Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-05-09
A STORY OF EDISON.
His First Big Check.
I"F. B. NJ" in Cincinnati Gazette. !

IF. B. NJ" In Cincinnati Gazette
The other day smooth faced man. wear
ing handsome clothes and displaying q
soiled collar and necktie all awry, and
shoe. that never experienced the skillful
manipulations of bootblack, and finger
nails that never met manicure, leaned his
elbow on a Washington counter and con-
versed in the jolliest way with a circle of
newspaper friends He looked like tramp,
but he really is one of the most famous
men in the world, and his name
is known in every part of the
globe. Of course he is an Ohio man. His
name is Thomas Alva Edison, and he was
once a peanut boy and a news butcher on
a jerkwater railroad in the Buckeye state.
During little luncheon Edison, between
hearty drinks Of beer, his favorite beverage,
told in his quaint way the story of his first
acquaintance with any large sum of money.
1t was in the days when he was strug-
Cling along with his earlier inventions,
and didn't have big capitalists to back him.
In fact, he didn't have any bank account
himself and hardly knew what one was.
Bank checks were things he had never
had occasion to use, and had about as
much idea of their value as the man in the
moon.
Edison had finally sold his patent on the
gold and stock indicator to the Western
Union telegraph for $4O,O0O and was COM
ing over to New York to get his money.
He had heard of Wall street and its
bulls and bears, and been told that it was
| full of Sharks" who would fleece q man
very quick. So he made up his mind
that Wall street was very dangerous
| place, and that if he ever had occasion to
60 there he would be luckyif he got away
without losing his overcoat and umbrella.
At that time Gen. Lefferts was president
of the w. U. One morning Edison came
into the company's general Office to close
up the sale OF his patent. After few pre-
| liminaries he was given check for $40, 600.
He looked at it curiOusly for moment
or two and appeared to be puzzled what to
do with it. He knew that he had sold
patent to the W. U. Co. fer $4,000, but he
did not see any money. Observing his
perplexity Gen. Lefferts told him that if
he would 60 to the Bank of America in
Wall street he could get the check cashed.
$50 started" said Edison, "after carefully
folding up the check, and went toward
Wall street. So uncertain was l in regard
to that way of doing business that l
thought while on the way that if any man
should come uD to me and offer me two
crisp thousand dollar bills for that piece of
paper should give him up the check very
quick"
On arriving at the Bank of America he
hesitated about entering, fearing still that
something might be wrong. At last, how
ever, he mustered up courage and deter
mined to try it. He knew that Gen. Lef-
ferts had told him he would get bis money
here, so he braced ahead and half trem-
blingly showed his check out to the
cashier.
The latter scrutinized it closely, gave
Edison piercing glance and something
which Edison could not understand, as he
was hard of hearing.
That was enough. He was now more
than ever convinced that his check
wasn't worth $4,000, and again thought
as he rushed out of the bank with it that
any man who would give him 1900 could
walk away with the check.
He hurried back to the w. U. and said
he couldn't get any money. General Lef-
ferts then sent a man with him to identify
him. He said: This man is Mr.. Thomas
A. Edison, to whose order the check is
drawn"
"Why, certainly, Mr.. Edison, said the
cashier very obsequiously, "how would
you like your S40,OOO--iD what shape?"
"Oh, any way to suit the bank. 1t doesn't
make any difference to me so long as get
my money.
Edison was given $4,000 in large bills.
After dividing the roll into wads of $4,000
each he stuffed one into each trousers
pocket, buttoned up his coat as tightly as
possible, and made break to get out of
Wall street as quick as he could. The
next day Edison began work on his first
labratOrY at New York