People's voice., 1894-11-22
Some Facts.

I'm that severely classic but not
too beautiful building there is 70.
nance enough to furnish a dozen nov
eliStS with plots. Some of these days
an American Conan Doyle will come
along and util Ze the material and
make his fortune"
| Looked out from the big office
building where | sat and followed the
Wlve OF nv friend'S hand across the
street. He pointed to the Interior
department.
My friend one of tho best known
patent attorneys in Washington,
walked across the room and picked
up from his desk one of those little
cylinder banks, made t hold S. worth
of lO-cent pieces. which were all the
rage a few years ago. Holding the
toy in his hand. he said.
"When you come TO write the his
tory and romance If the patent Office,
You can make a chapter of what | am
going to tell you. You remember the
craze for these banks a few years ago
and how thev turned everybody to
saving dimes until at last there was
an actual scarcity of that coin 'reated.
Well, the history of thi. patent is
worth while hearing
''One day man came into my New
York Office with an idea which he
wanted TO patent and about which he
wished to consult me. | told him
the fenS aud expenses would amount
to Sl35.
He said, L haven't $l35 in the
world, and | never expect to have
that much money at one time
| looked at the man and | looked at
the model, and sIid to him: Il have
never yet taken an interest in a pat
ent, but | will pay all the expenses
in connection with this patent if you
vii give me a quarter interest in it,"
Why" he asked.
Because you have a fortune there
l told him.
However, the man said he would
see about it. A few DAYS later he
came with his brOther-in-law, who ad-
vanced the money. | procured the
patent for him.
Now, TO 90 back and rell you how
this man conceived the idea for the
bank. He was in the empl, Y of the
Pennsylvania Railroad company at
jersey City, receiving a salary Of Sl4
a week. He was an ignorant, uncul-
tivated man, but with a little knack
for mechanics. He was in the habit
of spending his Sundays with his sis
ter, and one day when he called. be
found his nephew, child about three
years old, sitting On the floor, shaking
a toy bank and trying to get the money
out. His sister explained that when.
ever the boy dropped cent into the
bank he, like most children, was wild
to get all the money ont to count and
she went on to say to her brother.
why can't you invent a bank which
will show how much money there is
in it?" The brother said he thought it
could be done.
THAT gave him the idea. After he
got his patent he got a few banks
made, and IN Saturday nights used to
put them in a basket, carry them
aeound to the toy stores in the neigh
bOrhoOd and dispose Of them. He
found only one drawback-he could
not make them fast enough to supply
the demand. After he had been do.
ing business this way two or three
weeks, he came tn see me. He told
me what he was doing, then went ON
to say: do you think you could find
me some one who would lend me
S2,5OO? There is a factory in Newark
which / can buy for that amount.
and which is just the thing | want
for making my banks. If | can get
hold of that factory | am sure | can
sell all the banks l can make"
Il told him | thought | could get
the money, and for him tn come and
see me in a few days. A few day.
later he came in. and said | need moi
bother about the money, as he expect.
ed TO have it the following week !
asked him where he was going to get
it from.
You will think that | am embellish
ing this story, because it sounds 81
improbable, but | am simply RELATING
the facts without the slightest exaG
geration or ornament. He said ths,
| he had lottery ticket and that h
expected it would draw prize. Bn
wait, let me tell you the story of RI,
lottery ticket. He and some othe
men working at Jersey City decided :
make up pool and buy lOtter
ticket, each man to put in a doIla,
When the time came the other
backed out, and only himself and on
other, a carpenter. put 10 their d
lars. They sent the money to Ne
Orleans. The ticket drew 5000
with his share he bought our III
Newark factory and in She I tim