A certain hardware dealer in Albany,
with whom I had become acquainted, proposed to buy one of my
recipes, and to go into an extensive manufacture of the medicine. He
had read and heard of the fortunes that had been made in patent
medicines, by those who understand the business, and he thought he
would see if he could not get rich in a year or less in the same
way.
After some solicitation I sold him the recipe for one thousand
dollars, receiving six hundred dollars down, and a promise of the
balance when the first returns from sales of the medicine came in. I
also entered into a contract to show the man how to make the
medicine, and to give him such advice and assistance in his new
business as I could. My hardware friend understood his legitimate
business better than he did that which he had undertaken, and
although be learned how to manufacture the medicine he did not know
how to sell it; and after trying it a few weeks, and doing next to
nothing, he turned upon me as the author of his misfortunes and sued
me for damages.
Incidental to this, and only incidental, is the following: Shortly
after I purchased my property, as I was very fond of calling my
little farm, in Rensselaer County, I was in Albany one day when it
occurred to me that I wanted a carpet for my parlor. I went to the
store of a well-known carpet-dealer, and asked to be shown some of
his goods. While I was going through the establishment I came across
a man who was industriously sewing together the lengths of a cut
carpet, and I recognized in him one of my fellow convicts at
Windsor.
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