The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-23
Inventor Of the Telephone.


the telephone and the owner of a
brain which has been the means of
making millionaires Of 20 men, is
spending the evening of his eventful
life in poverty. This genius, who is
one of the three greatest inventors OF
the century, finds himself poor man
at 63, and in the very shadow Of the
palaces of some of the men who have
| feasted from the products Of his
brains he is now forced to live in a
humble house, the half of whose
rooms and table is shared by day
boarders, who pay the regulation price
of the weekly meal ticket.
He can sit in his place in Highland
Park, H., and call the names of a
score of powers in the world OF IL
nance who have caught him in cor
ner, found him without penny and
fooled him into selling his patent for
song. The pitiful lament of his lat
ter days is that he did not have con-
servator appointed when he had
money. He now fears he may die
without cent.
Prof. Gray knows his failing better
than anyone else. He has been up
and down. He has made fortunes and
spent them. He has never had any
considerable amount Of money that he
did not think it was enough to last
forever. He admits that it never oc-
CURED to him to be a scientist for
money. He has never looked for any
return save the fame. He once spent
year in devising a plan for an in
provement in the work of the tele-
phone. The improvement was grab
bed up on sight. 1t brought him
cheek Of $4,000.
He thought this was enough to last
him the balance of his life. He or
dered his wife and family to pack the
trunks. They sailed for Europe the
next week. There was nothing too
good or expensive for them to buy.
They brought home pictures, statuary
aud art treasures, and the home was
decorated like the palace of a king.
This season of extravaganza was
followed by one of extreme want. The
Professor became filled with an idea
that it would be practicable to send
autograph messages by telegraph.
The plan took so much of his time
that he forgot to pay the grocer and
the butcher. The barn on his home
stead became his study. de borrowed
all the money he could get his friends
to loan him. This went for wires.
batteries and machinery. He became
SO filed with the scheme on his mind
that time and again he was carried by
his station in his trips to Chicago for
material. He lived like man in
perpetual dream. The men who
knew him knew that something
great was to transbire They waised.
''The time to deal with Gray is
when he is dreadfully hard up,' said
the president Of one Of the telegraph
companies. cit is never good busi-
ness to make him an offer when he has
money. He has now on the string an
invention which is going to revolu-
tionize telegraphy. He wants big
price for his idea, which is in practi-
cal working order. His figures are
away up. The thing to do is to wait
until his bills get away up. He will
then sell for song
Prof. Gray is getting to the point
where he will sell for song. 1t has
coue to the point where boarders have
been taken in the home to
help meet the bills. he has lost his
broyancy of spirit aud has descended
to the plane Of an ordinary grinder for
an ordinary salary The big shop
which was erected for his use has
practically been abandoned. The
fires in the plant are smekelcss. and
pcnt up in his little study, which has
been shorn Of the pictures bought in
golden days, be has been compelled to
abandon his plans of science for
science sake, and is now trying to
recoup his fortunes by working in the
most commonplace lines. He spent
the last year in improving a bicyle
lamp.
The improvement was quickly COB
bled up by man who had money and
paid cash-the smallest possible frac-
tiop of it's actual worth.
This trait, possibly more than his
greatness, has made him one of the
most sought after men in Chicago.
His neighbors have been most solici-