Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-28

Frenchy; and there repair all the men
who amount to much Much business
OF every character il transacted there.
And one evening. as I sat in one of the
cabinet particular. I heard four men in
the next compartment discussing the or
ganization Of a bank Difficulties on diff
ficultes were piled; one objection on top
Of another. by the three men who did the
most Of the talking. But after the space
of half hour, a deeper voice among them
doomed out:
Admitting all you say to be true, It
could be made to win II a connection
could be made with Odells implement
company"
Knew of His History.
Long before l had seen this man Odell,
knew Of him; knew something OF his
history and had felt the power and influ-
ence of the man. one day passing along
the street l was attracted by a knot Of
men gathered about an immense Franklin
motor. The hood was raised and the six
engines, air cooled, were stu giving off the
little wavelets of heat. A mechancian
stood by, olling it, testing there and tight
eninE somewhere else. AS / idled with the
rest the great street doors Of the four
story building in front of which 1 was
standing, swung open, and a white polled,
almost athletic figure. with a quick step,
came across the wide pavement. The tom
neau door was open by the time he had
reached IT; the engines began TO purr;
down went the queer French hood; the
driver at his wheel, received a low-toned
direction, and the splendid TOY" moved
off The little knot dissolved But one
among them made a remark to the occu-
pant of the car and l knew IL was Odell.
For minute my thought was Of this
great state, in which the erect figure In
the tonneau of the recedng machine was
OF such Importance. l wondered, half I'M
consciously, at the extraordinary develop
men that has taken place; that he has
helped to bring about. The erect back and
square shoulders, disappearing in a little
cloud Of dust, recalled odd bits of history.
had heard here and there In my pilgrim
age about the inter-mountain west. He had
pioneered for Utah and the new west. He
himself had wrought changes; had helped
to make history for this vast country be-
yond the Rockies. l knew all this; had
heard 1t over and over and my thoughts
were of him, as l walked amid the crowd
on the streets, many of them holdaying;
but all of them intent, in the concentrated
manner of those who seek fortune in the
sunset lands.
He Came Years Ago.
Fifty years before, when the mode of
transportation west OF the Missouri river
was stage coaches or OK teams and the
pony express carried the mail. George T.
Odell with his parents, crossed the vast
plains between omaha and Salt Lake City
in Captain Homer Quncan's Independent
company, arriving in Salt Lake City Sep
TENDER 30, 1861. Farming railroading and a
variety OF other employment was Odell s
lot until 1884, at which time he, with others,
laid the foundation for the present Con-
soldated Wagon and Machine company, of
which he is and has been for many years
the general manager This institution is
conceded to be the greatest retail business
tain west. 1t is an organization with mil
lions invested; has in excess of a half
hundred stores covering all of Utah, south
eastern Idaho, parts of western Wyoming
and eastern Nevada. and all of this is
largely due to Odells efforts during the
last twenty-five years.
Three days later met and talked with
him Talked with the man who, by taking
advantage of the multifarious opportunities