Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-02-13
Edison's First Big Check.

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sprang from the fertile brain Of Thomas
A. Edison was the instrument general
" known as the ticker-the little
clinging glass-covered affair that one
sees nowadays in any preteutious bar
room, reeling off its yards and yards
of paper ribbon bearing on the surface
in clear letters the score from the Polo
Grounds, the result Of speed trials be-
tween the thoroughbreds of the eastern
tracks and much important news. 1t
is only within recent years that We
have had this development of the ma
chine that was originally intended to
give to spectators in stock markets a
line on how their money was going or
coming.
Mr.. Edison, however, isn't collecting
ROYALTIES on the tckers turned ont by
the manufacturers, and TO few persons
is the fact known that the man who
evolved the electric light the telephone,
the kinetoscore and numerous other
wonders of the century is identical
with the inventor of the original ticker.
This comparatively insignificant work
of the wizard 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 society Mr.. Edison re-
lated how he sold the patent rights for
the ticker
when | came to New York to sell
my invention Mr.. Edison said, 81
was largely in doubt as to its value.
| knew it was a useful contriyance,
but it was with some difidence that |
entered the presence Of the manufac-
turer with whom | opened negotiations
for its disposal. As boy l had often
longed to possess $1,000, and ! had
a good mind to hold out for that much
money, though felt secretly that |
would be doing we'll to get 81 600.
So when the manufacturer asked me
how much l wanted for the patent
rights | stammered and asked how
much he was willing to pay.
"'Come around in the morning, he
said, and l went home to dream about
that $1,000 fortune was going to get
perhaps. When saw him in the
morning he said with take-that-or-
take-nothing air of determination
Owe have decided to pay you
S4O, ,OUU-not a cent more.
81 almost tainted, but in less than
five minutes l had stuck my name to
a contract, and was ont in the street
looking in half dazed way at a check
in my name. Payable to the order Of
Thomas 4 Edison forty thousand dol
lars 100000. Then began to think,
and the forty thousand seemed like
forty millions, 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 pre-
sented the check | was not surprised
when the teller scrutinized it, glanced
at me and pushed it back with a shake
Of the head and remark that | was
too excited to understand, but con-
cluded that my fears were confirmed.
So ! stuffed it in my pocket and went
to see a friend, to whom | related my
experience.
Lets 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 I wasn't sure | was awake until
began to feel and hear the snap Of the
new bank notes. 1t was big bundle
Of money, and l stuck some Of 1t in
every pocket, so that almost every
where I put my hand | could feel IT
bulging out.
when I went TO the hotel that night
DO you think | took my clothes of ?
/ Not much. | slept in them, so !
wouldn't wake up and find that It was