Amusing Characters in History, Part 1

Always found eccentrics amusing, so I was highly intrigued when someone pointed out Timothy Dexter, eccentric and very lucky man:

Because he was basically uneducated, his business sense was peculiar but extremely lucky. Somebody inspired him to send warming pans for sale to West Indies, a tropical area. His captain sold them as ladles for local molasses industry and made a good profit. Next Dexter sent wool mittens to the same place. Asian merchants bought them for export to Siberia.

His next venture was selling coal to Newcastle, which should have been a sure failure. His ships happened to arrive in the time of a coalminer's strike and potential customers were actually desperate.
Here's the tale of his business success in Dexter's own words... But the most eccentric part was his relationship with his wife:
Dexter's own relationship with his wife was troubled as well. This became evident when he started telling visitors that his wife had died, despite the fact that she was still very much alive, and that the "drunken nagging woman" whom frequented the bulding was simply her ghost.
Again, in his own words...

Comments

Anonymous said…
The luck is mine
Gonna tell you right
Sell warming pans
In broad daylight
My captain, he
Told me the deal
Sell them as ladles
It'll be a steal

Come on, come one,
Listen to me
All right ...

I'm giving you
On count of three
These woollen mitts
Just wait and see
I'm telling you
Siberia's cold
Those Asian merchants
Will see they're sold

Well they say the sky's the limit
And to me that's really true
But my friend you ain't seen nothin'
My luck will see me through

Because I'm mad, I'm mad - Come on
(mad mad - really mad)
You know I'm mad, I'm mad - You know it
(mad mad - really mad) ...
And the whole world has to answer right now
Just to tell you once again,
Who's mad ...

The word is out
The coal has gone
To old Newcastle
Where a strike is on
Those desperate chaps
Ain't got no heat
They'll buy it up
It'll be a treat
My luck's too good
There'll be no hitch
They're throwin' stones
Cause I'm too rich

But they say the sky's the limit ...

My drunken wife, she's passed on
The world's a better place
Her nagging ghost still haunts but
Now she can't slap my face

Because I'm mad ...
mis_nomer said…
cool. thanks for the trivia.

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