The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-17
NOVELTY SELLERS
 LIFE IS EVENTFUL Professional PeddIer Relates Some of His Experiences LEXINGTON A NIGHTMARE Works Only in Mornings and Rarely Ever Tries to Sell Goods to
 Men-Women Always Best
 Customers.
LEXINGTON A NIGHTMARE

veyor of novelties and he reached Bir- mingham yesterday. The world is his home and he believes that he Is engaged in the most profitable and uplifting busi- ness on earth. He sells anything that people will buy, and seven years experl- ence have given him a remarkable gift O gab. He consumed exactly seven min utes and a half in relating the following experiences last night:
 T took my first job when 15 years of age in large hardware store in Balti- more, but was discharged at the end of the first month on account of my not be- ing very strong physically soon picked up small clerl1ship in one of the large railroad offices there. After being there for some time I commenced studying shorthand at night and after 8 few months study became very proficient In that line and accepted a position in q wholesale lumber office as stenographer. After taking this position I took up the study of bookkeeping at night and was soon competent enough to keep a set of books. I soon changed my position again and after two years work was promoted to the position of cashier and head book Keeper at a very good salary. My health began to fail, however, and my physician advised me to get some kind of outside work. I decided to enter the novelty selling business and have found 1t not only to cause me to regain my health on account of being outside all of the time, but have found it extremely profit able
 First Novelty Was Lamp Burner.
 "The first novelty I handled was pat ent lamp burner. I started out with it on a house-to-house canvass in Balti- more and managed to make a little money. The success I met with was not because of my selling ability, however, ut on account of the burners being an exceptionally handy one. found 1t very difficult to talk disinterested person into buying one, and a sharp speaking woman would scare me to death. After being at it for a month I wore this bash fitness off anu found my tongue and have managed to keep it by me ever since.
 After working Baltimore I went to Washington, working the small towns
 
 lngton l started on a trip to Chicago, stopping over to work Cincinnati. I then worked all the large towns and cities in the cer tral states, after which I made my first trip south. I made Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and the toss-up Of cofn as to whether I would go to Atlanta or Birmingham caused me to come to Birmingham, which was In 1902 l found Birmingham and the small towns around it to be a regular gold mine for me. While working Brookside several miners got on a spree and started shooting scrape. I happened to be walk ing up the same street they were shoot ing ani the bullets flew all around me, one bullet nipping a piece out of my pants. This gave me dlstaste for Bir- mingham and the surrounding country and I left for Montgomery on the first train l could get I came back again two years ago and had this distaste re- moved. I worked the town then and have canvassed it again since then.
 Lets Other Man Be Wise.
 'I have run up against all sorts of snags and have taken part in incidents which have caused me all sorts of embarrass- ment, which even my slick tongue could not bring me out of on top. I have also had the pleasure of making 1t hot for few people myself. When first started out I adopted very patronizing man ner, appearing as if I knew everything and that the person I was trying to sell was an ignoramus. A very kind hearted old fellow who had been working the graft for years tipped me off to the fact that I was on the wrong track, and told me to reverse the conditions-to make the person I was talking to think that I regarded him as being the fount of wis dom and that I was appealing to his in- telligence. l saw the wisdom of this and decided to follow his advice, and 1t resulted in more than doubling of my profits. Of course, there are exceptions to all rules, and I often find 1t necessary to bluff a person in order to sell him.
 T sell mostly to the ladies, however. as I find them ready buyers, and l had rather talk to a woman than a man any way. I make it rule to try and make a woman laugh as soon as she comes to the door, but am extremely careful to never overstep the boundary of polite ness and never carry on an extended con- versation. When I find woman who wants to talk I put up my novelty, say something funny and start off right away. Nine times out of ten she will call me back and buy right then I supporse I have done this over a thousand times and 1t has met with success nearly every time.
 Lexington Is a Nightmare.
 Lexington, Ky, Is the town where I was fixed good and proper, and as a result I only stayed there one day, have never been back since and never intend to go there again. I walked up to the door of an old fashioned house there that had long hall running straight through to the back porch. and upon the ringing of the bell a woman on the back porch called to me to come on back. I walked on back and found her churning while a little girl was making up bread on table just inside the kitchen, which opened on to the back porch. I started out with my gag and was immediately ordered to get out I, of course, hadn't the least idea of doing this and kept on talking, which only made the old lady more furi- ous. She told me to git out once more, and then seeing that I was not going to obey instructions she took large lLSnp