Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-03-23
RIGGS TELLS OF EARLY DAYS I'M
TEXAS PANHANDLE; statesmen AS
RULE HAD PRETTY ROUGH TIME

There are many travelling men In the
Panhandle today who made the Panhan
die territory when II was necessary 10
go from one town 10 another In bug.
gies. One Of the first ten travelling
men 10 come 10 the Panhandle was
J. ". Riggs. now with the Panhandle
Motor Company. Newt Riggs made
his first trip 10 the Panhandle In 1907
arriving In Amarillo on the End day Of
May. lie was at that time travelling
sor the Simmons Hardware Company
and had been with that firm for about
live years. lilo remained with them un.
Oil he quit the road n few years ago.
Commenting on his first trip. Mr..
Riggs said. Il stopped at the Elmhurst
Hotel and one Of the first men men In
Amarillo was Henry Jack who was nj.
NO selling hardware. lie In now my
pardner In the Panhandle Motor Com.
pany. There were only three hard.
ware firms In Amarillo then and call.
I'D on two Of them. Hugh Chestnut
had a store whore the Fair store now
n and Morrow Thomas was located
where Hugh Chestnut In now.
II went 20 Tulia from Amarillo on
an accommodation train. The railroad
had Just been completed from Canyon
90 Plalnvlew and they ran a mixed train
on the road. The hotel at Tulla had
Just been built and we travelling men
thought u was a dandy. I went from
Tulla TO Plainview where called on the
Donohoo.ware Hardware COMPANY
which had only recently been purchased
by four Amarillo men. Strlngfeilow.
Hume. Fuqua and Morrow. That firm
II still In business In Plainview. The
other Hardware Store In Plalnvlew was
the Plainview Hardware Company.
at Plainview hired u team and
driver and left on trip In n buggy
which lasted sixteen days. There were
over 500 carloads Of freight In Plainvicw
nj that time that had never been un.
loaded and things were badly longest.
cd there. II took all day 10 drive from
Plalnview 10 Lubbock but as l didn't
leave Plainview until about one o'clock
didn't reach Lubbock until about
twelve O'Clock that night.
II stopped at what was known AZ the
halfway house and had supper, that
still remember. II was run by an old
German and his wife; and ate a nigh.
~ big meal there consisting Of fried
eggs. ham. ham gravy and hot bis.
cults. l reached Lubbock way In the
night and the whole town was dark
and not person was % be seen on the
streets. My driver had never been
there before either. but We finally 10.
Gated the hotel and after making a
great deal Of noise the proprietor stuck
his head out Of window and told US
he didn't have a bed NJ all. We tried 10
tell him that we Just must have n bed
but he stopped the argument by closing
the window. We found the Ivory
stable and the man In charge II II found
Ne bed which was not such good
one but II beat sleeping out.
II spent two days In Lubbock. One
az the firms called on there was tho
Western Windmill Company which Is
still In business. From Lubbock I went
Co Brownfield 20 call on II. n. Long.
broke. who In still In business. go,
Co Brownfield about ak In the evening
and worked with him until after mid.
night and sold him a nice order. Al
Lamcsa I called on Il. ID. Simpson who
is now banker there.
AT Tahoka I called on the Robinson
Bros. ono 81 whom IL now county clerk
of that county. II was a. Tahoka that
] first met u. J. Bob" Parsons. who
was travelling for the Geo. ID. barnard
stationery Company for whom he IL
still travelling. lie and c. n, Hall. now
travelling for Morrow.Thomas Hard .
ware Company are the only two travel
Ing men ] remember meeting an that
trip who are stlll on the road In the Pan
handle.
"while on that trip I went e. what