Mohave County miner., 1889-05-25
THE NAN BEFORE EDISON.
The Original Inventor Of the Electric
Light-A Lost Idea.

The Original Inventor OF the Electric
Light-A Lost idea.
Anybody that chooses and knows how can
make incandescent electric lights now. The
only person who bad any right to prevent
Aieia has been asleep for q good many years
at tho bottom OF the Atlantic ocean. Most
people etbink Edison invented these lights, and
so he did, but he was not the hrst. Some years
ago, young man In advance OF his ago, by
tho name OF Starr, came 70 Mr.. George Pea
3ody with new invention, asking advice
and assistance. Mr.. Peabody was not only a
pai!anthropist but shrewd man of busi.
meas. de saw at once the possibilities Of tho
electric light, and gladly furnished Starr
Tith the means to go to England ard take
,ut a patent, after consulting experts and
ricTitiSts there In those days every new
,'sfofery bad TO have the stamp of England's
seieatiIc approval 10 make its way elsewhere.
ar starr, like many a genius before and
ance, was by no means an experienced and
cautious business man, so Mr.. Pcacody en-
gagged man named King TO 60 with him a.
his business agent and to conduct the nego-
tations.
The two men set sail for England, had a
prosperous voyage, and met with a finttering
reception. Ths invention was exhibited 10
the first authorities In tho Kingdom, was care
fully scrutiniaed by them, aud was unani-
mously pronounced to be q brilliant and sue,
cessful one. The two men remained for some
trnie In England, and received nothing but
consideration and encouragement A patent
for the invention was obtained, but by q
usage allowed by English patent law, was Is
sred In the name Of the solicitor, Mr.. King,
Instead Of that Of the inventor, Mr.. Starr.
The unsuspecting inventor does not appcas
to have observed this, or made any obiec-
ton, or at least there Is no record that he
did %.
The two men started on their return to
America They had been at sea but very
few days when Mr. Starr was found one
morning In his berth dead, from some luyste-
rious and unexplained cause. His body was
buried at sea. and his companion continued
bis journey. and presented himself TO Mr..
Peabody with his report. That gentleman
listened attentiveiy TO his account of the
Journey, with Its various business transac-
tions and its tragic finale. On concluding
his narrative Mr.. King asked the millionaire
II he would continue to back up the inven-
tion with his money and influences. Mr..
Peabody's reply was TO rise, open the door OF
his private Office where the interview had
taken place, and sterniy point toward It.
The discomfited attorney, without q word,
went out through the door into oblivion.
And that is the reason why Edison had 10
invent the electric light all over again. The
invention lay in a stale mate, as it were It
was credited 20 King, and he alone could do.
velop it, but he bad disappeared. II was not
known till 1876 that Starr was the real in.
veiitor, and even then, as no w;s dead, and
the patent issued TO another man, nothing
could bedone Finally Edison went TO work
on his own hook, and thought out his scheme;
but tho highest English courts have Just de-
cided that the King patent anticipated his
and makes them invalid. And as the earlier
patent has lapsed, the idea, under this de-
cision, is common property. Once Week.