Evening star., 1897-05-08
An UNPATENTED METHOD.
A Traveller Who Believed In Helping
ThOse Who Helped ThemselYea.

There were half a dozen drummers on a
Pennsylvania train in Pennsylvania headed
toward Pittsburg, which is also in Penn
sylvania, and they were talking about all
manner of interesting things, as drummers
always do Incidentally their stories ran
Into the subject of the sharpness of drum
ners and their proof against the wiles of
the wary.
Which reminds me-" remarked a good
looking fellow from Philadelphia, that
about two years ago right along here I had
an experience. There were eight or ten Of
US, and at Johnstown we were joined by a
modest and backward kind of chap from
ChicaSo'-everybody gave the talker the
laugh, but he went on with his story-"who
had a line of patented things which he was
selling. When he got started he seemed to
be very intelligent, and he had the patent
business down file.
About fifty miles so out of PiItSburg
plainly dressed, clean-looking party came
into the car and took a seat among U.S. for
he seemed to be a man who liked compan-
ionship. Later it developed that the new
man had a patent car coupler and was
looking for capital. The Chicago man, in
line with his interests in patents, at once
began an investigation, and pretty soon he
reported that the invention was a good one
So good, in fact, that he made a date with
the patentee to meet him next day at his
hotel In Pittsburg, the inventor saying he
iVeu IN ore OF the interior towns, and was
stopping with a brother in the suburbs.
When the patentee left the train at his
suburban station we guyed the Chicago
man good deal about rainbow chasing
and cranks with patents and other things
on which sensible people very often waste
a lot of time.
That's all right he retorted, but one
of these very articles l am selling now was
offered to me just as this fellow offered me
his today, and turned 1t down. / happen
to know that at present 1t pays my firm
about $4,000 year. net. which might as
we'll have had as they. Since that date.
my dear boys, you bet l don't give any
kind of patent a chance to get by me
until see what it is
He talked so quietly and earnestly that
when We got of the train those of us who
could had agreed to meet the patentee at
the Chicago mans hotel next day, and
those who could not be present had a proxy
named to act In case the patent proved to
be good. 1t did SO prove, for there was no
question about its mechanical excellence,
and when the meeting adjourned COM
mittee had been appointed to draw up
papers, organize and get the new company
in shape. Each Of US put down our names
for so much stock. the Chicago man sub
scriDing to 500 worth and putting the cash
down for it. In a day or two there was
5000 to our credit in a well-known bank.
and there would have been lot more If
we had followed the advice of the Chicago
man, who was our general manager and
treasurer, but We did not want to divide
our snap into too many parts. and refused
to receive further subscriptions.
when this was fully settled the three or
four of US still remaining in town went
ahead on our business, leaving the Chi
cago man and the patentee, whose patent
had gone in one-third of the stock in
charge, to keep things moving until the
next meeting of directors, two weeks later
But that meeting rever came off. 1 was
Unexpectedly called back to Baltimore four
days later. and L had to stop over train
in Pittsburg. When 1 had transacted the
firms business 1 thought I'd just drop into
the hotel where our man was stopping
and see how things were. The clerk told
me both men had gone to Harrisburg on
business two days before and had told him
to hold mail, kilograms. &c, as they would
be back in three days. That's all he knew,
and that's all l could find out then, as
had to hurry on to Baltimore; but wired
man to meet me at the train in Harris
burg who was stockohlder to the same
extent l was. He had seen neither of the
men.
But why go on with the sad story? They
had buncoed US; that was all there was to
II. 1t was easy, because we were easy
They weren't so sharp as we were SO stu
pid, and there's no telling how many suck
ers would have bitten II we had not been
greedy and shut the subscription books
They took every cent we had In the bank.
and left US with all the bills to pay, which
we paid rather from a sense of duty than a
sense of Indebtedness and SO the chapter
ended