John Spaulding's biography, Bellevue, Eaton County, Michigan Copyright © 2000 by Bryan Taylor. This copy contributed for use in the MIGenWeb Archives. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/eaton/bellevue/s14307.txt Michigan Historical Society Records, Vol. 8 John Spaulding was one of the early pioneers of Bellevue, and died there about eleven years ago. About the year 1840, there came to Bellevue a young man by the name of Fox, who was by profession a Yankee clock peddler. Fox was, in his way, a regular genius; he could doctor sore eyes, remove a corn from a man's foot, talk in a methodist meeting, doctor a horse, remove a potato from the throat of a choked cow. and, in fact, could do almost anything that anybody could do. But his grand specialty was in selling clocks. The price of his clocks was fifteen dollars, no more, nor no less,--fifteen dollars he must have invariably, if he made a sale; but he would arrange the terms of payment so that anybody who happened to have five dollars could buy one. He must have five dollars down and a promise of ten at some future time. consequently, anyone who wanted to know the exact time to blow their dinner horn, made an arrangement with Fox for one of his clocks. Mr. Spaulding, among others, made a bargain for one of these clocks and paid, to bind the bargain, five dollars. Fox not having any with looking glasses in the door, was to forward one to me for Mr. Spaulding. In due time the clock was sent, according to agreement, and I delivered it to Spaulding in good. order. After Spaulding had used the clock for about a month, he came one day and brought it into our store, saying, "Here is that damned clock, I can't make it keep any kind of time." He had ascertained that such a clock could be bought anywhere for about four dollars, and concluded that to return it to me he would only be out five dollars, and even if he bought another and paid five dollars he would save five dollars in the end. After Spaulding had left the clock, I examined it and saw that Spaulding or somebody else had bent the pendulum so that it could not run. I straightened the pendulum; set it running, and it has run ever since and kept good time. It now sits on a shelf in my house ticking out the hours of night and day with as much regularity as any clock. Mr. Fox never returned to Bellevue after he left. I have had this clock in my possession about forty-five years, and should Mr. Fox make a demand on me for it, I am ready to surrender it to the owner. There was no man in the country who liked a little fun any more than Mr. Spaulding. A good many years ago he lived in the village of Bellevue and kept a tavern. and[p.213] while he lived in the village somebody in the town of Kalamo was so unfortunate as to have his log house and contents burned. Mr. Ruluff Butler took it upon himself to go around and ask subscriptions and contributions for the unfortunate ones. He came to our store and reported the case, asking anything that people had to spare that would be useful. Mr. Spaulding was in the back part of the store and overheard Mr. Butler when he was advocating the claims of the unfortunate family. Mr. Spaulding immediately made his exit through the back door, ran over home, dropped his coat and replaced it with an old ragged one that he had discarded, and returned to the store, where he met Mr. Butler, who repeated the story of the unfortunate man who had lost everything, and also stated that anything in the way of clothing would be thankfully received. Spaulding said: "Mr. Butler, I am not rich, but when I hear of such a case as you have mentioned I just feel like taking my coat right off my back and sending it to them!" At the same time, he drew off his coat, folded it up, and handed it to Mr. Butler, saying: "There, take my coat to the man!" Mr. Buffer, of course, did not understand the joke, and the tears actually came into his eyes at the self-sacrificing spirit manifested by Mr. Spaulding. Mr. Butler told the story, and repeated it several times during the day, that Bellevue had one noble specimen of a man living within the village limits, to his personal knowledge, and that any town might well be proud to have such a man for an inhabitant. Mr. Spaulding, of course, enjoyed the fun, and laughed about it years after it happened.