Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-25
FIELD ANECDOTES
c Iimpses of Boyhood: and Incl.
dents of Later Career of Chi
cago Merchant.
FIRST TRADED JACKKNIvES
Relations With Employes-Remarka
BILE Tribute in Prayer Paid by
Former Chicagoans.

From his bOyhool the late Marshall
Field of Chicago. the richest merchant
in the world the largest individual tax
payer in tie United States and per-
haps the third wealthiest citizen in
the United States, was the successful
trader. One who knew him in his
schoolboy days tells mis- of him:
HE was born so. When he was at
school he was n trader OF jackknives-
we called them Barlow knives then
and / remember that he never made
trade in which he did not get the best
knife. have lifted the lid of his desk
and counted as many as fifteen Bar
low knives piled up in one corner. He
was not n playful boy at school, as
most boys were. He was generally re-
served in his manner"
Experience mt PittSfeId.
.Marshan Field" said Chicagoan
TO a reporter OF the Cincinnati Enquir
er, was never more delightful than
when he talked about his experience
as q dry goods clerk in Pittsfeld. Mr..
Field in his boyhood was clerk for
several years in Pittsfield. and an ex-
cellent clerk he made too. He was
talking one night about temperance
He said a Pittsfield lady on Il certain
morning stopped before his counter
very indignant and snapped:
~ consider that / have been swim
died. 1 went TO Il temperance lecture
to hear DIR. Huntley Hawkins. the IA
nous total abstainer, but when DR.
Hawkins got up TO speak lie found
that there wasn't a man in the audi
ence, and this must have made him
mad, for he launched forth in Il bitter
onslaught against women.
~ never heard women SO vilified il
my life said the woman. The doc
tor said we were all aIike-all painted
and laced and gossiped and ruined our
husbands with our extravagance-redl
ly, it was scandalous. And not a word
about temperance-nOta word
Young Field repressed smile. and.
since the woman hating Hawkins was
TO lecture again that night, he decided
that he would go. All the men of
Pittsfield. 1t seemed. must have come
to the same decision. The hall was
crowded, and the audience was made
up entirely OF males, chuckling and
iwinking at one another in anticipation
OF the attack on women that they Were
now to hear.
"Dr. Hawkins came forth. There was
applause. He said:
"'Hogs, Hogs, I've got you nowr
"The audience looked mystified.
".Aha, hogsi You are trapped nicely.
and do you want to know, you men.
why 1 call you trapped hogs? 1t is be-
cause in the west the hogs run wild,
and when they want batch for bacon
they catch a young pig. put strap
under its body and hang him to sap
ling that will just swing him off the
ground. Dancing up and down, the
pig squeals; he raises Il frightful run
pus; the old hogs come from all quar-
tiers to see what the trouble is. and the
farmers shoot them in droves.'
"Dr Hawkins smiled grimly.
"'Last night he said, L hung pig
up. I hurt it a little, and it squealed.
The old hogs have turned out now to
see the fun Well, you are going to be
riddled. skinned. roasted"
Tragedy on Eve of Wedding.
Everybody knew Marshall Field, the |
dry goods prince of Chicago, but L |
doubt if more than a select few have |
heard OF the tragedy which occurred |
the day before his marriage to the |
belle OF Lawrence county, o., many |
years ago. says a writer in the Pitts |
burg Dispatch. The story seems worth |
the telling. and as have'it from gen.
tIeman who speaks of what he himself |
saw there is no doubt regarding its |
truth.
Marshall Field ut the time he came
n-courting at Mount Vernon Furnace,
place twelve miles from Ironton, o..
was q young man, but / think that he
had already started in that business in
which made him many times
n millionaire. The lady who had cap