The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-01-10

Tyler Home, invented the spring bed.
Elias Howe was lame, lazy and shiftless. For
years after he married his wife supported him and
their children by sewing. His wife's patient in
dustry no doubt led him to think of ways to light
en- her toll and the sewing machine was the re-
suit. When he took out his patent he sold a half
interest in it for $500 to the man from whom he
rented a garnet. Eleven days after the granting
of the patent he assigned the other half interest
over to his father, nominally for $1,000, but
really to satisfy claims for small sums the father
had given to him.
To support his family he became a locomotive
engineer. He was not much of a success as an
engineer and lost his job. That was fortunate,
although he did not think so at the time.
His brother had Deen sent to England to intro
duce the sewing machine and thought he was
doing a wonderful piece of business when he sold
the English rights for S1,250. There was one
saving clause in that bill of sale. 1t provided
that the inventor should get SIS for every ma.
chine sold.
Elias Howe with his wife and three children
followed his brother to England. He got work at
$15 a week at manufacturing his own machines.
He was SO incompetent as a worker that he was
discharged. For two years he was poverty
stricken and only escaped Jail in England by TAX.
ing the poor debtors oath. Through the charity
of a sea captain he and his family were brought
back to America.
Two weeks after his return his wife died owing
TO the privation to which she had been subjected.
destitute and forlorn Howe drifted about from
place to place. His father took pity on him and
reconveyed the half interest in the patent to
Elias Then Howe took advantage of the fact
that various persons were infringing on his pat.
ent and sued them. For four years the suits
dragged along. Howe won most of them and col
lected $4,000 in one instance. With this money
he repurchased the half interest he had sold to
the owner of the garnet for $500.
That was one of the few sensible things he ever
did In a business way. When he died in 1867 at
the age OF fortyeight he left 50, 900.
Ell whitney invented the cotton gin. He was a
New Englander who went south, and on the plan.
tation of Gen. Nathaniel Green of Revolutionary
tame saw the slaves separating the lint from the
cotton seed by hand. Few things that came
from the brain Of many have worked a greater
revolution than the cotton gin. Without injury
10 the hber 1t cuts the lint from the seed and piles
1t into the frame in which later It is baled.
From his invention, whichamay be classed as
one of the ten most important in history, Whitney
never got a dollar of profit. Immediately upon
the Introduction of the gin dozens of persons
pirated the invention. Whitney tried to protect
MS legal rights and soon became involved in 8
lot OF lawsuits. Some of them he won without
much trouble, some of the more important were
carried from court to court and were dragged OF
interminably..
The AFFAIR became one Of, the scandals of the
time. Mr.. Whitney, disguised with the protractec
and expensive litigation, nearly at the end of hi,
financial resources and despairing of ever gettIns
justice In the courts, determined to let the world
nave the beneht of his invention without profit tC
himself, The state of Georgia in recognition o.
what lt had benefited through the gin voted $50,
600 to him. That did not cover the legal costs
the lawyers fees and the time he had given te
the creation of the gin, but with this money be
embarked in business in New England in the man
fracture OF firearms, and made enough money Il
live In, comparative ease.