The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-11-06
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- 49, 1T.islIil z ~ -
,ff,-sS. ~ 7. tila- Iu.elilents. - one A,eS
"a sIf1s Esyea tcl,t
nnS res fSI1itEee u TeltsGyE
.syyi,eu The. tile of pittslJurE 1.aus.i
Ing Svas foheht the mist report lllel1
reacfed Detroit 54ns that there were
10000 killed and wounded was
train newsbOy then. and told the
telegraph operator Is the Detroit sta
tion shat II he would wire the main
facts OF the batpe along the line. 90
TINT aunouncenents could be put up
at the station bulletin boards, would
give Harpers Weekly 70 him for SIX
months free Of cost.
II used to sell about forty newspa-
pers on the trip, but that day bought
900. AZ the first station the crowd
was so big that I Thought II was an
excursion crowd BuC no, when the
people caught sight of me they began
70 veil for papers. l Just doubled the
nriee ON the spot and charged 10 cents
instead of , cents copy. When
got to the Iasr station jumped tho
price up to 20 cents a copy and sold
all had left I made SIS or 500 on
that QUE "trip, and. tell You, felt
mighty good.
THAT called my attention 70 what a
telegraph operator could do, and ]
made up my mind to become an Cp-
orator as soon as possible
."Then Joined hands with man
named Callahan and we got up sever
al Improved types OF stock tiekers.
These Improvements were success.
4'ewhen. the day. OF settlement for my
Inventions approaeh edl 4 began TO Won
der hsw much money / would get.
was pretty. r4Fgl7 and knew nothing
about business put hoped that
might get 5000. I dreamed Of what
I could do with big money like that.
of the tools and other things conld
buy toyBork out 9nNentions. but I knew
Wall street 10 be a pretty bad place
and had, q. general suspicion that a
man was apt TO get beat out of. bis
money there. SO tried to keep my
hopes doVEn, but the thought Of $GSOoe
kept rising in my mind.
We'll. one (lay T was sent for by the
president of the Gold and Stock Yele-
graph company TO talk about a settle
unent on my improvements He wac
General Marshall LefHerts, colonel Of
the Seventh regiment tell you Twas
trembling an over with enbarrass-
ment. and when got in his presence
my vision Of 5000. began TO Yanisb.
Wlanshe4aske1 me how much wanted
II iSvas.a fInId to speak, feared that Is
4 moatEoned 5000 might get nothing.
That Syas one of the. most painful and
e4Gitlng moments of my life Ny
howl heat my brains to know what TO
,Hg.y ar Finally I said:
Suppose you make me an ofrer9
by THAT time l was ,sc,tred- / was
more than scared; was parstlyzed.
:. How wouid 10000 do? asked Gen
eraI Lefrerts- -
1T was al: could dc 70. Keep my
face straight and my kpees from CIV
ing way With great effort I sai6
that guessed th:sr would he all right
He said they would have the coI2ETRcS
ready In Il few days ard ! cOulc come
back and sign ii. In the meantime
scarcely slept. couldn't believe IT
When / went back the contract was
ready, and signed il in hurry
don't know even now what was ia II.
4 check for $4,000 was handed me,
and. Invent 10 the bank as fast as my
feet would carry me II was the first
time Iwus ever inside Of a bank. got
in line. and when my turn came
handed in my check. OF course had
not inlorsed 1t.
THE teller looked at II. then pushed
it back to me and roared out some
thing which could not understand.
being partly deaf. My heart sank ana
my legs trembled. handed the check
back 10 linn. but again be pushed II
back with the same uniDtelHGible e1-
plosion of words.
Tint settled It, l went cut OF the
bank feeling miserable. ! was the vic
tim of another Wall street skin game
I never felt worse in my Nfe. went
around to the brother OF The treasurer
who had drawn the check and SAID,
I'm skinned. all right.
'EWhcn told him my story ne burst
out laughing. and wltcn he went int0
the treasurer's ofiice 10 explain mat
tiers there was n loud rOGr Of laughter
at my expense. They sent somebody
to the bank with me. and the hank
officials Thought it SO great Joke that
they played Il trick o. me by paying
the whole $4,000 in ten. twenty and
fifty dollar bills.
3. cit made an enormous pile of money
/ stuffed 1lIe bills in my inside pock- \
cts and outside pockets, my trousers
pockets and every where could put
them. Then started for my home IN /
Newark. wouldn't cit CD aseat with
anybody on the train or let ANYBODY
dpprOdCu ne. when - Eul ~ A4J AN'FSA4'' \
l couldn't sleep for fear Of being rob
bed. So the next day took ID back
to General I.enerts and told him
didn't know where to keep'it. he had
1t placed In Il bank TO my credit, and |
that was my first hank account With !
that money / opened a new shop and
worked out new apparatus. Pear
sons Magazine.
70