The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1919-04-24

.. EARLY, DAY SHES IN
81 MISSOURI
y Money Was Scarce and Farmer
sI Gave Notes for Small
. III Amounts. Il
ri Macon, Mo-, April I2.-S, D.
: Wells, a farmer living east. Of Ma
! con, has the age-yellowed schedule
of an auction sale held in Rund
Grove Township in the spring Of
!, 18346-12 years before Macon was
y laid out. The war with Mexico then
had the stage. Mr.. Wells was the
/ grandson of James Smith, whose
. personal property was sold follow
!, ing his death. The items sold were
recorded on parchment, hand ruled
evidently quill being used. The
writing is in small, plaia hand. and
is easily read, although the paper is
yellow and considerably splotehed.
For his days service the clerk re-
ceived dollar. and the auctioneer
so cents. An auctioneer today SELF
ing the same sort of articles would
have made from SIS to $50, and the
clerk would have been paid $40 or
SIS.
The sale was made at time when
money was very scarce. Furs were
the principal legal tender, Spanish or
Mexican dollars, chiseled into four
or five pieces, and each piece called
"bit," or twelve and one-half cents,
formed the principal casl, in many
sections of the country. Personal
notes were given for the smallest
purchases, and they passed from
man to man as money, if the maker
was known to be good. As a rule
a good mans credit was good, and
he could settle debt when he felt
like it. In rural sections it was a
breach Of courtesy to ask man to
pay bill, and to do so would often
cause bitter arrangement. 1t was
taken as matter of course a man
would settle debt as soon as he
could, and to insist on immediate
liquidation was like reflection on
his honor.
At the sale of Smiths personal eff
fects Washington Surber paid $7.25
for "pieded' heifer A Pieded
heifer was sort of notified or
spotted animal, the term being we'll
understood by the early settlers.
That ''pieded' heifer would prob
ably have fetched $50 today.
Richard Johnson gave a note for
81 for a "Pieded yearling steer"
John d. Smith bought red heifer
for $2.37 I-2.
A note for 2S cents was given by
Charles Foreman for crock.
Andrew Mote gave his note for 81
I-2 cents for set of ~doubletrees.
Nathaniel Richardson probably
surprised the auctioneer by paying
81 1-2 cents in cash for a hammer.
John D. Smith bid in curry
comb and rope for "a bit
Hog >raisers today will smile to
note that the auctioneer at this sale
knocked down to William Griffin,
:. 40 first choice pork hogs for
$4o55."
Sarah Smith paid s. for a side
saddle. She would have to pay SIS
for the same article today, but for
the fact that she probably owns a
motor car.
Because he didn't. have "two bits"
about him, William Faulkner had to
gave his note for IS cents for lone
stew pan, in good order"
Henry Grubs gave $I.3o for bee
stand, while c. P. Davis gave a dol
ar note, signed by himself, for a
zig. Today the pig would probably
'e worth $40 and the bee stand 80
:ents.
The clerk notes that "one-half of
he wagon" was sold to John D.
smith for SIS. There is no record as
o what became of the other half.
The same bidder got five acres of
:orn and stock feed for $3.75. If
here had been the modest estimate
# 80 bushels to the acre that meant
so bushels of corn, which at today's
verage of $I.5o bushel, would
AVE brought $225.
James w. Surber paid $6.2s for
five first-choice sheep"
1t looks as if the bidding on some
rticles was advanced a cent at
inc, for David Kincaid was the
uccessful bidder at al cents for
ucket- and gave his note.
Compared with other articles the
amily clock fetched the royal price
t 81, but it was bid in by the widow
t the owner. The widow also =
ought back into the household zone
ureau" for IS and looking glass
Or IS cents. So 8W
BENJAMIN F. Elsea gave his note
or II I-2 cents for a pair of horse
hoes, and Ben Robuck seems to.
ave got a still better bargain in the
urchase of lone saddle, bride and
for 10 cents, for which
e also gave his note.