The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1907-01-09
EDIsON's ODD START
THE BATTLE OF PlTTSBURG LANDING
INFLUENCED HIS CAREER.

He Was u Train NeWSbOy at the
Time, and the Incidents of One Day
Opened His Eyes to the Importance
and Possibilities of TeIegraphy.
"When the battle of Pittsburg Land
ing was fought the first report which
reached Detroit was that there were
10000 killed aud wounded. l was a
telegraph operator at the Detroit sta
ton that if he would wire the main
facts of the battle along the line, so
that announcements could be put up
at the station bulletin boards, l would
give Harper's Weekly to him for six
months free of cost
II used to sell about forty newspa-
pers on the trip, but that day bought
1000 At the first station the crowd
was so big that l thought it was an
excursion crowd. But, no, when the
people caught sight of me they began
to yell for papers. just doubled the
price on the spot and charged 10 cents
instead of 5 cents copy. When /
got to the last station | jumped the
price up to 25 cents copy and sold
all | had left. l made $75 or 500 on
that one trip, and, tell you, l felt
mighty good.
"That called my attention to what
telegraph operator could do, and l
made up my mind to become an OPP
orator as soon as possible.
"Then l Joined hands with a man
named Callahan, and we got up sever
al improved types Of stock tickers.
These improvements were success.
"When the day of settlement for my
inventions approached l began to won
der how much money l would get. !
was pretty raw and knew nothing
about business, but | hoped that l
might get $1,000, | dreamed of what
| could do with big money like that,
of the tools and other things | 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 l tried to keep my
hopes down, but the thought Of $1,000
kept rising in my mind.
''Well, one day was sent for by the
president Of the Gold and Stock Tele-
graph company to talk about settle
ment on my improvements. He was
General Marshall Lefferts, colonel Of
the Seventh regiment. tell you was
trembling all over with embarrass-
ment, and when l got in his presence
my vision of $1,000 began to vanish.
When he asked me how much l wanted
was afraid to speak. l feared that if
l mentioned $4,000 might get nothing.
That was one of the most painful and
exciting moments of my life. My,
how beat my brains to know what to
say! Finally said:
Suppose you make me an offer%
"By that time l was scared. was
more than scared; | was paralyzed.
How would $4,000 dor asked Gen
eral Lefferts.
1T was all could do to keep my
face straight and my knees from CIV
ing way. With great effort l said
that guessed that would be all right.
He said they would have the contract
ready in a few days and could come
back and sign it. In the meantime
scarcely slept. l couldn't believe it.
''When l went back the contract was
ready, and l signed it in hurry.
don't know even now what was in it.
A check for $4,000 was handed me,
and l went to the bank as fast as my
feet would carry me. 1t was the first
time was ever inside of bank. got
1iT1n
handed in my check. OF course l had
not Endorsed it.
"The teller looked at 1t, then pushed
it back to me and roared out some
thing which l 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 ex-
plosion of words.
'"That settled it. l went out of the
bank feeling miserable. l was the.vic-
tim Of another Wall street skin game
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 told him my story he burst
put laughing, and when he went into
The treasurer's office to explain mat
.ers there was loud roar of laughter
1t my expense. They sent somebody
to the bank with me, and the bank
officials thought it SO great joke that
hey played trick on me by paying
he whole $4,000 in ten, twenty and
fifty dollar bills.
cit made an enormous pile of money.
stuffed the bills in my inside peck
cts and outside pockets, my trousers
pockets and everywhere could put
hem. Then l started for my home in
Newark. l wouldn't sit on seat with
on the train or let anybody
approach me. When l got to my room
couldn't sleep for fear of being rob-
Jed. So the next day l took it back
% General Lefferts and told him l
lidn't know where to keep it. He had
t placed in bank to my credit, and
hat was my first bank account. With
hat money opened a new shop and
worked out new apparatus. Pear
on's Magazine
Pat as Lion.
NO." said the lion tanner to Patsy |
flannigan. "VOu can't have q ioh t0 |