The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-07

tlftesn years ago 2 shy young eoun-
! try girl was summoned from her log
cabin home TO serve as a witness in q
neighbor's lawsuit. It was her first
glimpse Of the great world that lay be-
yond the hamlet where she was born.
The sleepy town was more imposing
than the walled cities Of her dreams.
the little courthouse was a. stately hall
/ OF justice, and the eabalistic signs OF
/ the shorthand reporter filed her soul
with awe
Last week this girl won the most
/ brilliant legal battle ever fought by
woman Other women have assisted
( senior counsel in famous suits. But
/ Miss Florence II. King. only woman
/ patent lawyer in this country, fought
her fight, single handed and alone. be
fore Judge Kohlsaat in the United
states Circuit court Of Chicago. and on
her oral argument won 2 verdiet
gainst IS. 000, 600 comrany and seeur-
ed an injunction so binding that no
human being but Mrs. Myrtle N. Rog~
ers can manufacture, sell, or use the
Rogers patents.
Valuable Patents Leased.
In May. 1906, the inventor of the
noted Rogers receptacle" ard pack
ing" known among railroad men as
the Rogers goods died, leaving his
rights and patents 10 his wife. Mrs
Myrtle N. Rogers. The packing is cot
ton waste and steel wool, the latter
made of steel turnlngs. cut spirally
from steel rods, expressly manufac-
tured for this purpose. The receptacle
was clever device for holding the
packing against the axle in the journal
box The demand for packing is enor-
nous, for the United States railroads
alone use 34,O00,000 pounds annually at
70 cents a pound. affording q royal
revenue to the manufacturers.
Mrs Rogers was unfamiliar with
business tactics and finally accepted
the proposition Of the newly organized
Federal Supply company, which was
Incorporated for 5000. O00. to transfer
her patents on a license, the company
contracting 10 pay her a minimum
royalty of cents a pound for the pack
ing, or $1,000 every quarter.
After enjoying the princely profits
for several years the company sudden
y Cancelled her license Feb. ]. 1903. and
also attacked Mrs. Rogers title 10 the
patents, defying her to assert her
rights. Mrs. Rogers Immediately or
ganized a company and began manu-
featuring her husbands goods on a
small scale
The Federal Supply company's act
raised up q host Of business friends for
her, and she quickly built up a thriv-
ing business. When it came TO the
notice Of the Federal Supply company
the price was cut to the actual cost of
production, and her limited capital for
babe competition at these ruinous
rates. Her orders were returned. one
road sending back 5000 pounds The
purchasing agents said:
We are extremely sorry for YOU
Mrs. Rogers. but we cannot afford to
pay you 20 cents for what we can get
for a. shilling"
In vain she tried to get an injunction,
but lawyers laughed at her and abso-
lUtely refused 10 touch the case on the
ground OF priority Of art. as the most
celebrated patent lawyers and patent
experts insisted that springy metal wire
and steel shavings were equivalent to
the steel turnings employed in the Rog-
ers patents.
Wins Case Men Refused.
Almost crszed at the certainty OF los
ing her entire torture and enriching
others through her husbands ingenuity.
she appealed to Miss King. who in
stantly realized that the suit pivOted on
a question OF equivalents. She made
exhaustive experiments with steel shay
ings which are cut with the grain of
a. v,,.FaT s,,I lfcoos.n.,aH thai 11udp-