The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05
EDIsON's FIRST BIG CHECK.
SO Large That He Thought II Couldn't
BE Good.

From the New York Press.
Among the many inventions that
sprang from the fertile brain of Thomas
A Edison was the instrument generally
known as the ticker-the little clicking
glass covered affair that one sees nova
days reeling of its yards and yards Of
paper ribbon bearing on the surface in
clear letters the baseball score. the re
suits of speed trials between the thor
Oughbreds of the eastrn tracks and much
important news. 1t is only within recent
years that we have had this develop
ment OF the machine that was originally
intended 10 give 10 spectators in stock
markets a lire on how their money was
going and coming.
Mr.. Edison. however, isn't collecting
royalties on the tickers turned out by the
fact known that the man who evolved
the electric light, the telephone. the
kaleidoscope and numerous other wonders
OF the century, is identical with the m
VentOr of the original ticker This com
paratively insignificant work OF the WIZ
ard was the means by which he obtained
the first money beyond his salary as a
telegraph operator. To a party of his
friends who entertained him one evening
recently in the rooms of the Arion Soci-
ETY. Mir. Edison related how he sold the
patent rightst
when / came to New York to sell my
invention Mr.. Edison said, Il was large
~ IN NOuDL as 10 It's Nalue. L knew II
was a useful contrivance. but it was with
some diffidence that 1 entered the pres
ence of the manufacturer with whom
opened negotiations for its disposal. As
a boy l had often longed TO possess So
900, and | had a good mind to hold out Tor
that much money. though l felt secretly
that would be doing well to get S2Vo.
So when the manufacturer asked me now
much l wanted for the patent rights.
stammered and asked how much he was
willing to pay.
and ] went home to dream about that
$4,000 / was going to get-perhaps. When
/ saw him in the morning he said with
ke-that-Or-take-nothln air OF deter
mlnation
F." we nave decided to pay you $1,000
not cert more
minutes 1 stuck my name to a contract
and was out in the street looking in a
| half-dazed way at a check in my hand
Payable to the order Of Thomas a. Ed
son forty thousand dollars S400OO.' Then
/ began to think, and the $4,000 seemed
like $40, 100000. and ] said TO myself: Tom
you've been swindled. The check is not
good And when | went to the bank
/ had never been inside of one to do any
business-and presented the check ! was
not surprised when the teller scrutinized
it, glanced at me and pushed it back with
a shake of the head and a remark that
was too excited to understand but con-
cluded that my fears were confirmed. Sc
stuffed it in my pocket and went to see
friend, TO whom L related my expert
ence.
Let's see the check, he said. Why
that's all right. You must be identified
and we went back to the bank. The
cashier knew my friend and the money
was soon counted out. Still l wasn't sure
was awake until 1 began to feel and
| hear the snap of the new bank notes. II
was a big bundle Of money and stuck
some of 1t in every pocket, so that al
most everywhere put my hand 1 could
| feel it bullying out
when 1 went to the hotel that night
| do you think 1 took my clothes off? Not
much. 1 slept in them, so I wouldn't
wake up and find that it was all a crue
| dream"