The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-08-17

ing" said Col. Root. Jasper, VI Di1
mingham, Ala, as he settled nlmsel1
comfortably in an easy chair IN the
lobby of the Marlborough.
"Great idea, isn't it," he continued
with a chuckle. Reminds me of one
of nv old friend Musgrave's practi-
cal Jokes. Musgrave was one of the
sharpest business men 1 ever knew,
but always he had time for pfacti-
cal joke. He made his great pile in
the old real estate boom days in
Birmingham, and it was at that time
that he played the joke I have in
mind.
"In those days things were wild
in Birmingham. Men made money in
. everything and would take stock in
ANYTHING. That was exactly what
made it possible for MusgTave to
carry out his ridiculous joke. Just
when things were at their widest a
sprightly young fellow came to
Birmingham from some place in Mis-
sissippi. He had accumulated about
$4,000 and he looked for a chance
to double it in about two montns.
"One of the first men he went to
was Musgrave, for Musgrave was
known all over the South for his re-
markable financial success. Jackson
that was the young fellows name
as 1 recall-just dogged the life out
of Musgrave begging him to invest
his money for him. Musgrave kept
putting him off till he finally got
tired of the mans opportunities and
resolved to have some fun out OF
him. So Musgrave went to several
of his friends, Col. Ralph Armstrong,
Col. Bankhead and myself included
and told us about the young man
and instructed us if he came to any
of us to tell him that Musgrave had
some great scheme under way and
that there might be chance for him
to get in if he was persistent enough.
''sure enough, Jackson dropped in
on Col. Bankhead in a couple or
days, and the colonel told him OF
Musgrave's great secret scheme.
Jackson went wild at once, hunted
ND Musgrave and almost went down
on his knees begging him to take his
$4,000 and put it into the scheme
no matter what it was. Musgrave
hemmed and hawed and offered
many objections, but finally said
there was just $4,000 worth OF
stock not yet sold, which he had
been holding for his brother. But as
long as Jackson. was so anxious he
would let him have it and not tell
his brother anything about it.
jackson was, of course, delighted.
He quickly turned his money over
to Musgrave, and promised to be on
hand at the first meeting of the
stockholders, the next day. Mus
grave sent us all word and we gath
cred the next day in his Office, all
eager to learn what this wonderful
but mysterious project was.
First off, Musgrave nominated
Jackson for president, and then one
of US nominated Musgrave for treas
urer. But having been elected
unanimously Jackson called the
meeting to order, appointed me tenn
porary secretary and suggested that
the time was ripe for Musgrave to
enlighten the stockholders as to the
nature of his project. Musgrave rose
promptly, and unrolling a big roll OF
papers, heavy with seals and ribbons
and covered with sprawling and IL
legible signatures, proceeded to ex-
plain that the capital of the company
was 100000, fully paid; that the
company's headquarters would be in
Birmingham, but that it's chief fields
of operation would be a plantation
rs miles from Birmingham and the
wilds of South America and Africa.
s'Then Musgrave paused and ap-
parently was about to take his seat
without saying anything more. Jack
son was on pins and needles.
'But what is the business we are
going into, Col. Musgrave?" he ask
ed, in tones that revealed his ankle
ty.
"sOh, yes,' said Musgrave. 4 al
most forgot that. Why, We are 60
ing to buy, sell, raise and train mon
KEYS as farm laborers. They are now
being used on the great plantations
in South America and are found ca
pable of. doing all the work in the
fields better than it can be done by
human hands, and their first cost is
the greatest expense. They do not
demand wages, and half dozen
monkeys eat less than one man, while