The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-20
TEAM CARRYING no PERSONS.
Amazing Turnouts in Tennessee on Day O
 

Cleveland, Tenn.-An enterprising firm of dry goods merchants. which conducts a branch store in this town, recently devised a unique advertising scheme with phenome- nal success, the climax proving not only amusing to the populace, but profitable to the proprietors
 This firm sent to every farmer in Brad ley and Polk Counties several weeks ago a circular offering a prize of s10 in gold to the person who. on Saturday. July 23, should bring into Cleveland on one vehicle of any description the largest number of persons.
 the only requirements being that they should arrive before noon and that each load of humanity should be counted by a member of the firm in front of their place of business.
 Tho shrewdness of the scheme is appar- ent Certain to receive the benefit that ac- companies the distribution of circulars. the firm could lose nothing so far as that item of expense was concerned Whether the country people would nbble at the $1O bait
 the only question in the proposition.
 That nearly every farmer in the two coun-
 ties not only nibbled but did his best to
 run away with the bait, hook, snker and all was demonstrated on the designated day, when. from every direction over every road. vehicles of all descriptions and conditions,
 some drawn by beasts of burden of the bovine species but mostly hy equincs of pedigree and well groomed appearance, be- gan to pour into tho town each conveyance lOduSu 10 US CdpdClbS "tlH 4lSil, NOHltn dlI children.
 Not since John Robinson's mammoth az gregation of rare birds and beasts of the
 haEitabe and uninhabtable hemispheres"
 appeared in Cleveland had there been seen a more interesting assemblage of country folks in the streets.
 They began coming soon after sunrise | and continued until nearly noon. As each vehicle arrived and deposited it's occupants
 in front of the establishment the crowd or sightseers well contestants increased. The number of persons brought in by each contestant varied from twenty to fifty until ten o'clock, when a Polk County man | arrived with fifty-one. He thought he had the prize until L, Gibson of Candles Creek Bradley County, came in at twenty minutes to Il o'clock with a wagon fifty feet long, carrying eighty-six persons. This was so
 far ahead of any other contestant that Glh-
 son figured that he could not lose. You've got it to a certainty said one
 of his party.
 T reckon that's what" said he he put
 his hands in his pockets and walked away
 He could already feel the money jngling Tn his clothes HIS confidence was so su-
 preme that he bought a new hat and new tie and then went to a barber shop and got
 shave, hair cut and shine on the
 strength of his belief that he had won the ten dollars.
 But hardly had he emerged from the bar Der shop when shout went up from the crowd as they beheld approaching a vehicle. the like of which was never before seen on
 the streets of this town and probably never | will be seen again.
 The conveyance was eiGhty-flve feet long and twenty feet wide. It moved on eight
 wheels and was drawn by eight horses. | Seated on the elongated vehicle were enough | men and women, boys and girls to start a | colony in Oklahoma or open reservation | in Dakota
 The man who held the reins with the | skill of a circus driver over the eight horses | was l. H. Hooper of HOopers Mill, Bradley County a village of three houses and thir- | ty persons. MT. Hooper drove around the | square, followed by a throng of cheering | persons, and proudly pulled up his octet of | steeds at the proper place. where the load | of laughing visitors was counted one by one. There were ll0.