The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-04-06
Local Capitalist Visits Old
Home at Akron and Tells
People There Real Reason
Why He Left.
VISITED ESTATE OF
MATCH KING BARBER
Nice, Clean, Firm Gravel Roads
of Eastern Indiana Won
Heart of Mr.. Johnson When
He Came Here.

Akron, O.. April 6.-"There is moth
ing in this world which will work to
the good of the community like good
roads," said Mr.. johnson. when liv-
ed In Columbian county the roads
were awfully bad; they were mostly Of
mud and got sick of them.
"Then heard of the good roads and
soils over near Richmond. Ind, and
when l got there and found gravel
roads; nice clean, firm roads, I said
to myself that I was going to stay
right there. I had had my fill of mud
dy roads,"
A Scientific Farmer.
Mr.. johnson Is now one of Rich
mond's best citizens and he has done
more to interest the farmers of his
community in scientific farming than
any other man.
He raises and breeds double standard
Polled Hereford cattle and besides do
ing a splendid work for his communi-
ty by demonstrating that scientific
farming is profitable, ne is getting
rich at it.
Mr.. Johnson, like o. c. Barber, the
match king, made his fortune first
and then engaged in farming after
ward on a big scale. He is a lumber
man and has purchased thousands of
acres of land in Indiana. On his
farm he has produced some of the
greatest saddle horses in the world
that is his hobby.
One horse which made both him and
the farm famous was Poetry of Mo
tion," which has captured every prize
Of any Importance in the world. He
still has two sisters to 1t.
Sees Fine Highway.
Mr.. johnson went with Mr.. Barber
and few other guests over the entire
Barber farm, barns. houses and facto-
ries included. He. and Mr.. Barber
climbed high ladders to the top story
of the big Barber mansion which is
under construction and he marveled at
Mr.. Barber's daring in building such a
mammoth estate, SO complete in every
detail.
Because he is so quick to notice good
roads and equally quick to condemn
bad roads, Mr.. Barber. drove him over
stretch of highway through his farm
which is q mile in length. It was as
smooth as a piece of polished marble,
and Mr.. Barber explained to him how
when he purchased the farms which
now comprise his mammoth estate,
there were about twenty-five miles Of
fence on 1t. All along these fences
there were rows of stones which had
been worked out of the soil.
Along some of these fences the piles
Of stone were 10 to IL feet in width.
Mr.. Barber had them collected and us
ed as foundation for his roads through
lis farm.
Profitable Investment.
'Profitable?' he asked. why have
reclaimed enough land from under
these stone piles to pay for the work
and besides have roads like the Ro.
mans used to build"
Mr.. Barber's dwelling is rapidly near
ing completion and will probably be
opened in November when the Summit
County horticultural Society will meet
there.
BENJAMIN johnson believes good
roads will do more for community
and more for the man who seeks them
than any other things in the world.
provided. Of course, that he is-a man.
Benjamin johnson is not stranger
to Akron. He came here 55 years age
seated on the top Of . farm wagon,
barefoot. happy and big eyed. His
father drove the wagon and 1t was
loaded with wheat. The wheat was
raised down In Columbian county and
brought here to the late Ferdinand
! 3chum acherss mil1a