Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-10-16
TRUTHFUL s
!. JAMES ROSS
rconyr,eht. 1902. b, . b. Iewis.]


When Truthful James Ross applied
for position as traveller for the whole
sale drug house of Brush & Co., he
said of himself:
IT am Truthful James Ross. am
called Truthful because cannot tell a
lie. I will go on the road with your
goods, tell the truth under all circum-
stances, and If 1 cannot do SO per cent?
more business than the liars I will
gladly resign"
Mr.. Brush had never met with a
truthful drummer before. and, though
q little doubtful as to the experiment,
he agreed to give Truthful James
show. In few days the young man
was ready to start out, and from one
source and another have cleaned his
adventures as a drummer. He was
put on route which extended. as far
west as Toledo, but his first objective
point was Buffalo. The train which
bore him and his sample cases had
scarcely rolled out Of the Central depot
when Truthful James opened his ca
reer of virtue and integrity. He dis
covered that his fellow passenger was
a man who loved the truth above all
else, and he gave 1t to him at whole
sale rates.
He was the &C.," Of Brush & Go.
He had put in million dollars against
Mr.. Brush's experience and certain
discoveries. He was,making trip in
order to have personal talk with
druggists. One of the discoveries was
an ointment which would grow hair
on bald head in two weeks. There
was case of it right before the mans
eyes. The luxuriant growth of hair
on Mr.. Ross head had all grown in
seventeen days.
Rival houses had been cutting the
price of soaps, but Truthful James was
not in the cut. His house had its own
factory. It was not situated in the
midst of marsh. where every cake of
soap imbfbed certain amount of ma
laria, nor did it make use Of the fat
Of cats, dogs, coons, possums and pole
cats. His factory was built on hill,
top, kissed by the rising sun and
braced by the ozone of the Atlantic.
The fat used was all taken from ga
zelles raised on the firms own ranch
In Montana, and every cake was sub
mttted to a pressure Of 100 pounds to
the square inch before being sent forth
into the world. Crowned heads used
1t, and every American aristocrat cried
for it.
Truthful. James went over his route
speaking the truth on all occasions
and never forgetting that. integrity is
the stepping stone to success, and,
though he didn't do so well as he hoped
for, he laid the foundations Of his
career on sure and certain basis.
Very few Of the retail druggists had
ever met with truthful drummer.
They were inclined to believe that
Truthful James was no better than
the rest. Some did not hesitate to call
him prevaricator, and at the western
terminus of his route he was thrown
out Of drugstore, body and boots,
for what was thought to be cheek,
but he was not discouraged. On his
second trip he found things better,
and on his third he was welcomed as
an old friend and found orders all
made out for him in advance I have
treasured up some Of the truths told
by Truthful James during his career
as traveller and will give them here
as an incentive to beginners of
career:
He claimed that the hot water bags
sold by his house had cured hun
dreds Of cases of enlarged liver, even
when only applied to the feet of the
patient.
His porous plasters had drawn needles
and pins out Of patients without caus-
ing the slightest pain and thereby
removed chronic ailments.
Els firm always kept at least 1000
cords of Peruvian bark on hand in
its sheds, and its qulnine was ground
fresh to order. The grinding mills were
Kept open until 10 o'clock Saturday
evenings to fill Sunday orders.
His chest protectors We're not made
In sweatshops and out of material
taken from the rag bag, but by Quak-
crosses, each Of whom took cold
bath every morning, and of material
manufactured expressly. for the pur-
pose in an exclusive factory owned by
religious woman.
Every nursing bottle sent out by his
house was first inspected by three
eminent physicians as a sanitary pre-
caution and then by a committee from
the Comstock society to see that moth.
ing affecting the morality of the in.
fants OF America should brei k loose.
His firm raised its own nges on
its own ocean bed and from seed care
fully selected two years in advance.
The moral character of each and every
one was carefully looked after from
Its birth, and no druggist need fear to
handle these goods.
These are only a few specimens of
the handiwork Of Truthful James. He
hadn't fairly got started when the end
came-that is.. he got better thing and
quit the. road. The manager Of truth
full daily newspaper heard Of Mr.. Ross
and his strict integrity, and, arranging