Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-19
DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A WIZARD.
When Inventor Edison Was Fresh
From the Country.
HAD HlsTlRoNrc ASPIRATIONS.
Tom Was Very Fond of Tragedy and
Used to Recite From Richard
III.-A Rustic Lad
Was lie.
Twenty-four Years AGO.

Twcnty-fOur Years AGO,
In 1865 young Tom Edison came TO
Cincinnati and took situation as OPP
orator in the Western Union telegraph
office, then at the corner OF Fourth and
Walnut streets, says a writer in the
Enquirer. His face was as bland and
nearly as round as the full moon; his
hair, of no particular color, but strug-
Cling toward chestnut, was abundant
and rebellious Of restraint. He had
even then student-lilse stoop of the
shoulders, though l think he had stud
led nothing since his rudimentary
schooling except a few bound volumes
OF the North American Review, which
he kept carefully in his trunk. They
were the gift of his father.
He was plainly clad. His manner
was mixture of difidence and self
possession, the latter the underlying
though less prominent quality. In
speech he was slow to start and bashful
at beginning, but talked with vigor and
confidence, once under way. Among
the smart, dressy young gentlemen OF
the Office he cut no great figure. He
did not expect to. of course. for the boy
in his teens, who had come from coun-
try station for the first time into city
Office to associate with persons who had
reached the Ito him) goal of human am
bition-Billy this, the great SENDER"
who does nearly fifty words a minute
right along, and Jim that, the ire
ceiver," who takes press reports for
hours without "breaking'+-the new
conner in this exalted circle is naturally
abashed. He feels like county COM
missioner suddenly elevated to the
house of lords. Edison. among these
glib experts with their jaunty talk
about city topics that were new TO him,
was shy. 1t was only the cherubic
smile that always lowered about his
lips, and the merry twinkle in his eyes
denOting rich and unfailing good
humor that saved him from being
laughed at for his crudeness. He was
quiet, but his eyes were always in sym
pathy with any fun that was going, and
that smile was capable of wide express
sion. 1t was discriminating smile,
however, and failed to respond to the
parroty reiterations of slang and the
coarse sallies that often passed for wit,
but was ever alert for anything bright
or amusing. His dress did not i'm
prove, It's governing principle seemed
TO be frugality. He took little interest
in the amusements of the other opera
tors, which were generally of the free
and-easy kind. Economy was not large
ly cultivated there, and, though no.
body could dislike Edison, he was not
classed among the smart men of the
Office. Only one thing tempted him to
extravagance; that was tragedies at
the theaUer.
fiery ambition to be tragedian
possessed his soul. He was deeply i'm
pressed by Edwin Adams Richard III
at Woods theater. He, studied the
part OF Richard, and many day the
clicking of the "sounders" on No. Z
wire tthe Kentucky Central and No. 4.
West tthe Indianapolis wire), which he
worked, formed an accompaniment to
Richards soliloquy.
'Now is the winter of our discomfort
Made glorious summer by the Son of York.
And all the clouds that lowered upon our
house
In the deep bosom Of the ocean buried"
Which Edison rendered with his beem-
ing moon of face eclipsed in gloom,
and his shoulders bumped up as high
and his voice dumped down as low as he
could possibly get it. Ed Gilliland,
since associated with Mr.. Edison as an
cinnati Office then and had the entree
to the regions behind the scenes at
Wood g theater. Through him Edison
gained access to the stage and saw the
inner workings Of the drama. Perhaps
that dissipated the glamour with which
the stage had dazzled his eyes. At any
rate, dramatic instinct waned within
him, and 1T was not long until his active
mind turned to another subject
10 haa II
He gathered up all available odd bits of
apparatus that were derelict about the
office, TO experiment with. He had a
few friends in the office who liked him
and admired him because he was SO
good-natured and honest, and was SO
little influenced by the criticism
or ridicule of the sharp and dashing
spirits that led public opinion there,
and he had such quiet way of doing
as he pleased and pleasing to do very
sensibly, and occasionally in sleepy
way he made joke or II keen remark
that grew funnier or keener the longer
you considered it. He occupied cheap
room in the top story of a big business
building on Third street, and ate at the
most inexpensive restaurants. He
kept rather to himself IN the matter OF
his room and eating, as, indeed, he did
In many ways, and though never rude
nor repellent, he soon had few friends
and the rest OF the force was inclined
to consider him common place, unin-
teresting chap from the country. He
was not long in getting to the front
as an operator. HIS copy" was beauti-
ful-small, round, erect letters as plain
as print and much prettier. The only
'copy" in the Office to compare with il
was that OF George Kennan (now the
writer and traveler), who was then the
assistant chief operator in that office.
Edison took his work easily. but kept
up with the rushing 'senders" He was
not above the ambition of the ordinary
operator to avoid 'breaking.n even al
the risk of slight inaccuracy. Once
when he was receiving the Associated
press report was standing by talking
with him as ho worked, and this led to
him missing a name of some man who
figured in an important way in the
item. "Did you get that name?" sald
Tom. as its flying stylus stoppcd its
swift course over the 'manifoldr shects.