The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-23

good faith of Eli Whitney. I find
that in Georgia it was asserted that he
was not the inventor, but that it had
already been used in Switzerland and
that he had sixty law suits before he
secured favorable verdict. South
Carolina, however, did pay him $780,
900, and North Carolina gave him
royalty on every saw used in the
State. But still Miss Boggs may
have cleaned the true history of the
cotton gin, which Macauly said, "did
more for the power and progress Of
the United States than Peter the
Great did for Russia" If Mrs.
Greene was really the genius who sug-
gested it and the patron whose means
perfected it, then let the monument
be built to her, as Miss Boggs sug-
gests. Then let the truth come to
light. Our great historian, O. c.
Jones, is dead, but Judge Richard Fl.
Clark still lives. BILL ARP.
The following is the letter:
''Major Charles Fl. Smith, Carters-
vile, Ga.-Dear Major: Born and
bred in Georgia, your contributions to
literature have been a source Of pride
as well as pleasure. I recently OBJ.
tained from the publishers, copy of
your History of Georgia. While I
heartily join your effort to have
our children taught our own history
as seen by ourselves and wish that
other Southern States would follow
your example, you must excuse me
for objecting to this sentence in para
graph 6, page 49,: ELI whitney, who
lived near Savannah invented the cot
ton gin.' For many years l have
lived under the impression that Geor-
gia always denied Whitney's claim.
My impressions are somewhat as fol-
lows: Whitney, like many other men
of New England, came South for the
purpose of teaching, while he acquir-
ed profession to some more lucrative
occupation. His vessel was so long
at sea that when he arrived at Savan-
nah the position he expected had been
filled. On the same vessel with Mr..
Whitney was Mrs. Greene, widow of
General Nathaniel Greene, on her way
to the 'Mulberries,' a place presented
to General Greene by the State for his
distinguished services in the South
during the revolutionary war. Hear
ing Of Whitney's disappointment,
Mrs. Greene offered him the hospital
tiles of her home until he could find
occupation. The subject Of separat-
ing the seed from the lint by machin-
cry was matter Of daily discussion
between Mrs. Greene and her neigh
bors, as we'll as elsewhere. They had
decided how it could be done, Mrs.
Greene herself suggesting the revolv-
ing brush, the key to the whole busi-
ness. It was Mrs. Greene who sug-
gested Whitney as a young man OF
great ingenuity and suitable person
to carry out their combined ideas. 1t
was she who furnished building ex.
pressly for the purpose and joined her
neighbors to supplying the means and
labor with which Whitney worked.
As the machine approached compile
tion, Whitney became mysterious, put
a lock upon the door and so acted as
to create the impression that he in
tended to carry off the machine, until
finally the neighbors broke into the
house and destroyed the machine. l
have lived under these impressions for
many years. Where [ gathered them,
I am unable to say. They may be all
wrong, if so, I shall be glad to be cor
rected. There must be State records
concerning this matter, also the evil
dence that prevented the renewal of
the patent, also in the various suits
for royalty !; and it is probable that
the records of the Historical Society
of Savannah can furnish valuable
evidence. If Whitney was the inven-
tor I should like to see monument
erected to his memory on some public
square in Atlanta. If the above is
near the facts, then let the monument
be woman, seatedin windsor chair,
with card in each hand, illustrating
her conception Of the brush, and upon
the pedestal
The Widow of Nathaniel Greene,
Whose Genius, Assisted by the Skill
Of Eli Whitney, Gave to
GEORGIA
The Cotton Gin.
"With regard, I am yours, respect
fully, w. r. BoGGs."