made up
before tho higher rates went into effect A
| young man, friend of mino and foreman
| In tho factory. received an offer to tako
charge OF u new factory which had been
| opened to take advantage of tho opportu.
| nifty offered for large profits on manufao-
tured tobacco. My friond was 60 Keep
things running day and night until the
new law went into operation, for which no
f, was offered salary and part Of the profits.
1t was a busy time in the tobacco business.
| II knew one man who made $50, 600 Oh
o single CONTRACTS. Ee had undertaken to
| furnish certain number of boxes Of to-
bacco, and fixed his price so that If he only
finished half the number by tho time the
old tariff rate expired no could afford to
pay the increased tax OH tho other half out
of his profits, but luckily for him tho gov
ornment delayed putting tho now tariff
law into effect for thirty days, and no
made an enormous profit on the whole
contract. This was pioco OF luck, and 1t
frequently happens that people who arc In
q hurry to mako big profits pay moro in
tho end than il they had waited as In tho
case of the whisky people, who were badly
bitten by the recent tariff. Tho whisky
people drew out large quantities of spirits
| the market was ovorstockcd, notes became
duo and thcy lost money finally. They
| would have been much better off IL they
nll yn1 fl,.,x t,1- :,
and paid tho 20 cents extra tax to tho
government.
We'll, to return to tho sixties" contin-
ucd Mr.. Sorg. My friend kept his fac
tory running day and night, and when 1t
was finally closed after the now law went
into operation tho owners compromised
with him for $4,000 rs his share of tho
profits. He and L then started In business
for ourselves on that capital. Tho business
was necessarily small ut first and after
buying machinery wo had just enough
money left to buy ono hogshcad of tobacco
We nado that up, and then had to shut
down tho factory until wo could sell it,
and Us the market was ovcrstockcd 1t was
some time boforo we could dispose Of it.
With the returns of our sale wo bought an
other lot OF tobacco, made that up and
aguin shut down until we could sell our
stock. Neither OF us was known in the
commercial world; consequently we could
get no credit and were obliged to work
along slowly. After time business picked
up and we became better known, but in
two years my friend became tired Of tho
business, and bought out his interest. 1
hung on to tho business, moving to Mid
dleburg about this time, and my factory
has been growing ever since, until ut the
present time 1 employ over ], 900 hands
My taxes to the government in single
year have amounted to Us high rs 81, 900,
O0O. calculate this rs part of my invest
mcnt, and get 1t back from tho consum-
ers."
Congressman Coopers First Legal Victory.
A feud between town boys and country
boys gave Congressman Cooper of Indiana
tho opportunity to win his legal spurs.
1.-The first case OF Importance ever tried -
said tho congressman, land ono which
gnvo me reputation throughout the state,
was In defense OF Alfred Barren, tho son
OF widowed mother whose husband had
been killed Mt the battle of Shiloh. He
was country boy, and ono day there was
to DO some sort of u country festival Tho
town boys sent down word that they were
coming down to run things their own way
Among the town boys was tho son Of an
ex-county judge who had recently died.
They came down looking for trouble Bar-
rem was whiting n stick when the town
boys set on him. teasing and badgcrinp
him, and finally the cX-judge's son reached
out to hit him. Barren, with n quick
movement, pushed his knife into the boy,
and he fell with n cry. He was III for some
time and finally died from malpractice, ]
believe, for the physician, instead OF lcav-
ing an opening for tho pus of the wound
to escape, allowed the lips OF the wound to
close up, and peritonitis set in, which re
suited III the death OF the boy. The eoun-
try lad wns put on trial for murder, and !
defended him. In conducting my case ]
made the most of the facts that the town
boys had come looking for mischief and
that tho mother was widow and the To-
thcr had died In tho service of his country.
l offered the plea OF self defense and ar
gued That Barren had had no intention OF
1n1lictlng dangerous or fatal wound.
The judge however, apparently thought IL
was his duty TO stand by the son OF his
predecessor, and thought went out of hke
way to insure conviction of Barren He
gave no less than 125 charges to the Jury
and put them in such way that the Jury
could not do otherwise than convict Upon
failure OF acquittal in tho lower court
appealed the case on the ground of prsjr-
dice, ms well US upon the fact that the
Judge had not taken into consideration the
point OF intent to kill The result was ne
quittal for my client and the rcprimand OF
tho judge. WALTER WELLMAE.