Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-07-06
A Self r1ade Iowa Man.
IF. W. Blcknclls Des MOines letter In the Mar
shalltOwn Times Republican,


IF. W. Blcknell's Des Moines letter in the Mar
shalltown Times Republican,
The life of Benjamin l Salinger,
supreme cOust reporter, presents al IN
teresting story of the struggle of self
made man. Just now he seems to be
without opposition in his ambitions,
but it has not always been so with the
plucky German boy who came to
America in 1872 at the age of 9 and be-
gan struggle that has few equals for
industry, courage and determination,
in the face of obstacles that would
have overcome most boys and prevented
them from ever getting beyond the
ranks of mediocrity and lowly station.
On coming to America the family
settled near Waverly, To-, for Mr..
Salonger's mother is q sister of Abra-
ham Simmer, the we'll known wealthy
philanthropist of Waverly. After a
few months residence there and two
years in GAINESVILLE, Butler country,
they went to Chicago, where their ex-
IRENE poverty compelled every member
of the family who was able to earn
money to hustle for himself Benja-
min was put to peddling matches and
kindred articles In telling of this ex-
perience Mr.. Salinger recently said
Il got certain customers who bought
without much urging, and who let me
put in most of my time ut their houses
and places of business reading German
books and newspapers, as well as
English ones, to the extent Of my
ability. I had good deal stronger
taste for reading then than for peddling
and can hardly have been classed as a
mercantile success.
Not more than two years later the
family moved back to GAINESVILLE,
where the boy was tried at clerking in
store in bank and managed to go
to school a little. At one time he was
sent off to work for man in State
Center, who ran store and was his
own housekeeper. Here the little IA,
year-old boy was compelled to be
assistant cook and houseFeeper as well
Us clerk. Utterly overcome by home
sickness he put in the nights crying
bitterly till the travelling salesman who
got him the job took him home. Now
he herded cattle, worked on farm
read whatever he could determed t.
be lawyer. He managed to get three
months in Cornell college and reat
law in Waverly little while.
About this time young Salinger LEFT
home, conceiving the idea that he could
work his way along to place in some
law office by which he was pleased tc
term lecturing." He had been pro
minent in lyceum in GAINESVILLE as
an advocate of woman suffrage, so he
worked his way west along the Illinois
Central railway by getting what he
could for delivering mn address entitled
women Want Bread as Well as the
Ballot" He got more compliments
than money and landed in Webster
CITY without cent. Judge Chase
now dead, then in the zenith of his fame
as lawyer, took pity on the young
fellow and gave him place in Iii
office. He tried teaching school, but
his extreme youth produced failure a
first, though later he succeeded.
In company with.a young man named
w. w. Hughes, young Salinger went
to Spencer where they opened law
office, though Salinger was not ole
enough to be admitted to the bar
The firm advertised that for this rea
son he would have charge of the justic,
court work Though they boarded
themselves they were unable to sustaiI
themselves there, and had to walk on
of town, leaving all of their littl'
property to pay their debts, but only
in part, for it took the junior membeI
years to pay them. He walked across
the country to Ida Grove, more thar
fifty miles, where he succeeded il
getting school near Holstein at $25 (
month. II managed to exc on
enough to pay board" he says, "b,
hoeing morning glories out OF the fiel'
of neihboring farmer after school hat
adjourned. There was no troubl,
about finding the time, for the schoo
consisted of five little children VIII
could speak nothing but German. II
those days l walked to Ida Grove, tel
miles away, for what little mail go
or purchasing had to do. had t.
wait month before / could get m.
little bundle of clothes, which hat
been shipped to the stage station
Galva. / then walked twentyfiv,
miles to get my order cashed and ge
to the stage station. l took m.
bundle on my shoulder, started acros
the prairie, and after walking ten o
fifteen miles more found that / wa
lost. finally gave it up and lay dow
on the open prairie with my bundle a
a pillow. 1t contained just one extri
suit of clothes, which had been dyed
brilliant hue. In the middle of tn
night rain awoke me and burst int
tears of utter despair when l foun
that the color was all running out O
my only reserve piece of clothing
In the morning / made my desolat
way to school, from which found my
self only about a mile away when day
light broke"
When this term ended he got a 10
herding cattle on the prairie alon,
where he also boarded himself an
suffered keenly from the solitud,