The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-10-22
COMMERCIAL
CLUB HONORS
KN0LLENBERG
Fifty Years of the Mercantile
Career of George H. Knoll
lenberg Is Fifty Observed
Last Night.
Continued from Page One.)

street and have never had another My
early education was principally in
German school under rigid schoolmas-
tiers; my English alphabet | learned
in a Lutheran Sunday school held in
the old Warner building located where
now stands the "Palais du Justice"
known as the city building; under
meath was the observation-disclosures
trap door in the floor would easily
have landed an obstreperous pupil in
a cage beneath. OF course we were
all obedient and learned our alphabet
readily.
For two or three years I attended
having a kind and painstaking lady
teacher whose memory l shall cherish
all the days of my life. My achieve
ments on the playground were not
marked and there was never any
scramble by the leaders to choose me,
so far as l now remember. When it
came to the match spelling class there
was, however, a much greater inter-
est centering in me, for there l spell
ed down the opponent with as much
facility as other boys batted the ball.
Ny odd hours and summer vacation
were usually spent in hoeing weeds on
some land my father owned, saving
wood and such other delightful pas
time as boys were obliged to engage
in. did, however, own pair of skates
likewise sled and in snowy weather
hooked onto wagons.
"Well, in the fall of 1862 when I was
in. my fifteenth year, after working
through the summer in a restaurant
near the depot, I answered an adver-
tisement for a boy who did not use
tobacco, to work in a store. Although
regarded under size, I was accepted
and served my employers, Emswiler
& Croker, at No. 40 Main street
(three doors west of Sixth street,
wholesale and retail notion and toy
dealers for period of three years. 1t
was during this period of time that 1
became acquainted with John Rupe
then a clerk in the dry goods store of
Joshua Haines; but he was too sim
cere and honest to make it his Hfe's
work and soon gave it up for the pro-
fession of law. Others were John Har-
rington, who was employed in the
Curme, Dunn & Co., Leather Business
to which he succeeded; also with AL
bert Reed, Peter Lichtenfels and
Quoted a business in their own name
or were associated in a business with
others. Very little business was done
east of Seventh street on Main. Tim
othy and John Nicholson, brothers,
were conducting a book store in the
same block where was employed, and
by acquaintance with friend Timothy
dates from that time. I must &C
knowledge my appreciation of this &C.
quaintance as among the best of my
life and regard this as fitting time to
refer to his long and useful life in our
community. May he speedily and en-
itirely recover from his very recent &C
icident is my sincere hope and prayer
Wood was universally used fol-
fuel in those days; the ashes from the
stoves were carried to the street and
dumped there; sheds covered the
sidewalks on the north side of the
street to protect the people from the
heat of the sun; hitch-racks anC
posts were general along Main street
1.-THE town pump was likewise in evi
Fdence. Having been almost continu
tOusly employed on the street ant
noticing the entire absence of all thes.
NOV, gives evidence of progress. Fol
lack, of sufficient police force or pos
sibly, too, for insufficient light it wa.
the universal custom to shutter tn,
lshow windows and doors; an unpleas
tant job at the close of the day fo
1.-THE employed or employer, and Civ
dnga gloomy aspect to the street whel
rail- was done. Many names of indi
sviduals and business firms crowd il
slpon my mind, who in those earle
days and even at later period wer
still known to number of us. TIL
firm names still surviving are tn
Crawford Store, The Nicholson Bool
>Store, The Dickinson Jewelry Store
The Reed Hardware Store, while
few others are continued but unde
another firm name. 1t was an intense