Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-01-26

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The articles n was ono ~ Those
pseudo scientific cfnzes that rage
hetceiy for y time, ahd on that ac
count are dropped the more cofn'
pleieiy afterwafd
Now almost no one puts The rods
on his new house. and The insurance
companies have turned their atten.
ton to the far more practical qties
ton ~ the danger from electric wires
Old Bon franklin was popular man
IN every way. hut he never touches
a subject nearer the heart " man,
and. II may be added, ~ woman also,
than when he gave to the world his
IDEAS " protection against lightning
The invention started out by causing
n furious struggle between the Eng
lish Wings and Tories concerning the
proper wiring Of 81. pauls cathedral
In London. and has caused no end Of
controversy since until II dropped
out Of sight ten or fifteen years ago.
Yet II was nearly 10 late as 1860 that
the great American scalawag first
took practical charge Of the idea and
turned II 10 coming money from q
dowDtrodden and abused people. For
fifteen years the lightning rod man
ruled the nation, until his tyranny
aroused the public to madness and to
shooting on sight.
The articles were made by many
different firms. each making a differ
ent kind that was individually stipe-
rior to all the rest. The hardware
stores did not handle these invalua-
BILE goods, but they were intrusted to
special agents, who ravaged the coun.
try for season of FIVE months every
year, beginning May 1. The winter
seasons of these ruffian bands were
spent in the comparatively light
of horse stealing and
In fact. the nervous sys
tem of the country. and especially
.he trusting nature of women. has
never yet recovered from the shock
given by the tales Of these men con.
cerning the fearful fate Of those who
were 40 foolhardy AZ to use any kind
Of lightning rod but their own.
One band of bad men from the
west. whose goods were made in
cleveland. had its headquarters for
nearly ten years in Springfield. and
rom this devoted city eighty teams,
With an appropriate number of men.
'courged the country through the
summer The trusting farmer. hav
ng been shown in glowing colors his
langer If unprotected. was induced
% ask for estimates on wiring his
The agent gave some low
iguIe as the probable cost. and the
armer, agreeing, signed an indefinite
contract to pay for this. Woe unto
iim The lightning rod man set out
n fiendish glee and wound wire
about his fated building until it
ooked like n railroad map of Massa-
He then put in bill vary
ng from $75 to $500, according to the
apparent means Of his victim.
The farmer was bound by his con-
ract and protested in vain. The
iespoiler of his home would agree to
10 less than a part payment in cash
md note for the rest. The farmer
would sign the note, protesting he
would never pay it. and the willy
gent would Immediately sell it, gen
rally TO some New York broker
Who would force it's payment.
The farmers We're IN prosperous
ondition at the time, and few of
heir places Were mortgaged. 40 their
totes were generally as good as gold.
4ong after the lightning rod men
we're thing of the past book agents
their thrifty methods, and
within ten years it has been deemed
Justifiable cause for homicide if YOU
allied man Il lightning rod agent or
designated any of his business WAYS
sa lightning rod scheme. But be
ides these men there were people
Who honestly believed in the idea. as
hey had a right to do. and agents
'ho We're as upright as any man. -
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