St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-03

illustrations Of a common human
weakness in the belief that no one
else ever encountered the rough
struggles that they individually did.
John D. Rockefeller, the man who
is popularity supposed to head Amer
ica's list of .millionaires, with an es-
timated fortune of $145, 200, O0O, doesn' t
talk much about his past life. In
fact, John D. Rockefeller is sub
Ject on which the great millionaire
says nothing. He lets other people
figuring, while he does the money
making.
The name of Rockefeller is always
associated with the city of Cleveland,
O., as it was there he embarked in
the oil enterprise which has made
his name famous the world over.
But Mr.. Rockefeller is not a native
of Cleveland. He was born in the
western part Of New York state,
and he and his brother William
roamed about the country like ordi-
nary country boys. Their parents
were poor, and moved from place to
place. It's a matter of history that
one day, when the two boys were
roaming about the country, farm
er hired them to pick up potatoes.
The two boys labored hard all day,
and at the close they were paid %
cents each for their days work Mr..
Rockefeller and his brother William
both acknowledge that the first
money they ever earned was the
hardest. 1t is William Rockefeller.
who tells the story, and he seems to
get pleasure out of it.
Joseph J. O'Donohue, the city
chamberlain, appointed by former
Mayor Gilroy, is worth some So, 0OO.-
600, all of which he made himself.
mainly dealing in coffee Mr.. O'Don-
ohue came to this country when a
small boy, and after a little school
ing went to work for a large coffee
house in lower Wall street. His
business was to carry messages
from the office to the foreman of the
dock where the vessels discharged
their cargoes. For this work he re-
SNiNOu tiiC SCiiCIOuo pay VI SE per
week, for a days work from a. m.
to p. m.
PEDDLED HORSE MEDICINE.
John H. Starin had hard time. He
was raised in the Mohawk valley.
which was rather a wild place sixty
years ago, when he was a boy. At
that time he labored along under the
inn1 brio Af. T1h.
Starin, who now has something like
twenty millions to his credit, likes to
tell about his early money-making eX-
periences. He says that he began earn
Ing money before he learned to talk.
and In consequence his memory DIES
not go back TO his first deal.
He dates his prosperity from the
time, however, he got a package of
horse medicines on credit and started
to tramp about the country selling
them. 1t was dreary foot work, as the
farm houses were far apart in those
days. But he carried the news of all
the villages about with him, and by
telling all he knew and something
more that he thought up as he walked
along, he managed to put the farmers
in good humor and sell them horse
medicine. In less than a year he had
saved enough to buy horse, and then
he thought his fortune was made, as
he could ride about the country in
style.
The reason Mr.. Starin dates his pros
perity from the time of his horse medi-
cine career is that his peregrinations
brought him in contact with the canal
boatmen in the Mohawk river There
he picked up considerable knowledge
about the canal business, which later
on led him to visit New York and seek
an interview with old Commodore Cor
nelius Vanderbilt. He managed in
some way to see the commodore, whom
he told bluntly that he could get a
good deal more freight for the Hudson
River road than it was getting. The
commodore bluntly replied he had such
id cheek he ought to be able to get
anything. The commodore gave the
country boy chance. however, and
the latter made his assurances good.