DUTTON, STUART LUTHER BUSINESS

S.L. Dutton was born May 20, 1876. (refer to Dutton, Stuart Luther Family for details) His first business was selling men's suits. He had large sample books with swatches of wool cloth in them. He would measure the men and send for their suits. We used to help tear the samples out of the old books and Mother would make comforters out of them. The last time I visited Clarence in Alliance, he still had one of those tied comforters.

Stuart bought a cream tester and neighbors would bring five gallon cans of cream to him to be tested. He would grade it then take it into Mullen to the depot and send it on the train to Omaha. He also took everyone's crates of eggs and butter into Mullen to the store and then bring back groceries and everyone's mail to our place, where the neighbors could then pick it all up. His business got so big he built on a room and put in a store. I remember helping put boxes of crackers and cans on the shelves.

He got the franchise to carry the mail out three times a week. At first, it was brought to our house, then a post office was estab-lished at Uncle Tom Carr's place and called Curlew, Nebraska. Stuart got an enclosed mail buggy painted yellow. He went into Mullen three times a week, rain or shine. One time, he started into town with his load of butter, eggs and cream cans, driving a pair of young colts. They got frightened at some-thing and ran away with him up over the hills until they came to a fence that stopped them. He came back home with a sprained ankle and I remember seeing frozen eggs all over the inside of the mail buggy.

Papa sold our place to Uncle Charlie Boyer and we moved into Mullen on Decoration Day 1911. I was six years old. He had bought a six room house, a livery barn business, another house next to the livery barn, and other property as well as a big barn from Cudahay. He had that barn moved onto some property east of the livery barn. He had two or three men working for him and Mother did the cooking and washing for them. She never went any place, just stayed home and worked. She would give me a list and I would take the little red wagon and go down to Lowes Store and get the groceries.

After we moved into town, Stuart joined the Woodmens Lodge and the Masons. He was chosen Deputy Sheriff and spent all his time at the Livery barn or making trips to Omaha, Nebraska with a load of cattle.

In July 10, 1913 my brother Lewis Harrison was born. Mother's and Papa's interests were so different that they were not happy, so the marriage ended in divorce in the spring of 1915. We four children stayed with Mother, while she took in washing and cleaning houses. I was nine years old and took care of Lewis. She went to work in a restaurant owned by Callie Smith. She had a difficult time because, at that time, it was almost a crime to get a divorce. We moved to Craw-ford, Nebraska where she did housework and worked in a cafe and took care of us children.

Stuart was on the Board of Education and later married Anna Hibbens. She came to Mullen from Fremont, Nebraska to teach school. Stuart met her at the train and took her to her school. I visited with him when I was 12 years old. I worked in the beet fields crawling on my hands and knees ten hours a day at 10 cents an hour to get enough money to go visit them. I helped Anna move from the house to the house we used to live in, next to the livery barn. I visited them again in 1923 when I graduated from high school. Papa sent me $50 for graduation. I spent it to take Lewis with me and go visit them. At that time Stuart and Anna had two children: Marvin Earl, eight months old , b. 11/6/1922 and Neal Jesse, 9/28/1920 three years old.

From information I have gathered, I learned that Stuart and another man (I think his name was Al Smith) went into business together buying and selling hogs. They were doing real well until the crash came in 1929. Papa told me that the last load of hogs he took to Omaha, Nebraska gave him only 50 cents a head.

I do not know when he sold the livery barn and opened up the store. He was in the store when we were there in 1947. Clarence and I went back to see if we could help when he had his stroke in 1958. He passed away three months later, 12 December, 1958.

I have tried to jot down some of the things I remember about my father, S.L. Dutton. I was ten years old when we moved from Mullen.

All except one of Stuart Luther Dutton's children are living today: Robert T. Dutton – living in Union City, California (Masonic Home); Clarence W. Dutton – living in Alliance, Nebraska (Good Samaritan Vil-lage); Myrtle Dutton Hood – living. in Stan-ton, California (Quaker Gardens); Lewis H. Dutton – living in Wofford Heights, Califor-nia; Neal J. Dutton – passed away 3 April, 1964; Marvin E. Dutton – living in Pacifica, California.