The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-12-27
EplsoN.s START.


when the battle of Pittsburg tand-
ing was fought the first report which
cached Detroit was that there were
10000 killed and wounded. was n
train ncwsboy then. AMI ] told the tei-
cgraph operator NJ the Detroit station
that N he would wire the main facts
81 the battle along the line. SO that
announcements could b" pu; up NJ the
station bulletin boards. | would give
Harper's Weekly to him for six months
free OF cost.
II used To- sell about forty newspa-
pcrs on tho trip. but that day i bought
1000 At the first station the crowd
was so big that 1 thought IL was an
excursion crowd. But. no. when the
people caught sight 81 me they began
To yell for papers. ! just doubled the
price on the spot and charged 10 cents
Instead OF cents "a copy. When l got
Tn the last station jumped the price
up tn IS cents n copy and sold all
had left made SIS ar 800 on that
one trip. and. I tell you. ] felt mighty
good.
'That called n, attention To what 4
telegraph operator could do. ana i
made up my mind Ia become an OPP
orator as soon aS possible.
Then I joined hands with man
named Callahan. and We got up severh
improved types 81 stock tickcrs. These
improvements We're a success.
when the day 81 settlement Tor my
inventions approached l began 10 won
der how much money l would get.
was pretty raw and knew nothing about
business but I hoped that l might get
81. 600, 1 dreamed of what : could do
with big money like that. OF IN. TOOLS
and other things I could bu! 10 WORK
out Inventions. but j knew wall street
To u. "A pretty bad place ana hnd
general suspicion that man was apt
To get beat out OF his money thcre.
So 4 tried tn keep my hopes down, but
the thought OF $1,000 Kept iisins IN
my mind.
We'll. one day was sent for by the
president OF the Gold aud stock Teie-
graph company Ia talk about settle
.nent on ms improvements. lie was
General Marfhsll LeIerts, coionci OF
the Seventh r, Giment. l tell you i was
trembling all over with enbarrass-
meni. and when I got In hiH presence
my vision OF $1,000 began TO vanish.
When he asked me how much j wanted
I was afraid to speak. l feared that TX
{ mentioned 81. 900 I might get nothing.
That was one OF the most painful and
exciting moments OF my life. My.
now beat my brains To know what 10
say: Finally l said:
"'Suppogc you make me an oacrg
"Ry that time I was scared. l was
more than scared: ! was paralyzed.
How would $4,000 do" asked Cen
Crai L.fcrts
1T was all I cou;. do To keep my
face atrnight and my knees from Civ
,ng way With great EFFORT 1 said
hat I guessed that would be all right.
lie said they would have the contract
ready In a few days and could come
back and sign IL. In the meantime l
scarcely slept. couldn't believe IL.
when I went back the contract was
ready, and I signed IL In hurry.
don't know even now what was In ".
A check for $4,000 was handed me.
and I went to the bank as fast as my
feet would carry me. IL was the nrst
time I was ever inside Of bank. got
IN line. and when my turn came I
handed In my check. or course had
not Endorsed IL.
The teller looked at IL. then pushed
~ back tn me and roared out some
thing which I could not understand.
being partly deaf. My heart sank and
my legs trembled. I handed the check
back to him, but again he pushed IL
back with the same uninteliigible ex-
piosion OF words.
That settled ~. l went out OF the
bank feeling miserable. I was the VIC
tim OF another Wall street skin game
I never felt worse In my life. went
around TO the brother OF the treasurer
VINO mao uruWn tut Chcth uiiu shAus
I'm skinned, all right
when I told him my story he burst
out laughing. and when he went into
the treasurer's office To explain mat
tiers there was n loud roar OF laughter
ut my expense. They sent somebody
to the bank with me. and the bank
officials thought IL 80 great Joke that
they played trick on me by paying
the whole $4,000 I'm ten. twenty and
,fifty dollar bills.
1T made an enormous pile OF money.
I stuffed the bills In my inside pockets
and outside pockets. my trousers pock-
cts and everywhere I could put them.
Then I started for my hone In Newark.
I wouldn't sit on n seat with anybody
on the train or let anybody approach
me. When I got to my room couldn't
sleep for fear OF being robbed. So
the next day took IL back to General
,I.efferts and told him I didn't know
where To keep Il. lie had II placed In
IA bank TO my credit, and that was my
first bank account. With that money
I opened n new shop and worked out
new apparatus "-Pearson's Magazine.