The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-04-19
FROM NEWSBOY TO
MILLIONAIRE
Tom |. Johnson Got His Start in
Life Selling Papers During
the Civil War.
GRITTY, ERTERPRIslNG AND HONEST
characteristics That Made Him One of
the Most Successful Street Car Men
Of This Country-A AIonopolis
at the Age of Nine.

Louisville .Courier-Journal: Say
Bub, how would you like to sell pa
pers?"
The 9-year-old youngster scratched
awkwardly in the cinders' with his
bare big toe for a minute, then looked
up at the big railroad conductor with
frank, questioning eyes. II reckon I'd
like it first rate, sir. if you'd give me
the papers to sell.I
And that was the first start of Mr..
Tom L.. Johnson, capitalist, street car
magnate, inventor, ex-congressman,
newly-elected mayor of Cleveland and
presidential possibility
1t all happened less than forty
years ago in Raleigh, N. C. Tom John,
sons father was Albert W. Johnson, a
wealthy planter in Arkansas. When the
war came on he joined the confederate
Torces and was ordered east to the
army or northern Virginia under Lee
Colonel johnson took his family, con-
sisting Of his wife and three boys, Tom,
VIII and Albert, to Raleigh, N. c., to
wait there until the close of hostilities,
During the last year of the war little
Tom johnson was years old His
mother could not keep him at home, for
the youngster was continually hanging
about the railroad yards, playing on
the cars, and making friends with the
railroad men. His chief friend, lone Of
the conductors, proposed the paper
seillng scheme to him. Excitement was
intense and papers scarce. They were
passed about from household to house.
hold, and newsboy would sell one for
70 cents OF 81, according to- the state of
the market.
Toms big friend, the conductor,
brought him 1, big bunch OF papers
from the east on his next run, and the
9-year-oldboy started out to sell. With
IN three months he had paid back his
friend, the conductor, for his first out
lay and he ran every other newsboy
out Of the business. Tom Johnson. 9
years old, was in charge Of his first mo-
nopoly.
Then Colonel Albert johnson soon
came back from the war. Like most
other confederate soldiers, Colonel
Johnson was broke" dead broke
How to get his family from Raleigh,
N. G., to the old family home in Ar
wits Of the old soldier. Then the yonnp
capitalist now 10 years old stepned
into the breach.
nave some money, papa" he said.
The conductor is keepin it for me-
The friendly railroad man was inter
viewed and he produced his account of
ION Jonnsons savings, showing him
to nave $33554, all made from nothing
and before ne was 1012 years old. That
money took the family back to Arkau
SaS. N''-A 3
No Farm Lifc for Him.
rom johnson was not cut out for 1ifo
oii the Iarm: The giddy round of excite-
nlent resulting from milking the COWS
on time and hustling a lot of law h,acL
hands did not appeal to him. for at IA
ne had come to Louisville and was Of
nee boy at 7. c. Coleman's foundry
FIRST and Main streets. His duties
consisted in keeping the office clean
running crrands and picking up odd
scraps OF iron that got in other peonia,s
way. Mr. g. du Pont, who was parr
owner of the Coleman foundry whi1e
IN the office one day, saw the inans lirie
Gus boy rush into the street, picl. IN :,
PIT OF iron, and, returning, throw if IN
the scrap heap inside. When the ho,,
re-entered the office Mr. du ponts s.;s
TO him: why did you do that. sons s"iu
why Sir, said Tom, a bit emhar-
r "a, there Was no use in wa stinor 81
Ihey can put it in the furnace and
use it over again. 'iiu
Mr.. du Pont gave a big vhist,a
We'll, I just think I can usa ,,,,
young man, in the street car bnsiness'
How would you like To come ut 81 :,
week." -
Young johnson accepted the 81
raise with alacrity Mr.. dr Pom
controlled the Fourth ewenue and wal
nut street car lines. One barn was ~
Eighteenth and Walnut streets. wbi1s
at Fourth and Main was the drawn.
station, as they called it. All the "a re
OF the system had to pass there end q
was there the mones was drawn from
the big clumsy boxes into which fha
fares we've dropped.
one OF the strict rules of the com
pany was that as each bag of. money
was drawn, the drawer" as he was
called must hurry into the office with.
1t; put the bag in the safe, closing the
safe door afterwards. To this rule Torn
Johnson owed his promotion from office
boy. otiiee
Mr.. du Pont was seldom at the draw
Ing station during the day and in time
the drawers became careless. No ono
had access to the room but the draw
ers, and knowing each other to he
honest, they formed the habit OF care-
lessly throwing the bags of money on
the floor and piling them all into the
safe in heap at the end Of the day.
or when they thought Mr.. du Pont
might be about.
Another Happy Stroke.
One day the chief drawer was i'll and
Tom Johnson. the office boy. was sent
y I " +