Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-22

get beat out OF his money there. So I
tried TO keep my hopes down; but the
thought of $4,000 kept rising in my
mind.
well. one day I was sent for by the
president of the Gold and Stock Tele-
graph company to talk about a settle
ment for my improvements. He was
Gen. Marshall Lefferts, colonel OF the
Seventh regiment.
II tell you was trembling all over
with embarrassment. and when I got
i'm his presence my vision of $4,000 be-
gan to vanish. When he asked me how
much / wanted I was afraid TO speak.
I feared that IL | mentioned $4,000 /
might get nothing.
THAT was one Of the most painful
and exciting moments of my life. N.Y.
how l beat my brains to know what to
say. Finally 1 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 Cen
Lefferts.
"'It was all could do to keep my
face straight and my knees from giving
way. [ was afraid he would hear my
heart beat
with great effort I said that 1
guessed that would he all right. He
ready in a few days and I could come
back and sign It. In the meantime
scarcely slept I couldn't believe it.
when went back the contract was
ready and | signed II IN a hurry. l
don't know even now what was in 1t.
A check for $4,000 was handed me and
I went to the bank as fast as my feet
would carry me.
"It was the first time was ever in
eli rNf INaa II erat In
my turn came ] handed in my check.
OF course I had not Endorsed II.
THE teller iooke1 at it then pushed
it back to me and roared out something
which ] could not understand, being
partly deaf. NJ heart sank and my
legs trembled. l handed the check back
to him, but again he pushed it back
with the same unintelligible explosion
of words.
THAT settled it. went out of the
bank feeling miserable. I was the vic
tim OF another Wall street skin game
L never felt worse in my life.
Il went around to the brother of the
treasurer who had drawn the check and
said: I'm skinned all right
when told him my story he burst
out laughing, and when he went into
the treasurer's office to explain mat
ters there was 1. loud roar of laughter
at my expense. They sent somebody to
the bank with me, and the bank officials
thought it so great a joke that they
played a trick on me by paying me the
whole $4,000 in $40, $50 and $50 bills.
"It made an enormous pile of money.
1 stuffed the bills in my inside pockets
and outside pockets, my trousers
pockets and everywhere l could put
them. Then 1 started for my home in
Newark. l wouldn't sit on seat with
anybody on the train nor let anybody
approach me. When got to my room
couldn't sleep for Fear of being robbed.
80 the next day I took it back to
Gen. Lefferts and told him 1 didn't
know where to keep it. He had it
placed in bank to my credit. and that
was my first bank account. With that
money 1 opened a new shop and worked
out new apparatus.
my automatic telegraph, which
handled 1000 words a minute between
New York and Washington, was
brought out by Jay Gould and the
Western Union company. 1t is in liti-
cation yet.
'Grhen the quadruplex was installed.
I sold that to Jay Gould and the West
ern Union company for 100000. The
next invention was the mimeograph, a
copying machine.
when Bell got out his telephone the
transmitter and receiver were one.
Prof. Orton of the Western Union com
pany asked me to do something to make
the telephone a commercial success.
'I tackled it and got up the present
transmitter. The Western Union COM
pany eventually made millions of dol
lars out Of it. I got 100000 for 1t.
"At last President Orton sent for me
and said: Young man, how much do
you want in full payment for all the
inventions you have given the Western
Union company?'
'I had $4,000 in my mind, but my
tongue wouldn't move. 1 hadn't the
nerve to name such a sum.
MAKE me an offer ventured.
"'How would 100000 seem to you|
he asked.
II almost fell over. 1t made me dizzy,