194 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



My case was soon noised abroad, and many 

 came to see me, knowing that 1 was fully in the 

 clutches of "Old Slikey, the money-shaver," 

 and I received much sympathy. Amongst these 

 gentlemen was Mr. Murray, of Mount Morris, 

 but a few miles from Geneseo, and who well 

 knew the shaving principle of "Old Slikey." 1 

 told him my situation and showed him the cat- 

 tle. Although he was a perfect gentleman in 

 'every particular, he was no judge of cattle, but 

 he admired them very much. He inquired how 

 much was the indebtedness, which I showed 

 him. He offered to lend me the money. Mr. 

 Murray was a large capitalist and a true phi- 

 lanthropist. We 

 talked the matter 

 all over and con- 

 cluded that it 

 would be much 

 better to let "Old 

 Slikey" sell under 

 mortgage, and to 

 call my friends to- 

 gether, which I 

 did. The day came 

 and I found that I 

 was surrounded by 

 friends who were 

 all strangers to 

 "Slikey." He drove 

 up to the crowd 

 with his pair of 

 dappled greys and addressed his auctioneer. 

 Their faces were familiar to each other. 

 "Go on with the sale," said "Slikey." The 

 first cow was put up. The money-lender 

 was the first bidder $50. The biddings were 

 spirited, and she was knocked down to Mr. 

 Murray at $165. "Slikey" looked around with 

 a little surprise, and seeing strangers he could 

 not recognize he did not know what to make of 

 it. The next cow came ; the banker offered $50, 

 she ran up to $162, and was knocked down to 

 Mr. 'John Lapham, of Penn Yan, N. Y. The 

 next .came a very good cow, and known to be 

 a very great favorite of "Slikey's," who put her 

 in at $75, then bid up to $100. There she 

 stood for a while; Mr. Murray 'bid $150. Hon. 

 E. Casner, of Penn Yan, bought her for $175. 

 "Slikey" looked around with astonishment. Al- 

 though, when he alighted from his carriage he 

 looked as slick as "Beau Brummel" ever did 

 look, and as he viewed the crowd, he found he 

 had some substantial men around him. 



Another cow was ordered in, with a young 

 heifer catf; a wag inquired if the calf was in 

 the mortgage. "Slikey" looked at him, and said, 

 "What business have you to make any remarks, 



EDWIN PHELPS, PONTIAC 

 MICH. 



sir ; I know my business." "So do 1," said the 

 wag, "and if the cow and calf is to be sold sep- 

 arately, and I buy the calf, I want to know who 

 I am to pay my money to." All understood 

 this thrust at "Old Slikey," and the laugh was 

 loud and hearty. He stood erect, as if before 

 the glass after fixing his toilet. At length he 

 said, "The cow and calf will be sold together." 

 The wag said, "Will Mr. Sotham agree to that 

 without being consulted?" "Slikey" was all 

 confusion. He began to feel that the public 

 knew the secrets of his heart. The cow was of 

 the first-class, and "Slikey" often wanted me to 

 sell her to him before she calved, at $100. There 

 was but little choice in ten of them. The cow 

 and calf were put up together. "Slikey" put them 

 in at $100. Mr. Murray offered $200 ; Mr. Cas- 

 ter $210; Mr. Lapham $220; "Old Slikey" 

 $225 ; Robert Rome, the well-known cattle 

 buyer of Geneseo, $230; "Slikey" $240; Mr. 

 Murray $250, and she was knocked down to him 

 among loud cheers from the crowd, and this 

 was the highest price I ever sold a Hereford. 



At this juncture Mr. Murray and Mr. Casner 

 came to me and asked if I wanted to have any 

 more sold. I told them that I could not help 

 myself. "You go tell the banker that you will 

 have no more sold," which I did. He looked 

 almost black in the face. "What right have you 

 to stop the sale? there is not much over half 

 enough sold to pay your indebtedness of mort- 

 gages and rent. I am surprised at your impu- 

 dence, sir." There were lots of listeners around 

 to hear what was going to be done. . He looked 

 at me as contemptuously as he well knew how. 

 "Go on with the sale, Mr. Auctioneer ; but little 

 over half of the indebtedness is yet reached." 

 Mr. Murray and Mr. Casner stepped up to him 

 and told him to make up the balance of Mr. 

 Sotharrrs indebtedness, and they would pay it. 

 The "shaving banker" knew not which way to 

 look ; all eyes were upon him. 



PART VI. 



I have not said much of Mr. Francis Rotch. 

 of Butternuts, Otsego County, a retired banker, 

 and a follower of Bates, a pet scribe of the Al- 

 bany "Cultivator and Country Gentleman." He 

 was also somewhat of an artist sketched many 

 animals for the paper though they were not 

 so highly flattered as those of John R. Page. 

 He was about generalissimo of these papers and 

 took the junior editor, Luther Tucker, Jr., 

 under his care. He made much of him, and he 

 frequently visited him at his farm. He advised 

 his father to send "young Luther" to England, 



