The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-08-08
HOW EDISON
GOT HIS START
LANDED IN new YORK PENNIlESS
Didn't Know How to Cash a $4,000
Check and Thought Him.
self BuncOcd.

operator and managed to borrow
dollar said Mr.. Edison. II lived on
that for week, but I had to park it
a little. that is, slept outdoors. Oh,
l didn't mind it much, and I never did
care much about eating, anyhow.
"Then 1 hustled for something to do.
could have got job as an operator
at $50 a month, but I wanted a chance
to do something better. I happened
one day into the office of gold ticker
company, which had about 500 sub
scribers Those were the days of gold
speculations in New York, and the
ticker was an important factor, for it
supplied news to all the offices.
studied out the machine in the central
office and thought saw how it could
be improved. One afternoon about one
clock l was standing beside the ap-
paratus, when it gave a terrible rip
roar and suddenly stopped. In a few
minutes hundreds of messenger boys
blocked up the doorway and yelled for
some one to fix the ticker in their Of
fees. The man in charge of the place
|
up to him and said: I think I know
what's the matter He asked me to
fix it, and l did so. I simply had to
remove a loose contact spring which
had fallen between the wheels. The
result was that I was employed to
| take charge of the service at $500 a
month. I almost tainted when I heard
how much salary 1 was to get.
"Then I joined hands with man
named Callahan, and we got up several
! improved type of stock tickers. These
improvements We're a success. When
the day of settlement for my inven-
lions approached began to wonder
how much money 1 would get. I was
pretty raw and knew nothing about
/ business, but l hoped that 1 might get
$4,000. I dreamed of what I could do
with big money like that, of the tools
and other things I could buy to work
out inventions. But knew Wall
street to be a pretty bad place, and had
a general suspicion that a man was
apt to get beat out of his money there
So I tried to keep my hopes down; but
the thought of $500 kept rising in my
mind.
We'll one day I was sent for by
1 the president of the Gold & Stock
Telegraph company to talk about 81
settlement for my improvements. He
was General Marshal Lefferts, colonel
OF the Seventh regiment. I tell you
was trembling all over with embar-
rassment, and when ! got in his pres
ence my vision of $4,000 began to
vanish When he asked. me how mucn
wanted I was afraid to speak.
| feared that If I mentioned $4,000 I
might get nothing at all. That was
one of the most painful and exciting
moments of my life. My, how I beat
my brains to know what to say! Fin
ally. said: Suppose you make me an
offer"
by that time was scared; / was
more than scared, I was paralyzed.
How would $4,000 do? asked
General Lefferts.
ut was all I could do to keep my
face straight and my knees from CIV
ing way 1 was afraid he would hear
my heart beat. With a great effort
said as calmly as I could: I guess
that will be all right
HE said that he would have the
contract drawn up in a couple of days
and that I could come back and sign it.
Yet the thing didn't seem real. 1t was
too big. Besides, I had my opinion Of
Wall street. I couldn't sleep. But.
when l went back there was the con-
tract. signed it in hurry without
reading it. l don't know even now
what was in that contract. Then i
check for $4,000 was handed to me.
II went to the bank on which the
check was drawn as quick as my feet
could get me there. Even then the
thing didn't seem real. 1t was the first
time I was ever in a bank. I got in a
line of boys in front Of the paying
teller's counter, and when my turn
came handed in the check. If course
I had not Endorsed 1t. The teller looked
at the check, pushed it back to me and
roared out something which / could
not understand, being partly deaf.
My heart sank and my legs trembled.
handed the check back to him. but
again he pushed it back with the
same unintelligible explosion of words.
THAT settled it. I went out of the
bank feeling miserable. 1 was the
victim of another Wall street skin
game I never felt worse in my life.
went around to the brother of the
treasurer who had drawn the check
and said: I'm skinned all right
When I told him my story he burst
out laughing, and when he went into
the treasurer's office to explain mat
tiers there was a loud roar of laugh
ter at my expense. They sent somebody
to the bank with me, and the bank Of
ficials thought 1t so great a joke that
they played a trick on me by paying
the whole $4,000 in ten. twenty and
fifty dollar bills.
TT made an enormous pile of money.
stuffed the bills in my inside pock-
cts and outside pockets, my trousers
pockets and everywhere I could put
them. Then / started for my home in
Newark. ! wouldn't sit on a seat with
anybody else on the train and I would
let nobody approach me. / clasped
my arms across my body and sat in
that way. suspicious and alert. all the
| NAV homa And when pof m nv rO0rn