The times., 1897-07-18
EDISON'S FIRST BIG CHECK.

Wizard Edison recently came over TO
New York f'aE. MEMO Park on business
connected Win come of his numerous tn
terpTises, an Tnlc in town qined with
a friend ard the writer. During the din
Ter hour the great electrician became con
versational and told in mis- quaint way
th- story OF his first acquaintance with
any large sum OF money.
1t was il the early seventies, when he
was young man struggling along with
his Inventions, and had no capitalists to
back him In fact, he had no bank
al count and hardly knew what one vas
Bank CHIC Ks were things he had never had
occasion 10 use, and he had as much idea
OF th-ir value apparently as the man IN the
moon.
II had said MI Edison, Just sold my
pateat on the gold and stock Indicator
u tie Western Union Telegraph Company
for $40, 600, and had come over to New
York To get my money. ! had heard OF
Wall street aud its bulls anG bears and
lad been told that the locality was fTlI
OF sharks who w0ald fleece stranger
quick. So made up my mind that Wall
street was an undesirable place, aaI that
If ever had occasion 10 go there 1 would
be lucky If got away wit hout losing my
oVefcgat or umbrella.
~ tiIo time zen Lefferts was presi-
dent Of the Western Union, and shall
never forget my sensations on the morning
that / went into the coHlpany's general
offices tc close up the sale OF my patent
l was Immediately recognized by a clerk,
who tisltered NE into the presence If the
president, who, after a few preiiHinaries,
harded me check for SO, 600.
Il lcked at II cdriOusiy for a moment
or two. and my manner must hav,. con
veyeG 10 LereTts the Impression uhat /
was very much puzzled what to do with
II. CG course / knew that l had sold he
patedt To the Western Union Company '
fo- $4,000, but | couldn't exactly real
iz'. that the scrap Of paper rendered was
good for sucn an amount OF money.
Observing MY perplexity, Gen Lef-
fertd told me that If would go down
t. the Bank Of Auerica in Wall street
1 could get the check eashed
Wet = continued ar Ecis,n, Il starr
ed out, afteE carefully roldiag up the
check, AMI went toward WaH street
So uncertain was l even vet in regard 10
the way Gen Lefferts had pf doing busi-
Eess that | thcaenU while on the way
tiat II any man should come up b he
and offer me two crisp thousanrltioiIHF
bills f0T the piece of paper, I should have
give him up the check willingly
Arriving at the Bank of 4 rnerica hes
itated about entering, fearing still that
semet thing might be wICng AtIast. how
ever, l mustered up my courage aad lie
termined to try it. Entering the bank, |
walked up tremblingly To a little heIe in
d high glass-topped desk, through which I
peShed my check to the cashier
The latter, after scrutiniZuz il closely.
give ine the check back with a piercing
glance, and said something which L could
not understand, as / was then. as 7 ar7
now, rather deaf.
II hat vas enough was now more than
ever convinced tha { his check w4sn t worth
$4,000, and l again thought, a rushed
out of the bank with it, that any man who
would give me the $4,000 would be w ell
come to the check.
''As quick as my legs could carry me I
hurried back to the Western Union office
and told the president that tie check was
no good to me, as / coulGn I get any money
for it. Gen. Lefferts laughed, and seeming
to understand my unsophisticated business
methods, he called clerk and requested
the latter to accompany me to the bank
and identify me. Arriving at the hank, I
again presented the troublesome bit OF
paper to the cashier. and Leffert's clerk
said: This man is Thomas A Edison, to
whose order that check is IRA wn'
Why certainly, Mr.. Edison said the
cashier. How would you Ike 30 have the
$40, 600? In bills of what denomination.
sire'
Oh, any way to suit the bank. II
does not make any diffe renee to me. so
long as l get the money
L was given the $40. 600 in large bills
After dividing the roll into two wafs of
SEQ ,00e each I stuffed one into each
trousers pocket, buttoned up my coat as
tightly as possible, and, after bidding the
cashier and the tele graph clerk good-day
made a break to get out of Wall street as
quickly as I could. The next day began
work on my first laboratory at Newark y
Boston Trans cript.