davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
People Blocked
Sidewalks to Buy

No sane business man would and
Godsol didn't, but he says that he had
so little understanding of human nat
ure at that time that he hired a store
i'll Cincinnati for only a month. He
figured that he would sell few quarts
Of the diamonds" in thirty days,
which would be about the limit, and
then he would move on He did move
on, to st. Louis, to Detroit, to Roches
ter and to various other small cities,
because he did not believe a sophisti
Gated city like New York would stand
for 1t. But when he finally did arrive
here he remained for months-on Four
teenth Strickland Brother Louie, who
crlbbed the idea and followed him, re-
manned several years
The Montana diamond scheme de,
pended entirely upon window dressing.
1t still does, though helped immense
~ by extensive advertising. Witness
the great mirror-lined, light festooned
diamond palaces" which Godsol's as
soc!"tes conducted in Europe before
the WAY, and are still conducting in
the Far East
When he arrived in Cincinnati God
sol found that there was only one va
cant store place on busy corner to be
had and dime museum man had beat
en- him to it. He had to suitcase the
store from the museum man, at an adj
vance rental, for one month, and at the
end of the period he was forced to give
1t up and forcgo the run Of 5000 days
because the Snowman had his freaks in
town and no other place to put them.
Kent took most of what was left of
ms 500 after he had bought barrel
OF. two of diamonds The slender
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
Gathered a Good
Field Staff

Before going to Germany to estab-
lish these places, however, he had
gathered around him in England g
coterle of keen, young Americans. Brit
ishers and Frenchmen, to whom he
atterWard gave interests in his various
enterprises, based on the amount of
business they produced These includ-
ed f. S. Higgins and Cyril Deyere-
the latter his wife's brother who CON
Quoted the motor truck transactions
with the French army administration.
which later became the basis of the
charges laid against their chief, and
Ike and Ben Blumenthal, of New York.
The Blumenthals specialized in thea
trical and motion picture ventures.
they also operated the various branches
of the imitation gem business estab-
lished throughout the world
In Paris, in 1905, he staged his Tccla
pearl performance, really astinish
ing achievement. Codsol himself saws
the motor truck affair was a fortuitous
accident of business, whereas Tccla af
forded a full display of his peculiar
genius and the daring quality of his
imagination.
Shortly after he had reached Paris
and quartered himself at the most ex-
pensive hotel, there appeared in the
Paris edition of "The New York Her
add special article dealing with mod
eln methods of producing synthetic
gems.
\ day or two later "rhe Herald
printed a letter over the signature OF
the Count de "" in which the
count took issue with the statements
made in the article with reference to
pearls. The count declared that he had
the honor OF knowing a renowned
scientist who had produced a perfect
pearl by chemical processes. The scien-
tist was not named, and a day or two
later The HERALD carried another let
ter under another signature asking if
the Count de " would be so good
as to name the pear!maker, and state
whether his product was being made
in commercial quantities. Thereupon
the count replied that the producer
was none other than the world famed
American scientist. Professor Maurice
de Tecla," who because of his absorb
tlon IN the pursuit Of knowledge had
never before considc, ed commercial
possibilities. Now. however, that phase
of his wonderful discovery had been
brought to his attention. and upon q
certain day in the near future it had
been arranged to have "A public cxhibi-
ton.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
He Packed the
House in New York

lie next hired place on Olive Street
at 81 500 a month and bought rich pur-
ME and black velvet instead # crepe
paper, and hevel1ed mirrors instead OF
plain silyered glass for his window
dressings.
He engaged the place for ninety
days He could have remained SIX
months or Il year, but he was still un-
convinced of the staying qualities Of
the imitation diamond business. And
here a curious little quirk Of Godsol's
business character cropped up. He de
cided it was wrong to take dollars for
stuff that cost only few cents, and he
stocked up with better grade on
which the profit was only 100 per cent.
81 also put in line of real goods
he says, "but that was a mistake. |
found that people would rather pay
$40 for ali imitation gem set in plated
ware than 500 for real stone mount
ed in gold.
"If hadn't been a fool" he lamented,
81 would have struck out at once for
New York. Ultimately | made more
money here than anywhere else in
America But at that time was afraid
! of the big town.
In Detroit he evolved the Diamond
Palace" with mahogany furnishings,
tapestries. heavy velvet hangings and
crystal electroiers. He adopted the
policy of big space advertising, and
again tried TO use the imitation gems
as leaders to the real jewelry counters,
! but once more found that cheapness
was preferred to genuineness.
Thence he went to Rochester, and a
few months later began his New York
career. His "Diamond Palace" here was
established in Fourteenth Street, near
Fifth Avenue, next to an art gallery.
Again he packed the house, For
yielded to the call of the green baize
tables, and hardened to the hoofbeats
! of the racers on the metropolitan
courses.
New fork then was "lde open
town" A man could find anything he
looked for. Garfield was in his heyday
then. Young millionaires from Pitts
brrgh were being trimmed nightly in
gilded palaces of chance Farmers from
New Jersey and New England were in
vestng daily in Brooklyn Bridge shares.
! Engaging confidence men were doing d
land Office business in polished brass
cubes stamped 400 per cent gold"
Godsol, forever seeking the hectic ex-
elements he had known in Butte, soon
found Caniield's. He found other
places.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
out some one thing could make ii win
ner Of it, SO | began to think

out some one thing could make ii win
ner of it. SO began to think
watch chains. It came to me all of
sudden. We had line of chains,
ordinary plated ware, but lasting. |
had large quantity of them numbered
Then had warranty certificates en-
graved and numbered, one for each
chain, guaranteeing each purchaser a
| refund for any chain that did not last
1--WE or ten years, forget which | had
them arranged on black velvet in lots
| OF twcnty-four, in attractive cases of
wood and glass. Then | raised the
price and went out selling. My entire
sample line consisted of one case. /
never sold less than one case of TWEEN
ty-four Every jeweer bought. and
every one sold guaranteed chains like
hot dogs at a Concy Island picnic"
But the watch chain bonanza did not
last long for the Goldsoll brothers. 4
resurgence Of the fever caught at the
Butte faro tables and roulette wheels
, afflicted Frank. Louie" also became
infected. "He was born with the desire
to take chance says Frank. Betwee n
the two the Goldsoll partnership was
wrecked
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
Charges Schools
With His Troubles

But serious though Godsol's present
predicament may be, it is really only
an interlude, an incident, in a career
that was amazing long before the be-
ginning of the world war made him
making millions.
Godsol was born July II, 1874, the
elder Of two sons Of Schulman Goldsoll,
a manufacturing jeweller. who left the
Russian Pale in the late sixties and
settled in Cleveland.
And feverishly athirst for knowledge
himself, he determined when his sons
were born that they should be highly
educated. For the elder, Frank, whom
Broadway knows as "Joe" and the
Paris boulevards as "Chere joe" he
laid out regimen designed to give
him all the education there was.
"I never had playmate" said God
sol in the Washington jail the other
dav. while he and his wife, whom he
married in Newark last December,
worked over the volumes of docu-
ments and data which he had as
sembled to refute the French charges.
81 am not an angel Had things been
otherwise l might not have been more
angelic than l am. But my life prob
ably would have been different, more
orthodox, more conventional.
mind, I am not excusing myself.
That is not to say that I have wronged
France, or done anything for which
could be prosecuted criminally.
haven't But there are things rve
done that am ashamed Of. That is
true of every man. But you know
you get started certain way and you
just 20 on
And then he explaincd
81 went to school almost from the
time I could walk. After the day in
school I came home to more classes
Latin, Greek, special tutors in modern
languages and science, violin lessons
But what good did they do me?
cannot play note. And when | was
naturalized in France one of the Off
Gals said: 'Ha, Frcnchman who can
not speak French
when the other boys were on the
greens or back lots playing | was al
work on special lessons Then, after
finishing with the special tutors, I had
to spend part Of the night getting up
the regular lessons for school mex.
day"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
He Published
The Scholars Weekly

Codsol attributes his extraordinary
success az Il money maker to his an
probation Of the little ideas which
other men pass over and to his abil.
ny ~ an organizer lie carly dis
played both faculties His original
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
E'u oIIISoo TIL OICVCINNU
Cambled in Butte
And Won $4,000

And in little while he got another
little idea which originated the spe-
cia!ty game in the jewelry trade, and
was in fact the leading string to the
imitation gem business with which he
literally belted the world.
But that did not come until. Welding
to the gaming spirit bred in the Mon
tara mining fields, he took fier on
the race courses of the East. 1t has
been reported in print and otherwise
that he "welched" once for large
amount while running a book. That is
not true. II was Il sore spot with him
last summer when he had five cottages
at Saratoga filled with guests and was
betting $4,000 to $4,000 on a race
and winning. The fact is that cashier
decamped with his ''bankroll," amount
ing to about $4,000. but he paid every
dollar Of it. leaving himself with the
$1,000 with which he invaded Europe
in 1899.
That, however, is little in advance.
10 get back to his specially idea. It
was simply forcrunner Of the plan
adopted generally since in all lines of
trade Of inducing customers to nav
more for goods by doing them up in
fancy packages He tells how it germi
mated thus:
"My fathers line included about
everything in jcwelry On the road
az travelling salesman | had to carry
n couple of trunks.
- didn't want to be loaded down
"ith trunks. wanted something also
that could talk enthusiastically about.
IL occurred to me that if could Dick
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
FRANK |. GODSOl.
In his uniform as French soldie

dollar so | could truthfully advertise
ere 81 now 80 cents Were 81, now
20 cents and so on down to q dime.
but the first day took in $50. In a
week the lineup was blocking the
sidewalk. My clerks were robbing me
blind, bat in spite of that, before the
month was ended, was taking in $500
a day. What could I do then? Cut
down to dime?"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04

balance he expended for richly purpled
crepe paper, mirrors to line his show
window and cylinder made Of mir
rors and a motor 10 turn it. He ar
ranged with the electric company to
supply scores Of incandescent bulbs to
food-llcht the window. The paper he
laid bilowing over packing cases and
shoe boxes scattered about in the WIN
dow to break its four-square austerity
Then he studded the mirrored cyl
inder with "diamonds' and set 1t IN
the centre OF the window. He sprin-
Killed. more Of the gems among the folds
and pillows of the purple crepe paper
It was nights work, but by daylight
he had a display that was dazzling un-
der the rays Of the cleverly concealed
window lights.
CAS- said, | did not believe anybody
would buy at 81. named that igure
so that when cut the price they would
look like real bargains You know
Were 81. now 50 cents. But on my
word u hadn't been open ten minutes
before I had p customer. And there
were ffty-nino others before | closed
that night.
"Next day there were hundred, the
next two hundred. Before the week
vas ended WAS averaging five or six
hundred dollars day The sidewalk
was blocked, especially at night when
the lights made the window literally
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
celia Pearl
c oes on Exhibition

Then followed notices of the exhibi.
ton. The display Ess made by the re.
nowned professor. and shortly there
after a vigorous advertising campaigr
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-04
Said to Have
Made $4,5OO,000

From these commissions he has made
approximately s4,5ooo0o aince the war
began. This Is the fact, although the
New York State Attorney General who
has been investigating him, has as
serted that his commissions amounted
TO twice that.
The charge Is that he misrcprcsentcd
10 the manufacturcrs that they could
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31
KEOKUK is HELPING WIN THE WAR
Important Part Played in the Plans Of the Generals by One
of the Metals Plants Which is Hard at Work

although it never ks about it. For
one thing, it is working, year in and
year out, as steadily as ships chro-
nometer, taking in crushed rock and
/ iron and turning out many oaTe's
filled with the nard, brown Jumps q
ferrosilicon.
A Section of SheoI nj Spectacle.
At night, the big plant, with walls
of glass and floors holding great
electric furnaces, seems a great caul-
dron OF electric flame that can be
compared only with section of hell
with the lid Off Thousands drive
down there TO see the sight, and peo-
pie on Mississippi river steamboa Is
are called out of bed by their friends
to see the spectacle OF lifelir'c at
the lower end of Keokuk on the river
bank. A big block Of living flame
shooting divergent shafts of light
into an immense cloud of vapor hang
ing over it looks like it was beyond
the control Of mere man. But that
is only incidental 70 making Terro.
silicon in electric furnaces tina. are
as delicately regulated as the speed
of fan In library.
After all, making ferro-silicon sue
cessfully is triumph Of science, a
'4CtViy Ioi anu the
of electricity.
Some Benefits Conferred.
OF course, business of that mag
nitude is a great benefit to keokuk
That 1t gives employment to many
men at good wages is the smallest
of the benefits it confers on the
town.
1t carries the name of Keokuk upon
It's barrels to every industrial center
of a large part of America, and this
is city advertising of much higher
grade than the Los Angeles way OF
sending broadcast a booklet of pho
togra2hs of its citizens buying Lilo
erty bonds, or the way of some other
smaller cities that continually talk
about what big thing their thinble
factories and projected air heating
plants are going to become.
1t has brought to Keokuk the kind
of men who accomplish such things
as the Electro-Me company is do
ing without Dragging about it. men
of big ideas and their realization.
men of uplifting force, and men of
the highest type Of practical patriot
ism.
After all, the quality of an asset
is more important than its quantity,
and in both quality and size, this as
set of Keokuk ranks very high.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

Ferro-silicon is not nearly SO mys-
FERROUS as it sounds.
II is akin to the way our grand
mothers used to put white of egg IN
the coffee pot to make the coffee
settle and clear. Later some coffee
coasters coated the berries with the
same albumen as white of egg.
If the atoms of steel are combined
with the atoms of silicon, as the cof-
fee berries and albumen were COM
bined, it clears the melted steel and
makes it better steel in several ways.
Without the best steel, all the
armies fighting in France would be
as useless as a regiment Of harvest
hands without reapers and binders.
Without the best steel, there would
be no artillery, no airplane engines,
10 high explosive shells, no tanks, no
steamships, no submarines, no coast
defenses, no rifles, no automobile
transport and no surgical instru-
ments in the world war.
One Way Keokuk is Hitting Kaiser.
The allies are winning the war,
partly because America is producing
prodigious quantities Of the very best
steel and turning 1t into all sorts Of
III uHIllOAS Va Wal diN eISN~osooAi 10 iOi
fighting
Ferro-silicon is very important
element IN the making of this best
steel that Is doing so much to win
the war for humanity against the
barbarity of the Hun.
Keokuk is quietly doing its par
in this direction by making more
ferro-slicon than any other place in
America, except only the Niagara
Falls district, which had a long start
on US.
Car after car, day after day, leaves
Keokuk loaded with ferro-silicon,
and every car Of it is a big shot at
kaiserisn.
A Big, Practical Patriotism.
That is practical patriotism. The
close corporation practicing it does
not talk about it, but keeps on steadi-
~ at its work. 1t politely shooes
away reporters who wander thai way
in search of the good newspaper
stories they know are hidden in that
immense glass walled factory. But
few facts are available to those
who keep track of statistics, official
reports and railroad shipments.
The Keokuk L ectro-Metals com
pany is doing a lot to help Uncle
Sam convert the .iarS>i, and it 3aems
to take peculiar delight in its work,
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

second month after the bill becomes
law, a sum equal to two and one
half per cent. per annum shall be de-
Quoted from the pay Of all TO WHOM
the act applies, these sums TO form
the civil service retiring fund There
is also appropriated out OF any mon
eys in the treasury not otherwise
appropriated sum sufficient to
make payments provided by this act
Annuities are to be paid monthly
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

the last preceding ten years, but not
over $500 per annTm. Class BIS an
nuity shall not exceed S540 per an
mum; class G, not to exceed $3.50 per
annum; class d, not TO exceed 1920.
Employees to whom the act ap-
plies shall retire automatically, upon
arriving at the age of retirement. In
special cases, employment may be
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

and by check, payment to be made
by the disbursing clerk of the bureau
of war risk insurance. None of the
moneys mentioned in this act shall be
assignable, either in law or equity, or
be subject to execution, levy or at
tachment, garnishment or other legal
process.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

continued an added period of two
years, and that process may be re-
peated ten years after the passage
of the act, when no one shall be
continued in the service to exceed
four years beyond the age limit
Deducted From Payroll
Beginning on the first day of the
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31
Bill Introduced for the Retirement OF
All Persons in the Classified
Service at Sixty
eight.
1T AFFECTS MANY HERE
Gives Employees Of the Government
Expectation Of Being Cared
for in Their Old
Age.

There are today several hundred
Keokukians 81 the civil service clas-
sified CSv1ce, not only in the post
Office and other local positions, but
in Washington and elsewhere.
At present they receive only their
salary month by month, and when
they grow old are put out on the
ground OF impaired efficiency, with
out any provision for old age on the
part of the government. The oldest
In point of service is G. G. FanWer-
den, of the postoffice, who has served
there so many years that nobody else
knows when he began-and he is
still very active and efficient.
Retires at Sinty-eiqht
The new bill Is known as the Nc
Kellar bill for the retirement Of en-
ployes in the classified civil service
and retrenchment. 1t is assumed
that this bill or one similar will be-
come a law, if not Immediately, then
soon after the war shall have been
won. The bill provides, that begin
ming on the first day of July next,
following the passage of this act, all
employees in the classified civil serv-
ice Of the United States, who have
on that date, or shall have on any
date thereafter reached the age Of
sixty-eight years, shall be eligible for
retirement on an annuity as herein
after provided: Provided, that me-
chanics city and rural letter carriers
and railway mail clerks shall be ell
gible for retirement at sixty-five
years of age; provided further, that
postmasters Shall not be included in
The provisions of this act.
To Be in Four Glasses
The employees are divided into four
classes: Those in class A shall have
served thirty years; those in elias 3,
twenty-five to thirty years; those in
class c, twenty to twenty-five years
those in class D, fifteen to twenty
years.
The annuity for class A shall equal
30 ner centum Of the average pay for
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-31

Read Gate City want ads.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-19
Ringing Finds Railwdy
More Difficult to Run
Than Modem Circus

Osgood, Ohio, Oct 19.-John Ring
ling has found out that there are
things harder to run than circuses.
For instance. John bought a little
railroad down here in Ohio. The road
runs through this town and it's deadly
-ival, Yorkshire, one mile away.
Looking at business and at the near
7cation OF the two stations. he de-
cided TO cut Osgood off the railroad
nap and promptly closed the station
mere. Osgood Immediately appealed
he case TO the state railroad COM
mission and now onS station agent
will work for the two towns, keeping
both stations open IN the morning
Osgood is a railroad town, in the af-
ternoon Yorkshire enjoys an open de-
pot. and in the meantime the agent
acts as a shuttle between the two,
-iding a speeder between his jobs.
Osgood deserved the railroad sta
tion-look at what they showed the
railroad commission:
This town has more church people
than Yorkshire: IL has 212 population
16 more people than Yorkshire; it's
got a tile mill, and then. too. IL has
a town hall and a movie, The oppo-
sition could not make a showing like
that and Osgood is still a station on
the circus mans line