Chapter XXIX —
IN THE AUCTION BUSINESS AGAIN—A NEW CONVEYANCE FOR STREET SALES—MY
TRIP THROUGH THE LUMBER REGIONS—A SUCCESSFUL SUMMER CAMPAIGN—A
WINTER’S TRIP THROUGH THE SOUTH—MY RETURN TO GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—A
TRIP TO LAKE SUPERIOR—SELLING NEEDLES AS A SIDE ISSUE—HOW I DID
IT—STATE LICENSE DEMANDED BY AN OFFICER—HOW I TURNED THE TABLES ON
HIM—BUYING OUT A COUNTRY STORE—A GREAT SALE OF PAPER CAMBRIC DRESS
PATTERNS—A COMPROMISE WITH THE BUYERS—MY RETURN TO CHICAGO—FLUSH AND FLYING HIGH.
As my goods had arrived at Elkhart, I started out immediately, selling
from a trunk, and met with splendid success. I concluded to make a trip
north, through the lumber country. As my facilities were going to be
poor for hiring livery teams in the majority of those towns, with
which[Pg 523] to drive out upon the streets to make a sale, I began trying to
invent something to take with me on which to put my trunks when selling.
One day I saw a gentleman pushing a two-wheeled cart, and it occurred to
me that I could put end-boards on it, and after placing a trunk on each
end I could stand up very nicely in the center, which would bring me at
just about the proper height above my audience.
Acting accordingly, I bought the cart, and after having the end-boards
put on and a standard made to fasten at the rear end of the box to keep
the thing from tipping backward, I bought another trunk and made “a
pitch” with it.
MY UNIQUE CONVEYANCE IN THE MINING AND LUMBER CAMP.—PAGE 523
It was just the thing. I could give the baggage-men on the trains from
twenty-five to fifty cents each time I made a trip and when I arrived at
my destination it would be thrown off with my trunks. I was thereafter
troubled no more with the annoyance of procuring a suitable conveyance
to sell from.
I traveled through the lumber country in Michigan and very soon remitted
my new friend, Doctor Ingraham, the full amount of my indebtedness, and
explained to him my new plan which was saving me lots of money in livery
hire.
His reply, acknowledging the receipt of the money, did me more good
than the making of a small fortune would have done. He assured me that
if I ever needed assistance I could always depend on him, as he liked a
good “hus’ler” and liked to favor them all he could, when he knew they
were square.
My wife joined me a few weeks later, leaving little Frankie with my
mother. She traveled with me all summer and business kept fairly good.
We continued on till fall, when she returned to Ohio and I went South to
the climate my mother had previously recommended as adapted to straw
hats and linen dusters.
I remained there during the winter, meeting with fair success, and
returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I remained a few weeks.
On May first my wife met me there, when we started on a trip to the Lake
Superior country, visiting all the mining towns and meeting with
unusually good success.
During the entire trip I paid all our traveling expenses with the sale
of needles. This I managed by employing four small boys each day in
every town to peddle them for me. I put the needles up in twenty-five
cent packages, and[Pg 525] gave each boy five cents commission per package on
his sales, and always made it a point to select not more than one boy
from any particular neighborhood or locality, and instructed him to call
on every relative and neighbor he had, and if possible make a sale; and
for every extra day I remained in town I would employ a new set of boys.
In this way I managed to reach almost every house in every town I
visited, and although my time was almost wholly occupied in keeping my
auction stock in shape, I was able to manage this little scheme so as to
net me a regular profit of from three to ten dollars per day.
I still kept my two-wheeled cart, which I could hardly have dispensed
with in a country where horses and carriages were scarce. We pushed our
way toward the north, with but few incidents worthy of mention.
At Sault St. Marie we were obliged to remain five days before getting a
boat to Marquette, and the first night I opened my sale there was called
upon by an officer who demanded a State license. This was the first time
I had ever been asked for State license, and the first intimation I had
ever had that there was a law requiring it. But as [Pg 526]Governor Crosswell
and staff were then visiting the town and were at that moment sitting on
the porch of the hotel witnessing my sale, it instantly occurred to me
that the gentleman was making himself over-officious, with a view to
making a favorable impression upon the State officials.
And as he showed considerable awkwardness in demanding a license by
inquiring if I had State license to sell, I quickly “sized him up” and
said:
“No sir, I have no license to sell, but I have soap and fine tooth combs
for sale, and the Lord knows you need them more than you do a license.”
He appeared considerably offended and displaying his star said:
“I demand your license, sir!”
“Do you understand the laws regarding your duty as an officer?”
“I think I do, sir.”
“Then, sir, you know you have no right, under the law, to ask me for a
license. Your only course is to make inquiries of the Secretary of
State, and as that official is sitting right there on the porch, not
more than twenty feet from here, I’ll refer you to him; but unless you
are [Pg 527]prepared to pay damages don’t you interrupt me again, for I want
you to distinctly understand that my license entitles me to the
privilege of doing all the talking there is done here to-night, and I
propose to do it. If you have anything to say, you must go outside the
corporation.”
I resumed business immediately, when I heard the officer say (as he
passed out, amid the hisses and laughter of my audience):
“I’ll see a lawyer about this.”
The next day I interviewed the Governor and the State Secretary and
Treasurer, and was informed that there was a law requiring the payment
of fifteen dollars per annum for State license.
I prevailed upon them to allow me to pay the amount to them and receive
a receipt for it to show I had acted in good faith, and they were to
forward my license to me at Marquette.
The next night, just as I had gotten nicely started with my sale, the
same officer came up again and demanded my license, saying he had spent
some time with a good lawyer in looking up the law, and he knew it was
his duty to demand a license of me direct. I said:
“Well, if you’ll jump up here and hand out[Pg 528] these boxes of soap, so as
not to interfere with my sale, I’ll go inside and get my license.”
He agreed, and climbed into the cart, when I stepped back in the crowd
and began urging every one about me to patronize him as much as
possible, and explained to them that I intended to stay away and let him
worry it out till he got tired. He made several sales and then began to
look anxious and silly. I still kept in the background and he sent a boy
into the hotel to learn my whereabouts. The lad returned with the
information that I had not been there since I opened my sale.
After the crowd had laughed at him and the small boys had “guyed” him
till he was ready to quit, I stepped up briskly and said:
“Mister, have you got either State or city license to act as an
auctioneer, or to hawk goods upon the street at public sale?”
He said he didn’t need any.
“Very well, sir,” I said as I climbed in the cart and forced him out,
“as this is America, where one man’s rights are as good as another’s, I
guess I can get along without license if you can.”
The crowd laughed again and he stepped off[Pg 529] without molesting me
further. The only satisfaction I experienced was that of beating him at
his own game, and I had gotten rid of him without having to show up my
receipt.
When it was given to me by one of the State officials, he remarked that
while he didn’t think I would be likely to get into any difficulty so
long as I could show it up, he was certain that by law I had no
authority to sell till I had procured the license. I therefore thought
best to avoid showing my receipt till the very last resort. I made
several other sales there, but was not molested again.
Our next town was Marquette, where our success was far beyond our
expectation. I remember the first night I sold there, just as I had
started in and was having a big run, a tall, slim man with a very
intelligent face and a large, red nose, but rather roughly dressed, came
rushing through the crowd, swearing at the top of his voice and calling
me all manner of names. I shouted at the very top of my voice:
“Stop, sir! Stop right where you are!” And as he obeyed me I said:
“Don’t you advance another step, sir! If you open your mouth again I’ll
have you arrested!”
“Hic—hic—what for?”
“For violating the revenue law,” I quickly answered, discovering he was
intoxicated.
“Hic-for-hic-for violating the revenue law, did you say?”
“Yes sir, that’s what; and as sure as you open your mouth again I’ll
have you arrested. You are old enough and have had experience enough to
know better than to come out here on Main Street and open a rum-hole
without paying license!”
The crowd yelled and screamed and whooped and shouted with unusual
enthusiasm, which at once convinced me that I had struck something
different from the ordinary, and my opinion was fully confirmed when he
commenced to laugh, and stepping within my reach began buying my goods
as fast as I could hand them to him. He never opened his mouth, but kept
reaching for the goods as fast as I could count them and pass them out,
and handed me a dollar for each sale, as I was selling in dollar lots.
This he kept up till he had loaded himself and several friends, and
started off, saying he would be back the next night.
After he left I was informed that he was worth several millions, which
he had made in iron and copper mines.
The next night I went out with my cart rather early, as usual, and
lighted my torches and returned to the hotel to await the regular time
for opening. When I came out again I was surprised to see every window
in every building around me occupied by nicely dressed ladies, and the
streets filled with handsome horses drawing carriages occupied, as I
could see, by a well-to-do class of people.
It was remarked by many the next day that there never had been as large
a crowd gathered on the street at one time before, and the result of my
sale, which was three times larger than any I had ever before had,
proved to me what a little free advertising could do.
I looked in vain, as did also many of my audience, for the rich miner,
but he didn’t come.
We continued on towards the copper country, working the iron mining
towns on our way, arriving at Houghton the middle of July.
The next day after making my first sale there, I was walking down
street, and when passing a store room a gentleman came to the door and
said:
“You’re just the man that ought to buy me out and sell the goods at
auction.”
“What have you got?”
“I have everything—boots, shoes, suits of clothes, overcoats, dishes,
notions and I don’t know what I haven’t got.”
I asked his reason for selling. He replied that it was a stock that had
gone through a fire, and he had bought it for a few hundred dollars and
was then six hundred dollars ahead, and would sell the balance cheap. I
stepped inside and after glancing over the stock asked his price.
“Six hundred dollars.”
“I’ll give you just twenty-five per cent. of that, and no more,” and
started to walk out.
“I’ll take two hundred fifty.”
“No sir,” taking a roll of money from my pocket and showing it to him,
“one hundred and fifty, and your cash in your fingers.”
“All right, count it out.”
“But step to the Recorder’s office and assure me that there is no
mortgage on your stock and that it belongs to you, and after giving me a
bill of sale your money is ready.”
He did so, and I made the purchase.
In this stock was a quantity of paper cambric of all colors, and when
the firemen were trying to put out the fire they had deluged it,[Pg 533] and
the result was that the water had soaked through it and had carried with
it all the colors, leaving each piece variegated.
I was at a loss to know what to do with it, and finally concluded to cut
it up into dress patterns of sixteen and two-thirds yards and then give
one pattern away with each dollar sale that evening when I sold at
auction.
That night, before opening my sale, I picked up one of the pieces, and
handing one end of it to a boy, requested him to run down the street
with it till he got it all straightened out. While the boy was holding
to one end and I to the other, I went on and explained that I had that
day bought out Mr. ——, and as I had no knowledge of the dry-goods
business and couldn’t tell a piece of calico from an Irish tarpaulin,
that they must not blame me if I sold them silk for Canton flannel.
Besides the paper cambric I had a lot of other pieces of dress goods,
which were in good shape and which I intended to sell to the highest
bidder.
Just as I was about to inaugurate my gift enterprise scheme, some
gentleman of German descent cried out in broken English:
“Swei dollar.”
I at once yelled:
“Sold for two dollars, and who will have the next sixteen and two-thirds
yards for two dollars?”
“I’ll take ’em,” “I’ll take ’em,” “Here,” “Here,” “Give me one,” “Give
me one,” they all shouted at once, and the two-dollars were as thick as
hailstones in less than a second. I stood there and tossed out the dress
patterns and caught their two-dollar bills and silver pieces like a
Chinese juggler. After I had cleaned out every dollar’s worth of the
cambric I said:
“Gentlemen, I am going to be frank with you now, and advise you not to
represent to your wives that you have any great bargain in these dress
patterns, for they may be better posted than any of us are. But I’ll
tell you what I’ll do, boys. If you are dissatisfied now I’ll give you
two dollars’ worth of any other goods I have, and take the dress
patterns back; or if your wives are not satisfied they can come to the
store to-morrow at ten o’clock and I’ll give them two dollars’ worth of
any goods I have in exchange for the patterns.”
They agreed that that was fair, and all stayed and I made a splendid
sale of notions.
The next day, at two o’clock, I went down to the store and found a
crowd of women large enough to fill a small circus tent. Each one had a
dress pattern, and as I passed by to unlock the door each had something
to say. The crowd was composed of all classes—Polish, Norwegian, Irish,
German, Cornish, etc. The Irish, with their sharp tongues and quick wit,
were predominant, and all together they had considerable sport in
relating what their husbands had to say when they brought home the dress
patterns and learned that those same goods had been offered for
one-fourth of a cent a yard ever since the fire. I took every piece back
and allowed them to trade it out. I employed two young men to help me
that afternoon and took down each lady’s name and then jumped up and
made an auction sale to them. We kept each lady’s purchase by itself,
and after the sale had a final settlement with them, many of whom had
bought enough to bring them considerably in my debt.
This was one of the very best advertisements for me, as it convinced the
people that I would do by them as I agreed; and they all considered it a
good joke, and the afternoon sale having made me acquainted with many
women, I had[Pg 536] no trouble in getting a large crowd every night who bought
freely.
After making several sales at Houghton I packed up and went over to
Hancock and Red Jacket, where I met with flattering success. As nearly
as I could estimate it, I cleared about twelve hundred dollars on my
investment of one hundred and fifty.
I sold nearly everything at an advance on the regular first cost, but
when I came to look through the boxes and drawers and sort all the goods
contained in my new stock, I was much surprised and greatly pleased.
I remained at Red Jacket six weeks, making sales every night.
On the first of September, as it had begun to get cold up there, and in
fact had twice snowed a very little the last of August, we returned to
Chicago, when I immediately called on my friend Doctor Ingraham. He
didn’t recognize me until I took a large roll of bills, containing over
three thousand dollars, from my pocket and said:
“Doctor, I would be pleased to loan you a hundred dollars and I’ll bet
you will pay it back in less than three months.”
“O-ho, Johnston, you have got to the front, haven’t you? How are
you?—how are you?” shaking me warmly by the hand.
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