The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-07-07
WHO INyENTED TRl. COrrox arna
A Rival Claim Which DiSrabes tl,e Nanaa
os whitney Of g.s, G.ssy.

a Rival Claim which Disrabes the Nam.
Of whitney oG y.s e,ssy.
Editor C6I.als.a Register:
have been spending some time Of lats
west Of Winnsboro In Fairfield County
| and in one Of che families Which I bay,
/ visited story has been told mo which j
think should be given to the public
| Since heari7y this story have beer
gathering facts to prove It's authenticity
and can assure the reader that, ca IL Il
here given, it has, at least, Tho virtue o.
being true. It Is o surprise 10 many thai
it has not been given publicity through
the press long before this. .,5s
Tc Eli Whitney haa indisputably beer
accorded the honor of iuyentiEg the cot.
ton gin. So far as I can learn this clGiEi
has mover been publicly disputed. The
whole world has unhssitatingIy taken
Fart in doing honor TO the once pennilesr
student who has ever enjoyed the oredi,
of having given 20 it one Of the Inos,
useful pieces of machinery inmodefn Ia.
vention. A glittering mr rment per-
petuates his fame, and If 4 have been
correctly informed the Whitney family
stiH enjoys royalty on their progenitor'a
Yankee ehrewdness. The world will
doubtless not stop 10 listen to an account
which will detract anything from the
fame OF the great inventor, and Heaven
forbid that should tiuge its brightness
If it has been honestly won, but ia these
days Of research 4ld inquiry things will
turn up which demand and gain our at.
tention.
During my stay in Fairfield I have
spent several weeks in the house of Cap.
tain Thomas Anderson, who now owns
the old ancestral homo of the Kincaid
family, ono of the most prominent and
wealthy families of the State in ante bel.
hHns days, and OF which family Captain
Anderson is member. His mother, O.
daughter of Dir. Kincaid, is one of the
two surviving children, now over 20 years
Of age, and from her lips have the &C.
count here given, which che in turn had
received from her parents. Mr.. Kincaid
was o Scotchman by birth, and in his
frequent visits to Hamburg, opposite
Augusta, Ga, on business. he met q AIR.
Holmes. O mechanic by trade and one of
his Same country-a Scotcbman. ANU
tual attachmentsprung up between them,
being of che same nationality, and Mr.
Holmes taking Mr.. Kincaid into his con-
fdence showed him machine which he
had constructed somewhat on the prin-
ciple of wool burrer, which he believed
would separate cotton seed from the lint.
Mr. Kincaid was we'll pleased with the
appearance of the new machine, and told
his friend as there was no way of testing
1t IN Hamburg without detection he
wonld take it with him TO Fairfield,
where he had water power nc his com.
mand, and where q satisfactory trial
could be made. To this proposition MIR.
Holmes agreed, and accompanied his
friend to his home in Fairfield County.
near Little River.
After short while the two Scotch
friends put up the rudely- a;n
in the mill house Of Mr. Kincaid, which
was on Mill Greek, about ten miles from
Winneboro. To their great satisfaction
1t worked we'll, AMI thought of future
competence accruing from the sale of
rights of so useful machine rushed over
the mind OF the poor Scotch mechanic.
It vas tried again. The cotton was
cleaned from the seed-it was success I
and the greatest care now was to pro-
tect the Invention or discovery from be.
ing stolen. Mr. Holmes remarked that
young man from Georgia, Whitney by
name, Ind visited his chops in Ham t,,ry
and repeatedly endeavorsa &C sss bis mn.
chine-had even bribed colored work.
man employed in Hamburg TO tell him
sonething about it. But so far up in tho
unsettled backwoods of South Carolina
they considered the little rude cotton Oil,
sase. o ="
Soon after testing the machine Mr..
kincaid went on q trip to Charleston.
which. OF courae, at that day, was made
by private conveyance. During hia ah.
ssIos young man rode up to Els gate in
Fairfield and asked Mrs. Kince:a ye:y
pqiis:ly 70 allow him the pleasure of see
.n., Har: Kincaid's new piece of machine.
ry. The request was made in such q
courteous manner that It was granted.
and going down 70 the mill the youn9
man spent nearly whole day in exam.
This done he returned tie mill like Ee, and ID
set out for homo.
When Mr.. Kincaid returned from the
city, among other things, his wife told
him o very polite young man had been
there to lobk, AT his Gin. "You didn't.
allow him 20 see is, did You ?" he said.
"YesY replied his lady. Raising his
hands and alrnost sinking in despair, he
exclaimed "My wife, you have ruined
me and my frfen6.'' He knew that
Whitney bad endeayored In every way to
gain eccess to the new machine of Mr..
Huimes, aud, as he justly euspicioned
and afterwards found ont, had taken adj
vantage Of his absence from ho;ne and
thus gained his end.
AS a consequence Of Mr.. Whitney's
visit, he soon took out bis patent for the
celebrated cotton gin. Mr.. Holmes at
once resolved to enter suit against him.
but being poor, was unable to employ
counsei without some money in advance.
For long time he still hoped to regain
his right@to the valuable patent. but.
from poverty and other cares; he yes
finally forced to abandon his claim 60
what was justly his.
Now story like the al>nve. nntnira nnl
after so many years, may seem too trans.
parent to receive much credit, but tho
reader will please remember that the
story Is by no means new one. It has
been carefully handed down through tfa
members of Mr. Kincaid's family, two Of
whom still survive; but it has never be-.
fore, as can learn, bsen given TO the
public through the preso. The simple
fact that the members of the Kincsid
family and estate remember the story SO
we'll from the lips of their father. who
considered his prlspeots Of O hugo foya
tunes togesher wita Mr.. Holmes', out of
the nes' machine, greatly blighted, lends
TO it o strong shade Of authenticity. The
old original gin was purchased by Mr.