Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-03-21
F~ORESTAuLEO
THE INVENTOR
How a Clever Thief Used a
Camera to Defraud.

ne udu WOIkeu u uuLuDer OF years De-
fore striking anything of actual value.
Then he happened to fall in love.
to steady practical effort so much as
love and marriage. The first invention
Fairchild made after his engagement
he sold for $4,000. On this he married.
His workshop was a single room on
an upper floor in a business block in
the city. There he used to go at 9
o'clock in the morning and work all
day at his inventions. In u few months
be had perfected d machine which he
believed would make his fortune. He
made a very excellent model of the
choicest wood. with brass fittings,
keeping it a secret and locking the.
model in his shop when not there. so
that no one could get at it. When.
however. his lawyer came to ask for
a patent be was informed that the
same machine had been patented a
few days before.
Great was Fairchild's disappoint-
ment, but greater was his surprise
that some one else had been working
on the same plan as himself and at
the same time. Nevertheless be ap-
piled himself diligently and in the
course OF a "a had another novelty
ready for %patenting. What was his
establishment to find that in this also
some n had got ahead of him This
time he began to suspect that his
plans had been copied. But who could
have done so? He kept them locked
in a safe in his shop. and there was
no evidence of the safe ever having
been opened by any one except him
self. He made an inspection Of the
entrances to his shop, but there was
only one door. on which he had placed
a lock that no one would be likely to
pick. There was nothing about the
room that gave any evidence Of hav-
ing been tempered with. However.
before completing other plans and In
other model. every night before leav-
ing he placed a seal on the door and
on each OF the two windows. The
seals were never broken except by
himself when he returned to work in
the morning. Nevertheless when he
applied for Il patent on his next ma
chine he found that he had been fore
stalled.
Hoping to get rid Of the trouble by
changing his shop. Fairchild rented
a room in another building. Here
he made ii new machine. Giving the
plans to his lawyer. he awaited the re-
suit with feverish anxiety. The re-
port came. as usual. that the invention
had been patented.
By this time be had spent every cent
and had made nothing more. A child
had been born to him, and his neces-
sary expenses we're increased. There
was something so irritating, so wear
ing on him that some mysterious per-
son or spirit was taking advantage of
his brain work. leaving him and his
family to starve, that he at last broke
down with nervous prostration.
Meanwhile as his spirits sank his
wife rose to the occasion. She con-
tended that there was no way for any
one to steal the plans except at the
shop and determined to keep a watch
there herself. Her husband was too
discouraged to make a new invention.
but he wrote out a bogus plan and set
up a former model. While it was ap-
preaching completion Mrs. Fairchild,
leaving their little one in care Of her
husband. went to the shop. She en-
tered it stealthily, so as not to put
any one on guard. She sat in the dark
till long past midnight. but saw moth
ing unusual. The next night she vent
again to the shop and sat in the dark.
1t was a forlorn hope sitting there
with only the dim model to see against
the window. 1t was perhaps II o'clock
when she began to feel very sleepy.
She pinched herself to keep awake.
Suddenly there was a flash SO binding
that she was forced to close her eyes
for a second. and when she opened
them all was darker than ever.
Mrs. Fairchild waited awhile sc as
not to alarm any one. then stealthily
left the shop and. going to the nearest
police office. told the officers she
thought there were robbers in the
building where her husband had his
shop. Several Of them accompanied
her. she having the good sense to warn
them to make a search with great
caution. They searched every floor,
at last coming to the one where the
shop was located. One Ia stationed
himself on the landing above, n be-
low. There were but two rooms on
a floor. and the men directed their
search to the rear room back Of the
shop. The door was locked, and there
was no appearance Of a light within.
At Mrs. Fairchild's request the police
man broke open the door. Directing
a bullseye lantern into the apartment.
a man was seen covering in a corner.
In a table drawer was found a num-
Der of photographs in different stages
of finish. on the table a camera. Near
the ceiling in the wall between the
room and the shop was a hole so care
fully made and stopped when not used
that it would never be observed unless
coupht for Holdinr the light TO the