Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1912-04-25
TheSunflower Man
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1912. by Associated Lit
eTary Press.
By M. QUAD

One day ten years ago IN tie month
of April stranger who gaYe his name
as William Hobson appeared In the vii.
lage of Grafton In a certain middle
state and engaged quarters at the inn
for several months In advance. This
was something never heard Of before
and created quite "a sensation. Then
the report went around that Mr.. Hob
son intended to. build and operate a
large wooden mill there. and that was
sensation No. ., Then a county consta-
bic had his suspicion aroused that the
stranger was a fugitive from justice,
and that was sensation No. 3. The
fourth was not far away
Mr. Hobson was man Of middle
age. He was quiet and kept to him
self With MI the pumping they could
do the villagers could find out very lit
tie about him. kbc most that could be
extracted from him was that he had
made an important medical discovery
aud would furnish particulars later on.
On the LIST of May, after looking
around bit, Mr. Hobson leased ten
acres of land Of a farmer near the
town, ana the fourth sensation came
when it was known be intended to
raise sunfowers. No human being in
growing more than hundred head,
and here were TO be thousands and
thousands OF them! What could be
done with them? How did they at
into medical discovery?
Men and teams We're hired. the
ground prepared, and sunAower seeds
were brought in and planted. The en-
terprise was discussed in hundreds Of
homes and given liberal space In the
county papers, but Mr. Hobson would
not interview. His reply was wait "
When the stalks were knee high that
field was good to see 1t was n novelty
that drew.
Just about that time almost every
person in the county received circu-
lar through the mails 1t was about
the new medical discovery, and the cat
was out OF the bag at last Sunhower
tea would speedily
Cure Indigestion.
Consumption in its first stages.
Cancers and tumors If not too far
advanced
Neuralgia and rheumatism.
Fevers rising from biiousness.
Clear the system of malaria
Strengthen the weak and make the
strong stronger.
For six weeks the sunflower crusade
went on. Mr.. IIobson did not seem
greatly interested So far as could be
ascertained, he was not the man put
ting out the advertising. nor did he
ever say in so many words that sun
flower tea would cure a complaint of
any kind 1t was not known till the
sundowers began to turn their yellow
faces to the morning sun and hang
their heads In modesty what he pro
posed to do with the crop. Then lndi-
viduals began to come TO speak for
seed II was so much seed for 30
cents and no smaller orders taken
Mr.. Hobson had 400 orders booked and
was still writing down names when q
me chant OF the town went to Il money
lender and said;
"See here, Carter, there's a chance TO
make 81 900 right under our noses. and
we are sitting around like bumps on a
logr'
what Is it2"
'This part OF the state has gone era
w about sunfiower tea. That man
Hobson Is raking in tie money as fast
as he can reach out his arm It's a
quarter head for sunfiowers. but the
mob is paying the price and glad TO
get EN-"
But aobson has got the only sun
flowers for hundred miles around"
"A,l the better for us II we buy him
out and corner the supply Why not
raige the price to so cents head?"
but is the tea any good?" persisted
the cautious capitalist
"Hobson has got more than 100 I'M
solicited testimonials. Deacon Good
boy says II cured him OF kidney trout
bic after he had suffered c9r fifteen
years. Let's buy Hobson ont
Only one thing on the face of this
earth made MIR Hobson willing to
listen to an offer He had trouble
with his heart. and sunflower tea
would not cure II.
During the next three days 100 peo-
pie came per day TO buy and take sun
flower heads. Some had driven dis
lance of twenty miles, The stalks
covering three acres had been sold
and carried away by this time, when
a New York wholesale druggist ap-
peared on the scene that Is. he said
he was from the big city, and he Ger
talnly smelled of drugs He wanted
the balance OF the crop ut $1,000.
Then Mr.. Hobson did mean thing.
Had his heart been az right he would
never have thought Of doing such a
thing. He sold those seven acres OF
sunhowers as they stood TO the iner-
chant and capitalist for $4,000 and
was missing the next day So was
the New York wholesale druggist. In
three or four days the news gof
around. and buyers became scarce.
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