SOME OF ATLANTIC'S BUSINESS HUSTLERS (Cont'd)

Click photo to enlarge

M. C. CARDIO.

Ask any one of the hundreds of traveling men who make the Hotel Cardio their headquarters while in the city, who is the most popular landlord along this line of the Rock Island, and if he does not say that "Charley" Cardio has the call on that title, we will buy you the best room he has in his splendid house for your occupancy for a week. Mr. Cardio was born in sunny Italy, having first seen the light of day in Naples on the 20th of April, 1864, and in 1866 he came to this country with his parents, first locating in New York and then coming to Chicago. He became desirous of seeing the west when still but a lad and went to Illinois, then by wagon to Denver. He later teamed on the construction of the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad and finally found employment at a hotel at Rich Hill, Mo. While there he concluded to go on the stage and became part of a combination of "barn stormers" known as the Ray-Hayden Novelty Company. The company stranded in Atlantic and it was then, a little over thirty-two years ago, that Mr. Cardio found himself broke, with his trunk in the hands of a stony hearted landlord and his stomach telephoning frantic appeals to him to "get busy." He found employment with Mike Lynch, who ran the billiard room in the basement of the building where the Conley meat market is now located. Charles Block at that time was in the clothing business above the billiard room. After that he engaged with Henry Moeller, the then proprietor of the old Commercial hotel, and remained there three ears, at the end of which time he opened a billiard hotel and lunch room, which he afterwards sold and went to Nebraska, taking a preemption claim on 160 acres in Holt county. In a year he returned to this state, locating in Council Bluffs, where he had charge of the Singer Sewing Machine agency. Later he engaged in the same business here, buing out B. P. Lewis of the Davis agency. Then he engaged in the restaurant business on lower Walnut street, and, being convinced that he had found his calling, stayed in it for years, finally erecting a restaurant on lower Chestnut street, where the hotel and cafe now stands. He then purchased the Bracket farm and remained there for seven years. He erected a two story hotel several years ago, and the business grew to the extent that he soon added another story and now has a hotel business second to none in this part of the state. His son, John Cardio, now operates the cafe and all things are well with them. Mr. Cardio has prospered with the passing years, and aside from his buildings here has 310 acres of good land in Arkansas, forty miles from Fort Smith, which is a valuable piece of property. He is a member of the Elks, the Woodmen, Maccabees, M. B. A. and a retired member of the fire department. It is a far cry from the "Charley" who sat, broke, and in a strange town thirty-two years ago, while the wintry winds whistled about him, to the Cardio of today, and the change in his condition has been wrought by the hustling ability, geniality and tendency to do things which make him a valued citizen of the town.

From: Industrial Edition, published by Atlantic News Telegraph, Atlantic, Iowa, 1913, pg. 86. Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, January, 2015.

Prev <== Continue ==> Next