The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1906-10-19
ODD START
THE BATTLE OF PiTTSBuRG LANDING
INFLUENCED HIS CAREER.

lug WIS fought Tue uFSl IepoIL WHICH,
reached Detroit was that there were
10000 killed and wounded. l was a
train rewsboy then. and / told the
telegraph operator at the Detroit sta
ton that If he would wire the main
facts of the battle along the line, so
hat announcements could be put up
at the station bulletin boards, 1 would
give Harper's Weekly to him for six
months free Of cost.
Il used to sell about forty newspa-
pers ON the trip, but that day l bought
1000. At the first station the crowd
was SO big that l thought it was an
excursion crowd. But, no, when the
people caught sight of me they began
to yell for papers. l just doubled the
price on the spot and charged 10 cents
instead Of ) cents Il copy. When !
got to the last station l jumped the
price up to % cents q copy and sold
all | had left. l made $50 or 500 on
that one trip, and, L tell you, l felt
mighty good.
THAT called my attention to what q
telegraph operator could do, and l
made up my mind to become an op.
orator as soon as possible.
"Then 1 joined hands with a man
named Callahan, and we got up sever
al improved types of stock tickers.
These improvements were a success
when the day of settlement for my
inventions approached l began to won
der how much money 1 would get. |
was pretty raw and knew nothing
about business, but 1 hoped that l
might get $1,000. l dreamed Of what
1 could do with big money like that,
Of the tools and other things 1 could
buy to work out inventions, but 1 knew
Wall street to be q pretty bad place
and had a general suspicion that a
man was apt to get beat out of his
money there. So l tried to keep my
hopes down, but the thought of $1,000
kept rising in my mind.
"Well, one day 1 was sent for by the
president of the Gold and Stock Tele.
graph company to talk about a settle
ment on my improvements. He was
General Marshall Lefferts, colonel of
the Seventh regiment. l tell you 1 was
trembling all over with embarrass-
ment, and when l got in his presence
my vision of $4,000 began to vanish.
When he asked me how much I wanted
I was afraid to speak. 1 feared that If
1 mentioned $1,000 1 might get nothing.
That was n of the most painful and
exciting moments of my life. My,
how 1 beat my brains to know what to
say! Finally I said:
Suppose you make me an offer?
"By that time l was scared. 1 was
more than scared; 1 was paralyzed.
GLOW would $4,000 do?' asked Cen
eral Lefferts.
"It was all 1 could do to keep my
face straight and my knees from Civ
ing way. With a great effort I said
that l guessed that would be all right.
He said they would have the contract
ready in a few days and 1 could come
back and sign it. In the meantime I
scarcely slept. 1 couldn't believe it.
"When l went back the contract was
and 1 signed it in a hurry. 1
don't know even now what was in it.
check for $4,000 was handed me,
and I went to the bank as fast as my
feet would carry me. 1t was the first
time 1 was ever inside of a bank. l got
n line, and when my turn came 1
handed in my check. Of course 1 had
not Endorsed it.
1.-THE teller looked at it, then pushed
t back to me and roared out some
hing which 1 could not understand,
partly deaf. My heart sank and
ny legs trembled. 1 handed the check
Jack to him, but again he pushed it
Jack with the same unintelligible ex-
Of words.
THAT settled it. I went out Of the
,ank feeling miserable. 1 was the vic
i'm Of another Wall street skin game
never felt worse in my life. 1 went
round to the brother of the treasurer
Who had drawn the check and said,
skinned, all right
when I told him my story he burst
ut laughing, and when he went into
he t~reasurer's Office to explain mat
ers there was a loud oar of laughter
t my expense. They SEM somebody
o the bank with me, and the bank
ficials thought 1t so great a joke that
hey played a trick on me by paying
he whole $4,000 in ten, twenty and
fly dollar bills.
at made an enormous pile of money.
stuffed the bills in my inside peck
is and outside pockets, my trousers
ockets and everywhere 1 could put
hem. Then 1 started for my home in
I wouldn't sit on a seat with
nybody on the train or let anybody
pproach me. When 1 got to my room
couldn't sleep for fear Of being rob-
ed. So the next day I took it back
, General Lefferts and told him l
idn't know where to keep it. He had
placed In a bank to my credit, and
lat was my first bank account. With
lat money l opened a new shop and