Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-02-09
CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.
How 1t Resulted in a Successful Ca
reer..

]
reer..
1t was in those good old day.
when the Hornellsville station had +;
record among "drummers," as they
were then called, as having the best
dinners on the road. Why, many:
the time I've skipped Elmira just
so that | might make Hornellsville
for dinner.
Ladson Butler and I had boarded
the Eastern Limited one evening a,
Clifton Forge expecting to make
Charlottesville the next morning, see
our customers and get into Wash
ington in the evening in time 70 do
the theaters together. 1t was our
first meeting in nearly three years,
and his remark was in reply to my
asking how it happened that he was
in business for himself and prosper
Gus.
you know the last heard OF you
the Metropolitan Novelty Co. was in
the hands of its creditors" | OBJ
served as Butler settled himself COM
fortabiy as though he had a long
story on tap.
Eyes, that's just it; I represented
the creditors" he replied. 81 was one
OF the creditors, and when the crash
came didn't have dollar except
what the company owed me, but
knew the business through and
through. knew it was all right,
good as gold, in itself. I knew that
while the business had increased
steadily for couple of years, the ex-
penses had also increased and far
beyond the proportion that was de-
sirable. Repeatedly I had gone over
the books-in fact, every time we
took an inventory I drew up state
ments from the books showing where
good savings might be made on ex-
penses without hurting the growth
of the business, and I told them.
pleaded with them to change their
methods. Actually the heads of the
concern didn't seem to know where
they were at half the time, and il
just broke my heart because I knew
the trade and | knew it was sure"
why didn't you buy 'em out or
offer to manage the business on a
percentage of profits or something's"
my dear boy" replied Butler, 81
didn't have the honor of a. acquaint-
ance with either Jay Gould or Jim
Fiske and | did try to prevail on
them to try me as manager, but they
said | was worth more to them or
the road and turned me down."
DO you really believe you could
have saved the enterprise?" | asked
Save i'll" said Butler as he sa;
erect, 81 did save it. The Butler
Brass & Iron Novelty Co. is the off
spring of the old organization and
am its father"
How'd you do it without any cap
ital?" | asked
ala nave capital. / had absolute
faith in the business and my ability
to handle it and-after all, however
it was a good deal Of an accident
IL was this way: | was called in by
wire from way down in Maine one
Saturday and | knew that the crisis
had come About o'clock Sunday
morning fell in with an old gentle
man at Waterbury while waiting
belated train. And as we were walk
ing together on the station platform
it was beautiful day-my COM
panion, distinguished appearing old
party, offered me a cigar with the
It's rather singular, il
seems to me. that Connecticut should
have such a lead in the
of articles made from
brass and steel and other metals
Well, that gave me an opening. !
was at home and the old gentleman
was jolly good company, so just
filled him full of copper smelling
works, brass rolling mills, clock,
watch and cutlery factories. Be-
fore knew it was talking the
general machinery market and the
of harness, saddlery,
furniture and all sorts OF metal trim