The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-11

was made from any foul scraps In the
store. So to make the customers take
it hit on the plan when we had fresh
sausage meat OF putting some Of the
sausages by in clean little pasteboard
boxes. and the next time q particular
customer came in I would call her at
tention to one Of the boxes (which I
had put aside for her specially" And
she would take it every time. In this
way the Enterprise built up q consid-
cradle trade in sausaees. The same
condition existed in other markets. as
I knew. Good customers were afraid
to eat the ordinary sausage. So. /
thought, why shouldn't the packing
house put up q superior kind Of sau-
sage in nice little boxes with q fancy
name? The marketmen could retail
them handily Carmichael seemed to
be impressed with my idea. He ask
ed questions and said he would think
it over. That encouraged me to spring
another scheme on him. Grounds
trade was In the Jewish quarters, but
Of course We didn't sell to the real
Jews.
"Why not get some old rabbi and
make kosher meat-the real article?
Strauss and the other packers don't
handle it. We might have the mar
ket to ourselves. and 1t is a big one
too"
kid. you've got head on you," big
John said to me. with warmth. And
saw myself a member Of the firm next
week.
thAt
however. The next time I saw the
manager I asked him about sausage
and kosher meat, and he scowled. 1t
seems he had presented my ideas to
Mr.. Henry l. Dround. and that gentle
man had turned them down. He was
a packer. so the head Of the house said.
and no cats meat man to retail sau-
sages in paper packages to the public.
The same way with the kosher meat
idea. His business was the packing
business. and the firm wasn't trying
any ventures. 1t seemed me that
Mr.. Henry I. Dround lacked enterprise.
felt that his manager would have
given my ideas a trial.
1t was not long after that, however.
before Carmichael took me into the
! Office and made me kind Of helper to
him, sending me up and down the city
to collect accounts. look after the little
markets that traded with Grounds
and try on the sly to steal some 9th
er fellows business-that is. to break
secretly one Of those trade agree
ments which the packers were al
ways making together and always
breaking here and there and. when
caught. promising each other to he
good and never to do 1t again-until
the next opportunity offered. Of course!
This was more or less confidential and
delicate business. aud l was not let
into the inside all at once. But I said
nothing and kept my eyes open. b
gan to know some things about the
business, and l could guess a few
more. I learned pretty soon that Hen
~ I. Dround & Co. was not one Of the
strongest concerns in the city; that 1t
was being squeezed in the ribs BY the
great Strauss over the way; that II it
had not been for the smart lrtshman
Strauss might take the bread out Of
our mouths.
Next to Slocum. owe big John Car
michael more than 1 could ever pay in
money. He was an ignorant. hot TEN.
pered. foul mouthsd Irishman. who
had almost been born in the yards
and had seen little else than the in
side of a packing house all his life. He
couldn't write q grammatical letter
or speak an unblasphemous sentence
But 1t didn't take me long to see that
Dround & Co. was Carmichael. the
manager. and that I was in the best
kind Of luck to be there under him
6dence.
from time to time how there was a
private agreement between the large
firms to carve up the market. retail as
well as wholesale. and that when one
Of the firms felt that they could do 1t
safely they would sneak around the
agreement (which Of course was lille
gall and try to steal their neighbors'
trade Carmichael managed this bust
ness himself and now and then. when
he saw l knew how to keep my mouth
shut he would trust some detail Of IT
to me-
But was getting only $50 q week
and no rosy prospects. My little
schemes Of making sausages on a large
scale and kosher meat had been turned
down. l slowed them away in my
mind for future use. Meantime. after
working at the yards for nearly two
years. I had managed to lay by about
thousand dollars. what with my saw
ings when I was at the Enterprise
That thousand dollars was in savings
bank downtown. and II made me rest
less to think that II was drawing only
81 per cent when chances to make big
money were going by me Ill the time
just out Of my grasp. kept turning
over and over In my mind how ] might
use that thousand and make II breed
money. There. were LIVELY. timee then