The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-23
sIGHTLEss MILLIONAIRE
Wui Give a Fortune to Have FITS Sight
Observation-Disclosures broadway Rouss will
Give n Million Dollars.to Edison II lie Is

Observation-Disclosures broadway Rouss will
Give Million Dollars TO Edison II lie 1,
saccessful.
New York Advertiser: Charles Broad
way Rouss, the blind but multi-mill-
ionaire merchant of this city, whose
standing offer Of one million dollars to
the man who should succeed In restoring
TO him his sight has long been the COW
oted prize for occulists and experiments
alizing scientists, has found n new hope
In the recent wonderful discoveries OF
| Thomas Edison In the use Of the Roent-
gen rays. Mr.. Rouss Is only waiting UNI
I'll the Wizard" shall have further per-
fected his experiments before putting
himself IN communication with him.
| Should the result II his Investigations
convince Edison. that a cure Is even
possible Mr.. Rouss will cheerfully SUBJ
init himself to the treatment, cost what
1t may in either time OF money.
. Ever since the serious. nature OF the
trouble with his sight first manifested
Itself, Mr.. Rouss has sought only for
some cure. Regular physicians. occu-
lists and specialists having failed, he
attracted the attention of the whole civ
ilized world by his offer. His case has
been studied by hundreds OF the most
noted men. with always the same re-
sult-failure. So numerous became the
responses that Mr.. Rouss engaged a
pertinent substitute for the expert
mentors to try their theories upon.
IF you can cure him, you can cure
me- was his argument. and for n long
time now John Martin, 4 young man
living In this city, has earned u comfort
able livelihood by submitting to almost
daily tests. The particular disease from
which both Mr.. Rouss and young Martin
are suffering Is known rs atrophy OF the
optic nerve, and medical skill has, up
to the present time. found no cure for 1t.
Whether or not the Roentgen ray will be
able to overcome 1t remains to be seen,
but II Mr.. Edison is willing. young Mar
tin will probaly be his first patient.
There was something pathetic in the
wistful eagerncss with which Mr.. Rouss
looked up yesterday at the mention of
Edison's name when q reporter for the
Morning Advertiser called at his store
10 ask him II 1t were true that he pro-
posed calling in the aid Of the celebrated
inventor.
Yes" he replied. II am red hot after
Mr.. Edison II he can do anything for
me, and l will go out there and stay. q
sSoi II 10 itStssdTS. 1 VIII w any
thing that may be required so long as he
thinks he is able TO help me-"
A Blind MANS Longing.
do You think his recent discoveries
hold any promise in your especial case?"
asked the reporter.
There is q hope, anyhow, and I am
not overlooking anything. The blind boy
IN San Fra nciSnn C, ~ y-har In 1an1,nl - .
the Roentgen ray, didn't he? and he
was blind. Then. why may I not see?
OF course, I understand that It Is too
soon yet for anything positive to be
really known. and I shall walt until the
thing has has developed further. I have
not communicated with Mr.. Edison, yet,
bu l guess he will treat me all right
II he finds anything hopeful. II any man
in the world Is capable of doing this II
Is Edison. See what he has already
done. 1t is nearly as wonderful as MAX
ing the blind see. And he Is q scientist,
an inventor. no mere theorist or quack.
He can't begin any too soon to suit me-"
the Roentgen rays in certain cases of
10 his representative, Mr.. Smith. This
gentleman said that ever since the first
report from San Francisco, showing
how by accident the peculiar virtue OF
the Ronetgen rays In certain cases Of
blindness had been discovered, Mr..
Rouss had been greatly interested In the
matter. When the reports Of the cx-
periments in. Mr.. Edison's labora-
were published he became still more
eager to have the matter thoroughly
tested.
he may not believe fully that he can
be cured" said Mr.. Smith, but he sees
a hope, and that Is enough for him. Just
as soon as the subject has been investi-
Sated 4 little further he will undoubted-
ly seek to have Mr.. Edison experiment
with Martin rs n preliminary to SUBJ
hitting himself to the treatment, should
1t prove In any way successful"
How about the reward?" asked the
reporter.
Concerning that I do not know" re-
piled Mr.. Smith. but Mr.. Rouss would
give anything In the world to have his
sight again. and l presume the man
who succeeded In restoring 1t to him
would never have occasion t regret It."