The Forrest City times., 1895-10-18
THE DEMON WHEEL.
BY LUKE SHARP.

l am not sure that I ought to write about the demon bicycle, at least until my acquainta nee, NJ. Rataplan, has had time to get back to Paris and patent his marvellous invention all over the world. Still he spoke in the most open way about this miracle, and did not seem to care who heard him, so perhaps he has protected his ferent contrivances as he went alon ftc@ the Edison manner. for it is W l o1s that Thomas A. Edison cannotSller nights unless he has taken out at les sixteen new patents during the day.
 met M. Rataplan at mountain re- sort five thousand feet above the sea in the Jura range, the most western part of Switzerland. thought at first he was a war veteran, for his breast was covered with medals of all sorts. but closer inspection showed that they were badges of various bicycle clubs in all parts of the world. He told me that he was a mem Der of every cycle society in the world so far as he knew, although of course some of them might have escaped him.
 Are you a record breaker?" I asked.
 No, l am an inventor, although I think l did break the record across France"
 And you are here resting after your ride?" l ventured.
 Well, yes in measure. Actually had no intention of coming to Switzer- land, but could not rightly help my self. It all came about through the greatest invention the world has ever seen. Talk about pneumatic tires They're not in 1t compared with my invention"
 "You talk English" said, with a colloquial tiuency somewhat unusual in Frenchman. Where did you learn the language?"
 'Oh, I'm not a Frenchman. My names Macguire and I'm from Phila- delphia. l came to France and changed my name to Rataplan because 1 couldn't get fair show in America"
 Il thought the states was the best place in the world for an inventor" ''So it is, if you don't start from Phil adelphia. You see, Philadelphia is a slow town. New York men speak of having their country residence there. Then Philadelphia has always been an unfortunate city for inventors There's the Keely motor man. He is enough to Gomorrah any town. You see, had no capital, and tine moment 1 invented anything and tried to interest a man with money in it, he made fun of the thing as soon as he heard l was from Philadelphia-asi1ed me if l was a friend of Keely's, and all that, till got tired of it. Then other fellows got to hear of my inventions and pat ented them before me, and so I never got chance. When I became NJ. Rata plan, of Paris, l got rich Americans over here to listen to me and I've made money. But this invention beats them all"
 'Is it secret?'
 You're not an inventor, are you?"
 ''ln way. I'm a newspaper man."
 ''Oh! that's all right. I like news paper men. It doesn't matter my tell ing you, for if you did write it up, you'd get it all wrong. and nobody would understand it.
 ''Then let me hear about it.''
 ''Do you know anything of cleo tricity?"
 "A little. l know you will burn your fingers if you don't let go live wire mighty suddenly"
 Quite so. You have been accurately informed We'll, you know what storage battery is?"
 "Yes. It is like certain kinds of in- vestments. You put in sum of money and get out only part of it."
 Exactly. That's the ordinary stor- age battery of commerce. You get out only fraction of the electricity you put in. Ever heard of the Macguire storage battery? No? l thought not. It's a small pocket battery-I won't enter into particulars-but by certain interior arrangement of the plates, it actually increases the E. NJ. E. of the fluid put into it."
 tsAnd what does p M K cfan1 forou