The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-09

vention for special merit, and your name
will appear on our roll of honor for a prize.
Under the terms of our recent decision TO
recognize those inventors submitting es-
pecially meritorious devices, we have de-
termined to present a sterling silver medal
to each PRISON entitled to a place on the
roll of honor. We send you, therefore, by
to-day's mail, a sterling silver medal, ac-
companied by United States treasury
certificate as to its standard fineness. 1t
is of pure silver. Congratuiating you
upon the merit of your invention, which
promises to be exceedingly profitable to
you, we are, with kind regards, etc.
Before going further it should be ex-
planned that the victim has already been
required to send S. for the purpose of Sc
curing a preliminary search of the patent
office files. This is necessary, of course,
in order to determine whether the con-
trivance submitted is entirely new, and,
therefore, patentable. AS a matter of
fact, no search is made, and the firm so
far is s. ahead. 1T is now in a position
to distribute more bait, and this it does
by sending the above-quoted letter, to-
gether with a silver medal that Is worth
about % cents. Observe how artfully the
communication is worded. Take notice of
it's reference to the board of awards,
which an ignorant person would suppose
to be connected in some way officially with
the patent office. But the business end
of the letter Is in its TAIL where the words
promises to be exceedingly profitable to
you" afford the strongest inducement for
a response.
OF course the victim does respond. He
sends more money and asks that patent
be secured. The firm files a formal appli-
cation for a patent, and that is all Il does
1t makes no real effort to get the patent
because in nearly every case II would not
be possible, the idea being not new. That
arffg loo. r1aa
ing the gudgeon on the hook, pocket all
the money they can get out of him, and
are so much ahead, having done no work
BY and by the victim gets restless, want
ing to know how he Is going TO dispose Of
his invention. Then they write him an
other letter, as follows:
I'VE beg to advise you that your inven-
ton has been referred to the chief Of our
state department. He reports that II is of
great value and will I'LL a long-feit public
want. We would further say that a syndi-
cate Of English capitalists has been seek
ing a device of exactly this description for
some time and is ready to pay cash for II,
II patents are taken out Immediately in
certain foreign countries-England, France.
Germany, Switzerland and Spain. You will
readily understand that the syndicate does
not feel warranted IN undertaking the pur-
chase without full protection for rights In
the invention. This condition compiled with
we 6ndu De dble 10 hlrpDHt Vi IL presume
bly, for large sum Under the circum-
stances we need hardly add that Il Is adj
visable for you 10 proceed at once 10 take
out patents In the countries mentioned,
and II will give Us pleasure TO act as your
agents in the matter. With kind regards.
etc"
Only "A short time ago a man IN Iowa
sent 10 the firm referred 90 continuance
In the way OF an eaaly opened envelope.
with a string inside Of the flap and pro-
jecting thorefrom so that II could be torn
open clearly and IN an instant. This
device was patented in 1858. and applica-
lions for exclusive rights IN the same idea
have been made By different pkrsCns
about once a month ever since that date.
In 1871 an inventor conceived the notion
that the protruding string could be grasp
be more easily " a knot were tied IN H.
and he patented the knot IN the end OF tie
string The existence Of these TWO pat
ents Is notorious among attorneys who
practice before the patent Office and the
simplicity Of the alleged Improvement Is
one Of the stock jokes Of the fraternity
These facts did not prevent the firm In
question from entering half a dozen apDli-
cations for patents on the same contriv-
ance during the last year. and in each in
stance the inventor received silver med