The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-01

customers at reasonable price, rather than get bigger prices from consumers who were simply needing coal for the moment and who were not logically per- manent buyers from our territory. He carried out these instructions, following up the shipments made and closing con tracts wherever possible, so that We came into the dull summer season with our order books in good shape
 Was Temperamental
 He had not been with me long before l discovered that he was temperamental and required individual handling High strung and sensitive is about the best description I think of. At the same time he was tractable, and 1t might be said of him that his failing leaned to virtues side. One incident l recall H. Illustrates some peculiar characteristics. He was on a trip through Georgia when my bookkeeper wrote him, asking him to stop in a certain town and see a customer whose account was long past due One sentence in the letter was something like this: If you approach him right l think you can get the money out of him Woodbridge wrote back re- ferring to the letter and saying: I would like for MT. McWane to write me fully how to approach man to collect money from him. He evidently considered the reference to the method of approach as reflection on his ability as collector l immediately replied to his letter some what as follows: T am in receipt of yours asking for instructions as to how to ap- proach man to collect an account. In reply would suggest that if the man is small of stature and not very strong looking, the best plan is to throw him down and take it away from him. lf on the other hand, he is large and mus cular, I suggest that 1t would be well to go a little slow on this course of pro- cedure. If you will send me a full de- scription of the mental, physical and moral characteristics of the individual to be approached, especially the physical will take pleasure in sending you specific instructions in each case. He wrote promptly Yours to hand. I have made fool of myself again
 "In the fall of 1907 I quit the coal business to go back to my first love, the foundry business, turning my entire or Eanization over to my good friend, Charlie DeBardeleben, manager of the Alabama Fuel and Iron company, for whose output I was exclusive sales agent. Woodbridge travelled for these people until the strike came on in the summer of 1908. At that time the com pany wired him to come into Birming ham, I was told afterwards that he was requested to report to the mines at Mar garet for strike duty, guarding the com pany's coal tipple and other property being shot at occasionally. and, in fact. doing whatever came to hand In that extreme situation. I do not know whether he was provided with defensive equipment before leaving Birmingham, or was to get his arms and ammunition at Margaret The information on this point is not quite clear. but he was to take the Central of Georgia train to Henry Ellen and change cars for the Margaret branch. He evidently thought that it was not a time for argument but a time for action. There was nothing to be gained by explaining to MT. DeBar deleben that he was a coal salesman and not a soldier. It is stated that he took the train all right, but that when he got to Henry Ellen he went right on. preferring to be a live order taker rather than a dead hero"