The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-05-07
Cation Turned into .SifS.
PAUL. MAeEER's DISCOVERY AND WHAT
CAME OF 1T.

panied by a Teutonic friend of ripper years,
9 !, DR. Edward Kuneman. The Former had
been practising chemist III New Orleans,
and claim ID to be the diScoverer OF wol-
derfuI process by which fax or cotton hbre
could he converted into silk, Orinto tex
t1re so nearly like silk as to Gefy all ordin-
ary INSPECTIONS and tests. The results of
this process-of which the Erenchman
alone bad the secret-had already been ex-
hibited by sample to a limited circle OF man.
ufac ureTs and experts at the South So
thorough and deceptive was the change
which it accom- plished that the majority of
such persons could only imagine fraud.
They smiled with incredulity at the as
sumption that the specimens submitted to
them by the Frenchman were other than
genuine silk. which, they insisted, he must
have substituted adroitly for the flax and
cotton warns that lie professed to have
Transformed But Paul MagHer was
chemist Of some reputation. He claimed
that he had devoted long. patient months
t. the analysis of the various fbres. In
the cocoon of the silk~orm lie had identi-
fled certain elements which were wanting
in the tibres Of the flax aud cotton plants.
These elements. chemically obtained, he
claimed 10 be abIe L Apply To the latter
products in such manner that they should
be converted into az article which must be
regarded as silk in all that the name i'm
plies. Parcels of cotton and fax yarns,
accurately weighed. distiuCtively marked
and otherwise identified. bad been passed
into his laboratory by the dozen, and within
City minutes lie had returned correspond
ing ones of luSrrous silk The latter had
even been analyzsd 10y expert chemists.
and certified not to be real silk, but to be
yelitaJle cotton and fax yarns aforesaid.
THE INVENTOR CONES TO NEW YORK.
4 few persons accordingly were led to
believe in II. NaEucT and his process
Among others was . New Orleans agent Of
Mcssf>. >elIgmau & Co, bankers OF this
city. Tho chomjs. lad applied for patent
&C Washington aud IN several European
countries 20 protect his process. but he had
nocapital where with to work. An arrange
mcut was made with blm Oh behalf Of this
fam that he should come on 70 New York
- dgveirpc his process, that fhev would
supply him With preliminary funds. aud
that 80 soon A. he could convince them
that The manufacture was practicable on
an extended scale - ample amount @. cap
i'al wou.1 hc forthcoming % take part
uer-iip IN his inventious or 10 purchase
the right Of using it within determined
area. The DR.. kuneman referred - was
q persona, friend Of Nagnel :. one who had
assisted him I'm New Orleans and whom he
brought with him IS an assoc ate in his
an bilious projects.
Meanwhile tid.Hc5 or the discovery and
discovcrel had reached NossrS. Prall BfUIh-
CTS, six manufacturers 1T Paterson. =. J.,
whose Now York ware rooms are in No. So
Greene street. EIr. Edwin 7. Prall sought
oHt Monsieur N&snrT, anxious to lie in
formed Of his remarkable discovery. lie
found him, as lie told the writer yesterday.
to be an accomplished, we'll read gentle
man, apparently acting in perfect good
faith ard utterly abs0. bed iii tie possibilj-
ties Of his discovery. If anything, he was
too enthusiastic, too rart, and was conse-
qucutly nervous and excitaJlc TO Il degree.
With F.onclmar, and n inventor. now
ever, this was perhaps natural and So it
was arranged that lie could have tic usO of
t!ie'e to perfect and ampHiy his methods,
and there to begin the new manufact are.
The Frcuohman was TO have the use Of
machinery and power. The manufaciUr-
crs expected to be his agents for the sale
of the goods, and the Selgmans as already
stated, were to advance the capital as
special partn0rs or as was determined
later joint stock company was to 5e form
ed, with n proportiona,e interest to each.
THERE'S MILLIONS IN IT."
The mcIcurial and sanguine inventor was
soon busted in the construction Of retorts
and aprai atus Of various kinds. In these
laboTs he was assisted by his friend DR..
Kuneman. II ndgy week both made their
apF eararce in P.terson-:he former accom-
panied by Lady aS his wife, and a pi city
little giri, their laughter. The whole par
ty put up at the Hamilton House. The
Frencbman began to be very busy at the
Pralt mills, in ove!alls, and shirt-sleeves.
manufacturing his chemicals. i quantity
Of the latter, prepared for the transmuta-
tlon OF cotton, fax, &c, into silk, was soon
in readiness. i small parcel of fax yarn
WAS operated OH ; woven into ribbon by
Prail machinery; came ont as glossy as
the pEIest silk. All concerned were IN &C.
staceS. There's millions in it." was the
unanimous cry, and it was thereupon bap-
tized, and was to be known in commerce
by the name of soioHs.
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE or THE ~
yENTOR.
Bat ncw comes a most singular story
from Paterson. Wednesday Of last week
the Frenchman Suddenly djsappeared.-
The Doctor could not account for his alb
sence. Madame aud her little daughter
seemed to take the matter TRANQUILITY The
Pral.s we're nys:ified. Soon after his dis
appearance the proprietor of the hotel re-
cciTtd a telegram from Mr. Se!iolnan. ask
ing him tn advise when the lady should
leave. This she did Friday last. since
which time nothing had been heard either
of herself OF her talented licge. Mr.. Ed
VII '"h says ne mas Ical ued OF her ne
partnre ioi Europe. possibly prearranced
with the mysterious chemist. The Doctor
IS still in New York, and processes to be in
q terrible e-quandary at the dcsertion of lis
friend. He had left, he says. lucrative
practice in New Orleans TO found his for
tunes in the siikeu bonanza.
NJ. PraH still maintains perfect faith in
The trcnchman's 5 process and the integrity
OF the man himself. He thinks that the
latter was worried and overwrought. per-
haps became entirely crazy, and fed TO
to escape imaginary evils. A box of rib
bnns, woven from common flax warn. bnt
brilliant As from The looms of Lyons. re-
mains at NJ. Pral"s Office 70 testify TO
what might have BEEN 7. World
JOHN IEPNER, German, now a resi-
dent Of Reading, Pa. has lived to be called
the father of more children than probable
any other man in the country He is sixtv