The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-03-12
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
1t Takes a French Publication to Tell Us
How the ~PhonoEraph wns Invented.

1t Takes a French Publication to Tell Us
How the Phonokraph wns Invented.
It has been usually understood that
Mr.. Thomas Alva Edison invented the
monograph while making some expert
ments in telegraphy. It has been re-
served, however, for an ingenious
Frenchman to discover that this is not
the fact, and some other ingenious
Frenchman has sent to MI. Edison, for
his %edifcation, book containing among
other things, a true and veritabla &C
count of the discovery. This book is
called LIE Trocaderoscope ; or q Birds
Eye View of the Exposition" 1t is a
bulky volume, and is full of pictures
in the higest style of French art accord
ing to M. Alfred LIE Petit, the caricatur-
list. The article on the ~phonograph
states that some years ago there lived in
New York a young w~orking-girl named
Miss Brigton, of whom a neighbor
became greatly enamored. One fine day
the gallant young man called upon Miss
Brigton while she was busy at her sew
ing-machine and began to pour into her
not unwilling ears his tale of love. As
he talked she sewed, and was apparently
more engaged in stitching upon her
dress a galloon of flmy metal, than in
listening to her lovers ardent proposals.
At last, in an agony of emotion. he
cried out
81 swear to you, Miss Brigton, I
will marry you'll"
Miss Brigton looked up, smiled,
blushed and stopped the sewing ma
chine.
Eight months later, according to the
historian of the "Trocaderoscope," the
gallant young man was summoned be-
fore the court, at the instance of Miss
Erigton, as defendant, in q suit for q
breach of promise. He was examined
and cross. examined, but however ably
the counsel put to him in different forms
the question, "Did you eve promise
to marry this woman? ?" he invariably
responded, "Never in my lifel"
The veracious historian tells the re-
mainder OF the story much as follows :
"One of these rascally responses
threw the young Americaness into such
O fury that she was taken with a fit OF
Mysteries, and her pretty nails rasped
along the GALLON on the dress that she
wore. What was the establishment of
the Judge and the audience to hear
coming from the apparel of Miss Brig
ton q voice which distinctly %articulated
in the tones of her betrayer those terri
BILE words:
"'I swear to you, Miss Brigton, 7 will
marry you'll
"These words we're Immediately fol-
lowed by the loud sound of a number of
double kisses.
"Every one gazed in wonder.
"The young man became very pale.
"But recovering his composure he
smiled and said, Some m of my
friends in court, who is a ventriloquist,
is making fun of me-
"Mr. Edison was in court simply as
q spectator. He did not believe in the
ve%ntriloquism. But he elevated his
eyebrows with the air of a man who
should say, Let me see ; there is some
thing under all this
"He bought the dress from Miss
Brigton at large price, and Fastening
away with the precious vestment, sub
mitted it to o minute examination.
"He drew his nail along the metal
galloon, and it repeated anew, Il swear
to you, Miss Brigton,' etc.
latter laborious researches he OBJ
tanned proof that the little marks i'm.
printed on the GALLON had been traced
by a needle, reproducing the vibrations
of the voice.
"The photograph had been dis
covered D."