Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1886-03-18
THE BELL TELEPHONE
Win Tinkle More or Less Musically
at Columbus, o.
The Bill TO Vacate the Telephone Patent.
Completed.

WASHINGTON. March i0.-The bill which
.he government will file against the Bell
Telephone Company and Alexander Ora.
nam Bell has been completed IL viii be-
'''ed AT Columbus by ex-senator Thurman,
as stated some weeks ago, and il is believed
'hat next Monday will be finally agreed
upon as the date for It's presentation 20 the
court This bill itself is a very lengthy
document covering fifty pages OF legal cap.
closely printed in small type The bin at
present omits the name OF the circuit
court IN which it will be fled and
also the local company against
which The suit will be directly
Drought. The omission will be filed in bv
Judge Thurman, in Columbus. when the
uill hnally reaches him. The suit is brought
under section ;, Article l. OF the Constitu-
uon ana the acts Cf Congress passed there
under. The United states charges that
certain letters patent issued To- Aiexandc,.
Sraham Bell. dated March :. 1875, mum
pcTeu lf4uo, and January 30 lS11 mum
uered lS','SS, were illegally and improp-
c.S procured To be issued, and for this rea-
son son prihgs this bill in equity Rs n means OF
causing justice 10 bc done Prof Bell X
plalhiy charged with not only failing 10
meet tue requirements OF the law
uue ~, WIN misleading aud docciving
1d ,ne examining officials of the Patent Office.
ne case ot Philip Refs, of Germany among
oth"is - presented at length. and IL Is
Slalinrd that he in 1861, invented aud pub
hsntd To the world description OF an
apparatus whereby speech could be trans
hhtted Particular stress is laid upon the
case OF Elisha Gray. who ON the same
uay February IA. 1876, that Prof Bell
appeared at the patent Office with his doe
ument nlcd a cuVeat. In this he eN-
pfessly declares that he had invented au
instrument for which he claimed the art
ol trans uniting vocal sounds and conver-
sation Geographically through an elec-
Iglc circuit Prof Bells application was
hied lnter IN the day. II contained no ref
cfehce 10 articulnte speech aud lacked in
description or drawings any machine or
apparatus then or at any time capable OF
transmitting speech Yet Prof Bell
claimed patent "for transmitting vocal
OF other sounds GEOGRAPHICALLY" The
cnltcd states charges that Bell was antici-
pated in the discovery of the cleo
ulcai speaking telephone by Philip
hels' Cromwell, Fleetwood, Var
hN, Antonio Muecci. Elisha GRAY. Thos \
I.dlson' Asebel Is. Eaton and many other,
~ - claimed that this valuable discovery il
tlther The property of some one Of these
prior dtacovercrs. or having been ahan-
uoned by the original discovcrer is now free
70 be used 10y the people Of the United
states IL j. alleged that the telephone is
OF great public interest and Importance,
ana that the Bell Telephone Company,
Dy receiving and demanding large sums Of
money Tor use OF telephones alleged To bo
covered by its patents. Is Expressing the
people OF the United States The court is
prayed that II the patents are not to be
wholly repealed 10 decide In what pHrt
ihey ar" void. aud make "A decree concern
Lnk That portion OF the patent which IL
wrong and Illegal.