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Chapter IV

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Chapter VI

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CHAPTER V

THE CHIVALRY OF MAN

How I lived through those days God alone knows!

The passage of each day meant so much for me, twenty four hours nearer the goal!

How long the days were. How endless the weeks!

How often did I lie awake at night, and go through the whole transaction. The letter of appointment that was bound to come! How often I read it over in imagination!

How I would go to Raleigh and how I would receive the money! Twenty thousand dollars in greenbacks! Only to think of it!

And all that was coming right to me!

Each time I awoke in the morning, it was twenty four hours nearer me! It was bound to come; no earthly power could stay it!

I would go to Raleigh. I would bring the money back. I would stop at Franklinton, pay off the heavy mortgage hanging over our home, and pay every dollar my husband owed.

I would get the mortgage papers and all the receipts and hand them to him, and then I would take out my great big pile of greenbacks and show to him and the children, and tell them that was what I had been working for so long, and what they had laughed at me so often for!

Now, wasn't that glory enough to last one woman a lifetime?

And after I had straightened out our money matters, I was going to build a huge platform, and invite all of my friends to come and rejoice with me, and I would have celebration and jollification that would make the "welkining" and that old Franklinton had never known before!

Oh, the halcyon days of that bright Fool's Paradise I lived in then!

A great Joy is as hard to bear as a great Sorrow.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In June I received a letter from Mr. Davidson asking many questions about the manufacture of my Remedy, the machinery necessary, etc. I could not answer with cold pen and ink, but went at once to Salisbury and saw him.

It was a kind of escape valve for a surcharged engine.

Mr. Davidson said he would establish his Laboratory at Pitts-

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burg, Pa., and he would soon go on to begin operations. He said, "It will not be long now, Mrs. Person, before you get your money", and I again returned home.

Late in July I heard from him again. He was in Pittsburg, and wrote me he was rapidly pushing everything to completion.

The first day of August dawned, and I knew that my days of waiting were drawing to a close.

I wrote to my dearly loved sister, and told her she must come and be with me the last of the month, and the same to a friend in another part of the State.

I wanted them with me in this, my hour of triumph, tho' I gave them no hint.

On the twenty third day of August, they were both there.

The tension was almost unendurable.

Towards evening I told my son, Robert Lee, that I was looking for a letter either from Pittsburg or Salisbury; that I wanted him to go for it, and if he brought it for me I would reward him.

We lived four miles in the country; he had to walk and it was late when he started. The household retired early that night, and all, save me, were asleep when he returned.

He came in with a beaming face, said he had my letter from Salisbury, and claimed his reward.

There it was! At last!

My waiting was ended! It had come at last! My call to Raleigh had come!

Oh, My God, can I stand it!

It was some minutes before I could nerve myself to open the letter and read it, and when I did, this was what I saw:

Salisbury, N. C. Aug. 22 '83

Mrs. Joe Person: Madam,

Upon reflection we have concluded to invest our money other than in the Remedy, and hereby withdraw from our contract. I am,

Very truly,

Geo. Davidson

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Only that, and nothing more!

I read it and read it and read it over and over again. Then I went and woke up my husband and household. I told them what I

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had done, and how I had lived since May and ''This is the end of it all!''

There was no more sleep for anyone in that house that night.

I told them I should have to go somewhere, I hardly knew or cared where, but inactivity would kill me. I could not stay still; I must go. The first train going South passed Franklinton about sunrise, and I was there ready to take it. I went to Raleigh.

About ten o'clock I went to Messrs. Fuller and Snow's office, with Davidson's letter of withdrawal.

How Col. Fuller's great big honest-looking eyes sparkled with indignation!

"My dear Madam, a contract like this cannot be so easily broken in North Carolina, and when a man does not wish to stand up to a contract of his own making, there is a way to make him do it, or else to make him pay. The Law will protect you and I shall stand by you. It is infamous, and we will show him that a Yankee cannot come down here and treat a woman of our State in this way. Madam, you have a good case against him, a No. 1 case, and I shall, at once, institute suit against him for thirty thousand dollars, and I shall win it for you, too."

He cited a case wherein heavy damages were recovered for failure of contract to furnish some windows, sashes, doors, etc., which he said was a case similar to mine.

Col. Fuller told me he wished I could contrive an interview for him with Davidson. This gave me something to do, and was better for me.

That afternoon, I kept on to Salisbury, saw Mr. Davidson, who had but little to say and nothing to explain. They had changed their minds. That was all in it. He said as he had business in Raleigh, he would go on as I did, but I need not ask him to see Messrs. Fuller and Snow, as he did not intend to do so.

Before leaving Salisbury, I wired Fuller and Snow, "Meet me at Yarboro when bus comes from train." Mr. Snow was there to meet me. As Davidson alighted from the bus, I introduced him to Mr. Snow, but without noticing or acknowledging the introduction, Davidson hurriedly left and walked up Fayetteville Street, thus eluding us.

When he came to the Hotel to dinner, I sent him word I wished to see him in the parlor for a few minutes, and he sent me word,

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"All right".

I hastily dispatched a message for Col. Fuller to come at once, and while I was talking to Davidson, Col. Fuller came in, and I had them face to face. Col. Fuller asked him if he had made a contract with Mrs. Person, and so and so on. He replied that he had. Col. Fuller then formally tendered compliance on my part, and he, on his part, refused compliance. Then and there Col. Fuller notified him of the suit he intended to bring against him.

Col. Fuller then requested me to go to Louisburg, see Capt. C. M. Cooke and Capt. Jos. Davis, tell them all the circumstances of the case, and ask them if they would not join him in prosecuting the suit.

I went at once to Louisburg and saw Capts. Cooke and Davis, and they heartily and cheerfully agreed to cooperate with Col. Fuller.

They said it was a duty they felt called upon to perform, and would gladly champion my cause, which was a good one and just. I had the Law on my side and the Right, and Davidson should see he could not treat one of our women in any such way, with impunity.

So with these three Towers of Strength and noble Champions on my side, I returned home, feeling a little better than when I left. Then I had nothing, to look forward to; now I really enjoyed the change of pace, and already anticipated The Great Fight of the Three Giants, and almost persuaded myself that I had as soon get Davidson's money that way as the other - as long as I couldn't get the other. At the next term of Court, the case was duly docketed.

A suit for damages for thirty thousand dollars against George Davidson!

Wasn't it a big thing!

Let us send up three cheers for the Chivalry of Man!

What would become of the weaker sex without this Chivalry to defend us!

Shall we not return thanks that the Knights are not all dead yet?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At the next term of Court the case was "continued".

At the next term of Court the case was "continued".

At the next term of Court the case was "continued"...AND

That was the end of my big Davidson case!!!

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True, years afterwards, to clear the case from the docket and get rid of it, the Court adjudged me actual damages of $1,250, but my big case never came up for trial.

My lawyer never once appeared in its behalf.

Davidson had too much money for me and got ahead of me at last.

Moral: Never go into a Lawsuit with big money on the other side.

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