The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-05-25
BELLS SIDE OF The CASE
WILBER'S AFFIDAVIT DENIED IN
ALL POINTS.
The Professor Denies All OF HE
Charges, and Says He Was
Strictly Honest.

ing communication from Pr I. Alex
andsr Graham Bell for his submission
10 the committee
WAsgIvGroy, d. c. May "a, 1886.
To the Hon. Charles X. Boyle, Chairman OF
the PAN Electric Telephone Investigating
Committee
DEAR StR-l have read in the Wash.
ington Post and other newspapers OF
MAY %, 1886, what purports TO be a
copy OF an affidavit OF Zenas Fisk
Wilber, sworn 10 about seven weeks
ago, and offered 10 your committee.
The persons who offered this TO the
committee are now at Baltimore and
New Orleans, in the United States
Court, defending suits for infringing
my patents. / am informed that tes-
timony for final hearing is now being
taken in both those cases. II those
persons, or any one else associated
with these defenses, think that any
court would believe what Mr.. WILDER
swears to, il would be their duty and
their interest 10 call him as a witness
he could then he Cross-eXamined and
his truthiulness or want of truthful
ness established. II thev believe
them they will do so. | am not
disposed, however, TO let his
statements fail for denial, and,
therefore, incloss with this my aft.
davit also call your attention
TO his various ailidavits made before
this one. At the request of Mr.. Van
Benthuysen and others, he made an
affidavit at Washington on July 81,
1885, and repeated il on August 81
This was filed before the Secretary OF
the Interior by the petitioners for the
government suit. In that his only
gro md OF attack upon my patent
rested upon a written communication
of Feb uary 10, 1875, and on his pres
ent opinion Of the rules of law on the
subject. He did not suggest any
other communication, nor any fraud.
On October 10, 1885, before or any
one interested with me had commune.
Gated with him, my opponent took
another affidavit from him aDd filed il
before the Secretary of the Interior,
and il is printed on page 342 of the
printed record of the testimony then
used. In that he states in terms that
he gave no information about the
Gray caveat beyond what appears in
the official communications in the
files Subsequently Mr. WILDER made
an affidavit, October 81, 1885, which
was,used on behalf OF my patent before
the Secretary of the Interior. 1t
contains the following: "In the
conduct of such application, there was
no fraud of any kind whatever, nor
any thing, any transaction, any com
municatiOn, oral or written, which
would support any such allegation in
the least manner whatsoever, either
on the part Of Prof Bell, his attorney,
myself or any other person whatso-
ever" ! call your attention TO the
fact, which appeared before the Secre-
tary Of the Interior, that the whole of
the affidavit, covering more than
twelve pages of foolscap, is in Mr..
Wilber's handwriting Subsequently,
and on November 10, 1885, MIR. Will
Der made another affidavit for my OPP
ponents, which they used before the
Secretary OF the Interior. II contained
nc allusion TO the topic now referred
10. IL rs printed on page 377 of the
record OF peti toner's proof before the
Secretary. ! request that you will
kindly communicate this letter and
the inc'osed affidavit TO your commit
tee. Yours, respectfully,
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL.
or ALEXANDER GRAHAM BILL.
WASHINGTON, d. c., May "a, 1886.
!, Alexander Graham Bell, be-
ing duly sworn, on oath depose
and say | reside in Washing
ton, District of Columbia. am
the inventor TO whom were issued
letters patent of the United States,
No l74,465, dated March 7, 1876. !
have read in the Washington Post of
May %, 1885, what purports to be an
affidavit of Zenas Fisk Wilber sworn
TO April s, 1886. never presented,
paid, gave or handed to Xenas Fisk
WILDER a 500 bill or any other bill, or
any money, or any valuable consider.
alton, or thing, at the place he mem
tions, or any other place for any pur-
pose whatever. | never promised TO
or undertook TO, or attempted to, or
expressed any willingness to pay any
money or any valuable consideration
or thing whatever for any purpose. !
never knew, or believed, or heard
that Mr.. Bailey, or MIR. Pollock, or
anyone else undertook to influence
said WILDER, or made any attempts TO
do so, or employed or EN- Favored to
employ any corrupt practices to OBJ
tain m said letters patent, and do not
believe 50 now. So far MS my per
sonal acts and knowledge a.e
concerned know that all pro.
ceedings in the filing and prosecu
ton OF the application for my part. and
in the grant OF it, were free from fraud
and trickery and honest in all respects /;
and ! believe that all the acts of
Others concerned were also in all re-
spects honest. make these tate
ments in the fullest and broades
sense. Mr.. WILDER did not show me
q avs caveat or the drawing of il, or
apy portion of either. / have never
seen the original papers of that caveat
and | did not eyeh see copy OF them
until after the Dowd suit was brought
which vas in the fall of 1878. When
Is,w Mr.. Wi Der about my applica,
{ on, in 1876, he took up my original
application rapcrs and pointed a par
Sgraph which was in them when the
application was originally filed, Feb
ruary IA, 1876, and has not beer
changed since, and VIII ch contained
the following passage: 'rhe extern
resistance may also be varied. Fo
instance, let Il ercury or some othei
liquid form part of a voltaic circuit
then tie mo c deeply the conducting
wire is INNER ci in the mercury, o
other liquid, the less resist
ance does the liquid offer {,
to the passage OF the curent
Hence the vibration of the conducting
wire in mercury or other liquor in
cluded in the circuit occasions undu
lations in the current" MIR. Wilbu
sud that the caveat l had pu
IN interiered wi h that. | Iii,
not have any other knowledge O
the contents OF Grays caveat, specifi
cation or drawing, or either of them
until after Gray had published tn
caveat in 1878, except what Mr.. GA,
wrote me himself about his cavea
February 81, 1877, in letter which j
in the record OF proofs for my paten
hnforo 4 Ina Gloratopt. 9f fhn IpfaVin,