The Washington times., 1905-08-27
MEANEST MAN ON
EARTH IS FOUND
Refused to Tell Method of
killing Weeyil.
WOULD HAVE SAVED CROPS
Patent Office Could Not Grant Him q
Patent and He Got Mad-Great
Scheme 5

The long and arduo,is search for the
uaeanest man in she world has at last
been rewarded.
Owing to certain curious regulations
OF Uncle Sans Patent Office. mis- narns
cannot be published. But here are the
facts which establish his title to the
distinction Of which he might be proud
They have just come TO light.
Some years ago. when the boil weevil
was beginning to yearn Tor the fame
which has more recently been showered
on il as the head of the ball clique in
! cotton. man walked into the Patent
Office one day. and announced that ne
wanted patent on the most vaIuabis
! invention ever produced
Knew His Worth.
This didn't shock the attaches of the
institution. which is accustomed to large
claims on behalf CT ideal corn piasters,
renewable chewing gums, and sanitary
devices which make it positively ex-
trayagant for single family to use
more than one tooth brush. But this
particular man soon showed that he had
the real thing
| He had studied the boil weevil. and
had learned to what particular kinds
of poison he was especially susceptible
Then he had studied the cotton plant.
and had experimental extensively in
the effort to discover with what plants
cotton could be crossed without injur-
/ ing its fabric.
His plan was 10 discover some cross
which. without injuring the cotton fiber.
would inoculate it with enough of the
| right kind of poison to make it deadly
| to the weevil
This man was a scientist, and he con-?
Quoted his experiments scientifically.
He tried many plants. and several
proved to be the right sort. In fact.
he had no difficulty in killing the wee
VII; the trouble was that the cross also
1 injured the quality of the cotton in
almost all cases, making the fiber short
er IL some cases, spelling fits color
in others, and injurfng it's tensile
strength in others.
Found Right Thing.
He was on the point of despair when
he stumbled upon the right Giant In
stead of injuring the cotton it improved
II. making the fiber longer and stronger.
While at the same time impregnsting its
juices with enough Of the poisonous
sap to make 1t absolutely fatal TO the
weevil
/ 1t was worth millions. The man ex-
planned his experiments to the Patent
!! Office people. and they sat on his case.
After n long research they informed him
that he couldn't get patent on IL.
But why not, pray?" demanded the
man os science
Because we cannot patent a natural
process" was the reply. Somebody
! would come along pretty soon and try
to patent the law Of gravitation, or the
| atomic theory. OF the doctrine of eyoIu-
ton, Don't you see what trouble that
I would cause?''
Mean Man Saw.
The mean man saw. but would not
be convinced.
This IL worth more than the cotton
gin or the steam engine to a great in
dustry.'t he declared. why should they
be patentable and this not? I've spent
years and a fortune developing tho
idea
There was no very satisfactory re-
Fly. and the man became indignant He
would get a lawyer
But the lawyer couldn't help him. and
nc came back to the Patent Office
angrier than ever.
You will patent this for me, or 7
will never let humanity get the benefit
OF it, he declared.
I'VE can't help it." weakly admitted
the Patent Office
| And SO the meanest man in the world
went away He has not been seen sinoo.
His great discovery-for there Is no
ooubt. according TO Patent Office peo-
that he really had e great discovery
has been forgotten
A Great Loss.
So far as known. he made no effort
to. do anything to introduce it into gen.
eral use. Yet so simple was it tina.
practically without adding anything 10
the expense of raising cotton. 1t would.
according TO his claims, and according
! to the testimony of scientific people
who investigated its result, have eman-
cipated the cotton crop of the South
: from the curse OF the boil weeviI
This incident occurred several years
covery has just become public. The
! nneanest man permitted q few people to
know his secret, and from these the
1t is expected that il will be put to
Sclentlnc tests, and il ii Is proved all
that has been claimed for il, will be ex-
The plant which. crossed with the cot
! ton plant. rendered the latter immune to
mon jimson weed IT does not require
scientific grating or crossing.
| Easy Process.
| Plant few jimson weeds among the
cotton rows. and in precisely the same
] "1y tAtdN q puiiipkfil III watermelon
patch Will give its flavor TO the water
melons. the jimson will inocuiate the
cotton with enough of its own peculiar
| poison to make the boil weeyil drop dead
/ ut the first assault.
/ This story is vouched for at the Patent
/ Office Oh the highest authority, that OF
/ scientist who was familiar with the case
1t the time II was before the office. He
refuses to give the name OF the one
who made the discovery tried to patent
/ II. and then disappeared without letting
the world know of it.
I But that the statements are accurate
and that there is reason for the belief
. that the inventive hOrtieulturist had
! iemonstra ted the truth of all his claims
! is said by this official TO be unquestion-
! able.
| Relieves CHRONIC BRONCHITIS.