The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-05-10
CHI" MAXIM AT HOME.

Record" writing from Sangerville,
Maine, tells this interesting story ::
This little village, away up in the
woods Of Piscatsquis county, is great
ly interested in the news from Eng
land that Hiram Maxim has been
knighted by Queen Victoria, for "Hi''
Maxim is vividly remembered by old
settlers here as the worst boy that
ever was raised in Sangerville, and
certain chuch people can't understand
why it is that he has become so rich
and famous, when other boys that
never caused their parents und neigh
bors a minutes's trouble have been
obliged to scratch a living from the
rocky little farms, without higher
honors than serving on the Board of
Selectmen.
There are three of the Maxim boys
Hiram, who invented the rapid-fire
guns; Hudson, who invented the
smokeless powder to put in the guns,
and Samuel, who has just stayed at
home in Maine and never climbed any
higher up the hill Of fame than one
may get by inventing a cure for dys-
pepsia.
Still, Samuel is best liked by his
mother, who still lives, and by all the
neighbors in the town of Wayne, where
he and the old lady reside. His moth
er likes him best, for he is the best
natured of the boys, and the neighbors
are proud of him because he's square
man who doesn't care cuss for for
eign flattery, and they say his dyspep-
sia cure beats all creation.
When the Maxims lived in Sanger
Vile they were poor. Hiram was such
bad boy that the neighbors wouldn't
allow their children to have anything
to do with him and he was taken early
from the village school, for which he
had love, and apprenticed to painter.
While he worked for the painter Hi
ram was ''eternally tinkerin" with
old wheels and things, and the painter
soon got tired of him. He rugged up
from two wagon wheels and some 9th
er truck that he found under the paint
shop what is supposed to have been
the first safety bicycle ever bnilt, and
upon this crude machine he raced down
the steep hills Of Sangerville at speed
that threatened his own life and the
safety Of anybody or anything that he
might meet in the road.
One day he ran into an old farmer,
wrecked the latter's wagon and max
ing general smashup, whereupon the
farmer gave him licking that lasted
him a month, and also took fence
rail and broke the "bicycle" to smithe
rcens. That settled Hiram Maxims
experiments in the bicycle line, al
though he declared that his first ma
chine embodied all the salient features
of the Twentieth Century wheel.
The idea of the machine gun was
not original with Hiram Maxim, hav-
ing been a pet dream of his fathers
for years before Hiram was able to
butter his own bread. The elder
Maxim, however, lacked the mechan-
ical skill to carry his ideas into e..
feet, and it remained for his son to per-
feet the gun and reap the fortune and
fame that came from it. When he had
finished lis first model he was with
out money, and he borrowed 500 from
friend to enable him to take the
model to Washington. He received
no encouragement; but in Europe he
won fame and fortune, as everybody
knows. He came home a millionaire
and paid back the 500 with big il
terest.
With all their money and honors, of
Maxim, for the brothers Hiram and
Hudson are bitter enemies, all on ac-
count of jealousy. 1t is long story,
that of the quarrel between Hiram
and Hudson, and has been many times
rehearsed in the papers. Hudson
claims that Hiram has stolen his ideas
in the matter of certain features Of the
great guns, and Hiram says Hudson is
mistaken.
The quarrel has cast shadow over
the old home in Wayne and over the
mothers heart, and most of the neigh
bors there blame Hiram. So bitter
is the feeling of Hiram against Hudson
that he will not visit the old home
while Hudson is there, and few years
ago, when the centennial Of the town
WIS CclcUIatcu, IuC uuoiiSt DSI"SSA
the brothers came near to spelling the
whole show.
In the first place, Hiram sent word
that he was coming home from Eng
fand, and the committee arranged to
have him ride in barouche at the
head of the procession. Then came
letter announcing that Hudson, with
his wife, was also coming. Hudson
arrived first, and was welcomed at the
old home. Then came Hiram, and
when he found that Hudson was there
he refused to visit at the farmhouse,
and went to the village inn. Mrs.
Maxim, when she heard of this, said
that one was as welcome rs the other
,pd fhof if I|iro m didn't oorn to como