Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-03-09
He Earned a Million
Making Magic" Shoes
Former Sioux City Shoemaker, Who Went to New York g.. v.~
Ago a Poor Man.

The following story Of the remarkable
career in New York Of Matthew Hill
CERT, who left Sioux City a shoemaker
a few years ago, and made a fortune
selling wonderfully made shoes to mil
lionaires, vas published by the New
York Herald:
Boots there have been since mans
feet became so lender tina he sought
20 protect their soles, and all the
changes have been ing on the styles
of footwear from the wooden sandals
of the ancients to the soft, silken slip
pers milady uses in her boudOir, but it
still remained for Professor" Matthew
Hilgert TO bring forth the Magic
Boot"-magic in the cures they are said
TO work and certainly magic in the
prices they bring, for surely some SUI
pernatural attribute is essential TO
cause a pair of ordinary looking shoes
( be valued at s11. 500 and to cause
otherS TO be sold IN enormous quantities
at 5000 a pair.
It is a matter of grave doubt whether
even the Seven League boots, made
famous by the Grimm brothers would
command the ready sale in the open
market that these newer foot cover
ings enjoy. The Boots of In~Visibility
that Hans Andersen wrote about pos
sessed qualities that the Professor
admits his devices lack, but he is not
SO sure about the Seven Leaguers, for
by using his creations he declares h a
he has made to walk those who have
never walked before. n he believes
that that feat is fully the equal of the
one described by the German story tell
ers.
At last, says the Professor" he is
TO have an opportunity of ~proclaiming
to the world at large the wonder OF
the new science he has discovered, II
this enlightenment is to come, as Is
the case in the revelation of so many
other great truths, through the humill-
alton and ignominy Of it's discoverer.
For he has beer arrested, together with
his chief associate, n they are now
being prosecuted by Champe S. An
drews, counsel for the County Medical
Society, for practicing medicine with
out a license.
Professor Hilgert smiled in a man
ner intended to be grim. "Scha,' ne
says, with a German accent and with
q choice of words scarcely calculated 10
please Lindley Murray, Il expected this
thing long ago; l expected to be nip
ped by these doctors who know so lit
lie and charge so much. What do l
care? Hilgert is here to stay. He has
cured thousands and will cure thou
sands more. He knows and the others
don't, and that is why they are sore.
And his solution seemed to amuse him
hugely; he threw back his head and
laughed LONG and loud, coming to a
sudden stop, peering at you suspicious
", as IL to see whether you are laugh
ing with or at him.
Cures, Magic and Otherwise.
Since Aesculapius hung out his
shingle and told the people of the many
Ills they were heir to there have been
cures invented for every disease known
TO physiology, and many that We're
not. These cures have differed radical
" in form, and the water cure, brain
cure, food cure, rest cure n their
vogue; but it remained for the Pro
fessor, as he delights to call himself.
to bring a boon to suffering mankind
in the shape of a foot cure.
Have you a headache?-it's your feet.
Have YOU a stomach aChe?-its your
feet. Have you a pain in your back
it's your feet. Have you a heartache?
its your feet. There are a few, a very
few. aches that aren't caused by your
feet. according to the newest school OF
'medicine' and even his minority is
being brought around in proper shape
so tina they'll respond TO the foot cure.
Perhaps never before In the history
of the County Medical society S efforts
TO root up and destroy all forlES or
uuaCkery has it's action met with such
a diversity of sentiment as has attend
= . the arrest OF Professor" Hllgert aud
his colIeague, DR." WhitehOuse. In
the affidavits on which the action was
taken are oath bound statcne ntS that
Hilgert, in addition to diagnosing and
prescribing had wrought great harm
TO certain patients through the prac-
tice of his r'ethcds.
$1,000 900 in Five Years.
He himself, in an authorized inter-
view with a reporter for the Herald, in
witch he both asked and answered
the questions, admitted that he had
been called a fraud and fake. but
there are not n few who believe that
the Professor" has greatly benefited
them by the use OF his science" and
they are ready to be living exhibits 10
the worth and efficacy of his skill.
In this connection il is q peculiar
fact that in many instances those pa
tieTits who have written letters or APP
probation to him afterward turned
against him and several OF them are TO
be witnesses for Mr.. Andrews in the
prosecution OF the suit against the
Pr ofessor."
Every man with a new idea" says
the latter, must get hard knocks. l
dor't mind IL. 1t doe Hilgert good"
He has a habit of referring TO himself
in the third person he a
occasion to say anything In praise or
himself.
To the average man a tale that a
shoe maker sold his product ut a fair
level of S., 700 a pair would sound k
n Earon Munchhausen tale. Yet this
is the truth. AND mebbe you think
des. people would pay for something
thai didn't do them no good" COM
mented the Professor" with a shrewd
leer as he ran his fingers lovingly
through a bundle of at least sixty con
tracts, each for shoes that were to cost
$4,000 and all Of which had been paid.
Five years G Professor Hilgert
came TO New York with high hopes n
a little money. Today he owns an
eight-story apartment house at No. 81
West Twenty sixth street, In which
his sumptuously furnished offices and
spacious workshops are situated. n
he is the president of the Hilgert Cur
alive Footgear institution. with a paid
UP capitalization of $1,000. 900. Fills
patrons have included some of the
weaithiest men in New York and the
country, and when he Incorporated
George Griswold, one OF the governors
of the Tuxedo club and association,
wa n OF his stockholders. Mr.. Girls
void was one of the earlier" patients
of the Professor" and, according to
the latter's own statement, the chief
cause OF the dissension which arose be-
tween them was his bill OF Sll.500
which he asked Mr.. Griswold to pay
Up to the time OF going to press the
account WAS still omen.