The Minneapolis journal., 1902-03-20
I'll" MAXIM AT HOME

Cormick is said to have had thirty head
smethered by the falling Of a shed.
-, I'll" MAXIM AT HOME
Gun Inventor About Worst Boy in
His Village.
(Sangerville. Me- Correspondence Phila-
delphia Record.)
This little village, away up inThe WOODS
of Piscataquis county, Is greatly interest
ed in the news from England that Hiram
Maxim has been knighted by Queen VIC
toria, for ~'Hi'' Maxim is :vividly remem-
berde by old settlers here as the worst boy
that ever was raised in Sangeryllle, and
certain church people can't understand
why it is that he has become SO rich and
famous, when other boys that never
caused their parents and neighbors a
minutes trouble have been obliged to
scratch a living from the rocky little
farms, without highe1a honors% than serving
on the board Of selectmen.
There are three of the Maxim boys-Hi-
ram, who invented the rapid-fre guns;
Hudson who invented the smokeless pow
der to- put in the guns, and Samuel, who
stayed at home - in Maine, and never
climbed any higher up the hill of fame
than one may get by inventing a cure for
dyspepsia. - 90 - ----
3 Still, Samuel is best liked by his mother.
who still lives, and by allthe neighbors in
the town of Wayne, where he and the old
lady reside. T. His mother. 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 a. cuss
for foreign f1attery, and they say his dys-
pepsia cure beats all creation.
When the Maxims lived in Sangerville
they were poor. Hiram was such bad
boy that the neighbors wouldn't allow
their children tO hava anvthine tn do with
him, and he was taken early from the
village school, for which he had little love,
and .aDDrenticed to a painter. While he
worked for, the painter, Hiram was ''eter
nally tinkerin' with old wheels and such
things, and the painter soon. got tired of
him. He rigged up from two wagon
wheels and some other. truck that he
found under the paint shop what is sup
posed. to have been the first safety BIZ
cycle ever built, and u2on this crude ma
chine he raced down the steep hills of
Sangerville at: a speed that threatened his
own life and the safety of anybody or any
thing that he might meet in the road.
One day he ran into an old farmer,
wrecking the latter's wagon and making
a general smashup, WhereuDon the farmer
gave him a licking that lasted him
month and also took fence rail and broke
the 'bicycle'' to smithereens. That set
tied Hiram MaXims experiments in the
bicycle line, although he declares that his
first machine embodied all the salient fea-
lures of the twentieth century wheel.
The idea of the machine gun was not
original with Hiram Maxim, having been
a pet dream of, his fathers for years be-
fore Hiram was able to butter his own
bread. The elder Maxim, however, lacked
the mechanical skill to carry his ideas
into effect, and it remained for his son to
perfect the gun and reap the fortune and
fame that came from it. - When he had
finished his first model he was without
money, and he borrowed $1O0 from friend
to enables him to take the model to Wash
ington. He received, ,Yne% encouragement;
but in Europe he. won fame and fortune,
as everybody knows. He came home a
millionaire and paid back the 500 with big
interest. 6 y - ~ Il
|. With all their money and honors, dark
cloud hangs over the house of Maxim, for
the brothers Hiram and Hudson are bit
ter enemies, all on account of Jealousy 1t
is a long story, that. of the quarrel be-
tween Hiram and Hudson, and has been
many times rehearsed in the papers. Hud-
son claims that Hiram has stolen his
ideas, in the matter of certain features OF
the great guns, and Hiram says Hudson
lis Mistaken s~4-,!-...a.- ,.,st,,. ... .as.
| The quarrel has cast shadow over the
old home in Wayne and over the mothers
heart, and most of the neighbors there
blame. Hiram So bitter is the feeling Of
Hiram against Hudson that he will not
visit at the, old home while Hudson is
there, and few years ago, when the cen
tennial Of the town was celebrated, the
quarrel between the brothers came near
to spelling the whole show.
In the first place, Hiram sent word that
he was coming home from England, and
|,the5 committee arranged behave him ride
L in sa< <barouche at the heada of the process
..sion ~ Then came al letter announcing that
H uds en;s WITH his wife, was also coming.
Hudson arrived first, aud was welcomed
atSthe old home. Fhen came Hiram, and
when he found that udson 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 as the other, and that if Hi
ram didn't care to come he could stay
away. II
| She is fine old lady, of high spirit, and
! 1t would take something more than all the
decorations in England to Gar" her. When
it came to making up the list of guests
to ride to the procession the committee
was in a sad fix. It had already asked
Hiram, and it wanted to invite Hudson,
also; but Hiram sent: word that If Hud-
| son rode in the procession he (Hiram)
would stay in his room and study UP a
few more gun patents.
The committee felt that to lose Hiram.
with all his medals, would be to spoil the
whole celebration, so it went to Hudson
and told him how sorry it was, but that
| he could see how it was, etc., and Hud-
| son, being the better-tempered, said "All
| right" and the committee breathed again.
| While the two brothers were in Wayne
| the villagers took sides in the quarrel,
and il; was the most exciting time that