Personal recollections of John M Palmer Author:John McAuley Palmer Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Engaged in selling clocks—Mob in Griggsville—First meeting with Stephen A. Douglas and John T. Stuart—Journey to St. Louie— Arrival at Carlinvill... more »e. In May, 1837, I formed the acquaintance of Mr. C. N. Henderson of New Hartford, Conn., who was largely engaged in the business of selling clocks, and had arrangements for showing them easily. Four men who during the winter before boarded in the house I did were engaged in the practical business of peddling the clocks. The methods of the business were that a license would be taken out by him in some one county for the term of three months, which cost him fifty dollars, and then he put as many men and teams into the county as were sufficient to visit and canvass all parts of the county for the sale of brass and wooden clocks. After engaging with Mr. Henderson, I with three other employes and all of the wagons left Upper Alton by way of "Waverly and Springfield, passed Petersburg and Ross' ferry (now Havana) and reached Lewistown in Fulton county, where we operated for three months. It is difficult to imagine a more delightful life than I led while engaged in this business. The country was new and sparcely settled, the people were immigrants into the state, they were simple in their habits and hospitable to a degree that cannot be imagined by the people of the present day. Business was reasonably good, and everything indicated life and thrift in all the counties we visited. My first three months were spent in Fulton county, from that to Pike, where I made some valuable friends ; thence to Greene, and after that to Hancock, I was at Griggsville, Pike county, in October, 1837. One day when. I was absent from the town, I came into my boarding house after dark. Soon after a number of persons came into the public ro...« less