The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-04-25
TRIALS OF A GENIUS.
Come Amusing Stories of Inventor Ed
ison's Younger Days.

Come Amusing Stories of Inventor Ed
ison's Younger Days.
A man may have genius and yet be
what the world calls green" as to COM
mon matters Of every day. In fact the
very possession Of genius implies a
measure Of abstraction. and puts man
often at a disadvantage. Some sr1k'
Ing illustrations Of this fact are found
in 1.-THE Life and Inventions OF Eol.
on"
While employed in a telegraph ONCE
in New York young Edison had mace
several inventions, to which the COM
many thought 1t advisable to obtain the
right. The inventor himself, as ne tells
US, had thought the matter over, ano
concluded that S., 900 would be perhaps
a fair price; but when the committee
asked him what be wanted, he answer
I'd automatically:
81 don't know what they are worth
Make me an offer"
WELL" said the spokesman, "ho"
would $4,000 strike you?"
1t struck him so hard that, as ne oe'
.lares, he might have been knocked
down with the traditional feather. he
accepted the offer, signed the contract
received q check for the amount, and
set out instantly for the bank. i con-
cluded there must be some Wall Street
trick about the thing" he says, "and
believed that If I ever got a cent l
should be lucky"
He had never never been into banA
before, and stood back for a while to
see the methods Of procedure. Then he
took his place In the row before the
paying teller's window.
In due time his turn came, and he
passed In his check. The teller "yelled
out a lot Of jargon," Edison says, which
the customers deafness prevented him
from understanding. The "jargon" was
repeated, and the check was handed
back.
Edison, surer than ever that he was
the victim Of some trick, went outside
and sat down on the steps to think the
situation over. Just then, he declares,
"Any one might have bought that check
rom me for $50"
However, he went back to the tele-
graph Office, and told one Of the clerks
what had happened.
ooh, WELL" said the clerk, "the teller
wanted you to be identified. Come on
With that the clerk went with him tc
the bank, identified him, and the teller
promptly handed him the $4,000
tcreatly to my astonishment," Edison
declares.
He invested the money in shop OF
his own, in Newark. and soon his head
was full of inventions of all sorts. but
especially Of the quadruplex telegraph
Suddenly he was notified that his taxes
were overdue. If they were not paid
the next day, he would have to pay 1217zs
ger cent. extra
The next day, accordingly, he repair
ed to the city hall, and with his brain
still busy with the quadruple1 tele'
graph, took his place In the line. The
line was long, and the business day was
already closing when he reached the
collectors window. 1t was the last mo-
uent Of grace.
"Now then, young man, look sharp
said the tired functionary, as the alb
sent-minded inventor stood before him
"look sharp. What is your name?"
The inventors composure was gone
completely, and In "blank perplexity,'
to use his own words, he stammered:
"I-1 don't know"
No doubt the collector thought he hat
an idiot to deal with. He waved him
aside, another stepped into his place
the day closed, and Edison had to pay
the extra 1914 per cent.