The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-07-28
RECORD PRICE FOR FLOUR.
When Fifty Pound Sack Produced a
 Million Dollars.

| Il6 COSbllSSI llOuI Lkltili -A-DulS ever baked into cakes brought twenty thou sand dollars a pound, and gingersnaps that it produced sold for one dollar each. Even at that high price people bought them by the dozen. It was one of the rare instances when the high price of foodstuff comes as a blessing, for every cent of the money went to swell the fund of the sanitary commits sion organized by pr. Henry W. Bel lows of Boston during the civil war which furnished, to relieve suffering ot Federal troops, more than fifteen mill lion dollars in supplies and five million dollars in money.
 The man whose, act instigated a movement that caused a single fifty pound sack of flour worth fifteen dol lars to produce upward of one million dollars is now living in Sycamore, H., says the St. Louis Globe-D Democrat. At the age of seventy years he is the county surveyor of De Kalb county, and is one of the best known citizens of northern Illinois. The story that he tells is flu of human interest from start to finish.
 In 1864 the mining town of Austin Nev., was about to vote on the ques- tion as to whether it would incorpo- rate and elect full set of town off cers. On one side of the municipal contest was 8 man named R, G. Grid ley, and on the other side was a citizen of the name of Herrick. Gridley bet Herrick that his side would win; if ii didn't he would carry sack of flour on his shoulder from his cabin to Her ricks place at the opposite side of the town, a mile distant. Herrick was to do the same if he lost There was a deal of war time political feeling, and 1t was agreed that if Gridleg, who was born in Tennessee but was a loya, northerner, should lose he would have to keep step to the music of "Old Johr Brown" played by brass band en- gagged for the occasion. If Herrick had to carry the flour he would do SC to the enlivening strains of Dixie"
 Gridley's side lost and all of the can. didates on Herrick's side were elected When it came time for Gridiey tC make good in his election wager there was tremendous outpouring of people to witness the event. The crowd or the sidewalks and in the stree marched along, singing the words O. the familiar song until the canon fairly resounded with their efforts The sack of flour had been decorated with red. white and blue ribbons, witt a small flag at each corner.
 After Gridley had turned the sacl over to HerTick the former offered tt pay him twenty-five dollars for tho flour. Herrick at once said that hC could have it and that he would turr | the money over to the fund of the san itary commission, which had been or ganized to relieve suffering in battle fields and hospitals This was tn, spark that only needed to be ignited t( set on fire a noble project. Mir. Arm strong, who had gone from Milwaukee to the far west before the war brok, out, was a witness of the affair, ant he said that he wanted the flour, too and that he would give thirty dollar for 1t. In a moment the idea seemed to blaze into the greatest enthusiasm Gridley, Herrick and others kept or bidding until the price reached forty five dollars, when 1t was raised by S2.5 bids until it got to fifty dollars.
 At this juncture MT. Armstrong pro posed that the crowd march to Mair street and Cedar streets, the prnci pal corner of the town; that the banC should go along and play Dixie, just to put the other side in good hu nor. The situation was announced tt a still larger crowd when Gridle! started the ball rolling by bidding twt hundred dollars for the flour. It rar up by fives and tens until butche bid four hundred and fifty dollars He flunked on his bid, but another cit izen, named M. J, Moves, said that h would take the butchers bid, and h. paid the money for the flour. Noyel offered 1t to Gridley for two hundred dollars and he took it. Then the latte put 1t up again, and the biding con l uiAC4l dl LIio GlOaS VI tlA0 uely LII sack brought three thousand dollars.
 Gridley then offered to take the sacl and sell 1t in all of the towns village and cities in Nevada and California This expenses only to be deducted iron the proceeds. He said he would giv, three conths of his time free of charge
 On this basis the enterprise wa starated. Most of the towns had go wind of what was being done, and tn Information spread to distant westerl localities. Wells Fargo & Co. gay gridley a pass that carried him an' his sack of flour over their stage line anywhere in that country, and tn Overland Telegraph company agreet to frank all the messages that h cared to send to carry out his pro gralnme One day, carrying the sac lof flour on his shoulder, he left Austl by the Overland stage to arrive in Vir ginfa City by D. m. the next day. / band had been engaged and prominen citizens met him ih Flowery Canoi and escorted him to Virginia City. { platform had been erected and Grifle, carried his burden up in plain sight O a great ooncourse of people. Tha evening the bidding reached two thou sand dollars,
 By that time 8 great rivalry ha, arisen among the towns as to whicl should outdo the others in boosting tn Ififty pounds of breadstuff to an un Ill A. with brass band at his heels. Gridle marched over to Gold Hill, where th flour brought total of sixty-two hun