The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-24
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS.

am glad that last Saturday was the longest day of the year for I had a full days work cut out for me. Frank Derby, the irresistible, had paid me a visit to extract a promise that would be at the Demopolis dinner to organize for the great cock enterprise to build bridge across the Bigbee.
 Now, there Is not the slightest doubt in my mind that it is going to be done, for when Frank Derby gets in behind scheme it will surely be put over, and the crazier the idea, the quicker it wih be realized. He is g. heaven born pro moter of what to the ordinary business man looks like wild cat enterprises.
 I well remember the first afternoon he appeared here in Birmingham at a called meeting of the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce. I was in at- tendance and heard him as he outlined his plan for the Red Cross bull sale I thought it was the biggest pipe dream that had ever been smoked in this Magic City of ours, and all the old timers know that some real Munchausen ones have been lit in this burg of ours
 
 In the old days when I was an active member of the bar, the firm of which I was member made a speciality of pro- motion schemes and into our office came adventurers from all parts of the world with every kind of a conceivable plan to organize a company to separate dollars from confiding public. Now. you can't always judge between what is fake and what is genuine. or otherwise many of us who landed here in the eighties, who today are poor. would be rich.
 I recall a Quaker brother, with the face of saint. and the beard of prophet, more in futile attempt to interest us in assisting him to exercise the rights which he had on thousands of acres of Sand Mountain land at s1 per acre. We knew that he had the right to negotiate but the thing we failed to see along with some men of capital but without vision, that one day the acreage which he was I hawking about would be about the most valuable of all the farm lands in the state
 | Now when Frank Derby unfolded his bis idea of getting the great shorthorn breed CTS of America to give him without money herds. could see first look of amaze ment and then one of pity fit over the faces of the conservative bankers, mer- chants, manufacturers and professional men sitting before them. It sounded like the fairy story of a man who needed lieve that such thing was within ths range of possibility.
 I doNnot pretend that was any more trusting than the rest for it seemed te me like the vaporings of dope artist do not blame the directors for asking for time to consider the most unusua proposition. The meeting adjourned with
 out any enthusiasm having been gener
 ated. and the bunch filed out with thu air of men who had been victimized bl
 being called to hear such a preposter
 ous scheme, and trenbled for w. Blank
 Everett, the genial secretary.
 l. have had a sympathetic nature iron
 my youth up and seeing Derby standin' apart, bit nonpulsed but not crest
 fallen went over and introduced my self, saying: T have never met you be fore but here is my hand, don't get down hearted, this crowd just hasn't believe ], word of your tale, for to tell the trut | 1t has mighty fishy sound, but set m
 down as a believer Now that is tn 7 way I got acquainted with one of tn most unique characters in this or any oth CT state
 widest philanthropist who ever hit thi lsome of the boys asked me what though | of Derby. and replied: "He is eithe
 the biggest liar. the greatest fool, or tn
 When I got back to The Age-Heral } town, and at present beg not to be mad , to commit myself Any other man say , the optimistic Frank would have sai good bye and turned his back on a cit : which had received his proposals wit ) such scant courtesy. Bdt he is made z Stern0r StuII- IlS huSW til0l iio WA make good and he wasn't going to 2
 sidetracked.
 7 Then the Chamber of Commerce bega 7 to get line on him and the more
 linouired the more it came to the concll 7 sion that it had gamblers chance Q make a big killing by stalking him d play it's hand. Then came the 1amo' ,. Tutwiler breakfast at S75 plate, th'
 got Mercer Barnett's goat until he sa Louis Pizitz come acrss without havlr
 been able to eat the ham which weht VII the eggs. The breakfast furnished II IT funds to pay for the transporting of u
 lcattla and other incidental expenses col
 nected with the sale
 III Then Frank Derby got on train af
 started west in search of shorthorr
 while the committee back home wonde
 sd if he would be able to talk the gre
 hreeders out of their fine stock. He hadr | heen on the road long before telegram
 began to pour in about his having go IS ten one from such and such not l. farm, and before the week was out
 inst rained telegrams telling of the bea 'e lies which had been donated.
 1T The committee was wide awake no
 and got Fred Jones, president of [ A southern Cattle association and me to L. out to the various towns and clties n Alabama to work up an inerest in I
 great sale. We started and at Montgoi erv communicated Bob Seals, the worlt ,A vraatest short horn enthusiast, and w