The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-06-28
Busted

Some 10 or II years ago, number OF gentle
men representing what Is now the Elgin watch
factory came to Ottawa looking for building
ing site for their factory. However, they were
Cracked Drained enthusiasts" and ''thread
bare inventors" unworthy of encouragement, SC
they carried their 'craze" to Elgin and swindled
the innocents of that unfortunate city into tax
| ing them in. OF course, Elgin has ever since re.
GREETED that Ottawa didn't keep the men.
Some few weeks since number of gentlemen
came here with another 'craze" They may have
been ''crack brained," but they were not "thread-
bare" They put up at the best house in town
smoked good cigars, wore good clothes, acted
like gentlemen, and paid for all they got. They
brought machine here and had trial OF it
The machine was pronounced practicable by all
who saw 1t men believed and still believe there
is fortune in it for its owners and manufactur.
ers. The owners wanted to build a mandatory
here. A meeting was held at the Court House on
the subject; committee was appointed to solc-
II subscriptions for stock; all but one were like
the guests invited to the rich mans feast; they
chad married wife" or had bought piece Of
land and must needs go and see it," The lone
committee man worked hard; he got few sub
scribers; thousand dollars from one man; few
hundreds from others. AS he worked, the organ
of the stalwarts, the editors who go to bed with
the Southern States under their pillows, assisted
him with their huzzahs, the result of which was
that the 'one fisherman" ceased his ramblings
for subscriptions; the sole representative of the
country loaded his machine on the cars and, hay
ing paid all his bills, followed it, shaking the dust
of Ottawa from his feet. Thus endeth the Cox
Corn Harvester in Ottawa. Vo'e,
Where will they go? To Elgin, most likely, as
did the 'crack Drained enthusiasts" some years
ago. At the field trial of the Cox machine del
egation OF skilled mechanics from that unfortu
nate town witnessed the trial; afterward, on last
Monday night, another set interviewed the Cox
men here, and followed them to Chicago. We
hope Elgin will get the works. It's fair enough
to outsiders that one town should bear all these
misfortunes: what is Elgin's loss is our gain"
We hope it VIII break them up, Just as the
watch factory did. We hope it will ruin the town
Just as the But that recalls a story.
Some few years ago poor mechanic Of this town
by the name of Edward was so unfortunate as
to possess the ideas, and patents on them, for
making harvester. Harvesters had been tried
they had worked; but Elward's was new idea
and the fact that it had new and valuable features
was pri,na facie evidence to many mems
minds that it was fraud Edward didn't
stay here long after he got his patents. He found
Ottawa too old bird to be caught with chaff.
Borrowing $40 of Mr.. j. Z. Porter, he left the
place, and finally landed in st. Paul, MINI. While
there, by some fell feat of necromancy, he swim
died the people into building shops for him, and
now the wretches of st. Paul are shipping these
excellent machines all over the world 7emporo
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