The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-27
HOTEL LOBBY GLEANlNGS
THEODORE HEINEMANN HAS PAT
ENTED THE CRIPPLE SIGN.v
with Francis T.. Roots He Has Dr.
vided Almost $2OO, OO0-visitOrs
at the Hotels.

ward from the products OF their genius,
or. at least, so seldom receive fair share
of the money that is made from their in
ventions that IL is refreshing to learn OF
an Indiana man who has a patent that
has already made him comfortably wealthy
and bids fair to make him rich man before
many years. Theodore Heinemann, of
Connersville is the man. The triple sign"
is his invention. His returns from it in a
little over ten years have been approx
mately 100000.
Like almost all geniuses Heinemann was
a poor man-"for necessity is the mother
of invention''-when he conceived the idea
of the triple sign along toward the lat
ter end of the eighties. He was sign paint
er by trade and among his customers was a
cigar manufacturer who came to him one
day and said that he wanted something
new in the way of a sign. Heinemann
told him he would see what he could do,
and finally evolved the triple sign idea.
This is the sign on which, when the reader
stands directly in front of it, he sees one
sign, while from oblique angle to the
right he sees another, and from a similar
angle to the left still another. The sign is
difficult to describe, but they have become
so common that description is unneces-
sary.
Heinemann realized that his invention was
a valuable one and when he had made
fifty of the signs for the cigar man he
went to him and asked him to furnish the
money necessary to get the patents. 1t
only required SIS, but the cigar man was a
cigar man and he could not see the posi-
bilities in the idea, consequently, he de-
clined 10 put up the money. Heinemann
M hnT n
who were amply able to finance his project,
but he was turned down time after time
No one would take hold of it. They all
conceded that the sign was an ingenious
thing, but they did not see that 1t was
something that large advertisers would
take up instantly, and they would not risk
dollar on II.
Heinemann's horizon was not wide, and
he was greatly discouraged by the numer-
Gus rebuffs and had almost come to the
conclusion that his invention would never
amount to anything. when, as last resort,
he called on Francis Il. Root, a well-known
Connersville business man, and asked him
TO furnish the insignificant sum needed to
secure his patent. Root listened to his
explanations, looked at the sign, and then
declined to take 1t up. Heinemann was te-
nacious and would not take no for an an
Swer. At last he convinced Root that 1t
was at least worth risking $75 and the
thing was fixed The patents were secured
and the manufacture of the signs was be-
gun on small scale. They sold readily.
ness grew. 1t was not necessary to invest
any more money. The material for the
signs was purchased on credit and paid
for with the receipts from the sales The
profits were large and without putting
men out on the road TO sell the signs the
business has developed to such an extent
that Heinemann and Root have divided al
most 100000 In profits.
And the cigar manufactures, who had
the first opportunity, and the other Con-
nersville men who also turned away for
frra foEn To hmm
out a secluded spot and kick themselves.
A Connersville man who was at the Eng
fish yesterday afternoon told the story to a
group of acquaintance. and said that Mr..
Root, who was in the city, would confirm
1t. Mr.. Root was seen at the Denison
last evening and he said that the story is
true.
''Heinemann's invention has proved a
wonderful success" said Mr.. Root, land
the SIS investment was the most fortuna tie
one / have ever made / must admit, how
ever, that l did not make 1t because 1 rec
ognized the value of the idea and the pos
sible returns. l put up the money because
Heinemann was so insistent and so conf
dent and because 1 felt like helping him.
/ did not think then that / would ever
realize more than few hundred dollars II
the thing proved as successful as Heinemann
predicted, but Ii did not take long for me
TO realize that the triple sign was a bon
ANA.
with almost no effort we have taken
orders ranging from 5000 to $4,000 for the
$92, 600 worth of them. The signs have been
sold all over America, Europe and even in
Australia, and they have been put out in
English, French. German and Dutch"
Mr.. Root said that in the early nineties he
and his partner came very near disposing
of the patent to an Eastern corporation
that was formed in New Jersey, with a
capital of 100000. The corporation had
an option. but the panic came on and there
was delay IN closing the deal The option
expired and when the Eastern people came
after second option they were turned
away. Root and Heinemann had decided to
hold on to the good thing
However the triple sign which Heine-
mann & Root have exploited to such profit,
or at least a sign similar in many respects
to Ii, was known many years before Heine-
mann secured his patents Older residents
of Indianapolis will recall a sign of this
character displayed by business house in
Washington street thirty or forty years ago
that the wonder of the boys of that
generation The idea may have been orig
inal with Henemann, so far az he was per-
sonally concerned, and he was fortunate in
having the foresight to secure the patents,
but signs that read differently from differ
ant angles were known long before he made
the signs for the Connersville cigar man.