Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-01-08

Tyler Home, invented the spring bed.
Elias Howe lame, lazy and shiftless. For
years after he married his wife supported him and
their children by sewing. His wfes patient in
dustry 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 garrett 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 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 been sent to England to intro
duce the sewing machine and thought he was
doing wonderful piece of business when he sold
the English rights for $3.50. 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 bv tax.
ing the poor debtors oath. Through the charity
of captain he and his family were brought
back to America.
Two weeks after his return his wife died owing
TO the pr1vatlon to which she had been subjected.
Destitute and fororn Howe drifted about from
. place to place. His father took pity on him and
reconVeyed the half interest in the patent to
EllaS. 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
iectea $I5U00 ID 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
business bp jod in,
the age of forty-eight he left $4,000 600
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. He was a
New Englander who went south, and on the plan.
tation of Gen. Nathaniel Green of Revolutionary
lame 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 niurv
to the fiber it cuts the lint from the seed and nes
1t into the frame in which later it is baIed
FROM MS invention, which may be cIassed as
one OF the ten most important in history Whitney
never got dollar of profit. Immediately upon
the Introduction of the gin dozens of persons
pirated the invention. Whitney tried TO protact
his legal rights and soon became involved in a
lot Of lawsuits. Some of them he won without
much trouble, some of the more important we're
carried from court to court and were dragged on
Unfortunately.
Inc affa1F became of the scandals of the
time. Mr.. Whitney, disguised with the protracte6
and expensive litigation, nearly at the end of his
financial resources and desparing OF ever getting
Justice IN the courts determined to let the world
nave the Deneht of his invention without profit to
himself The state of Georgia in recognition OF
What it had benefited through the gin voted $50 .
ONO to MN. mat did not cover the legal costs
the lawyers fees and the time he had given tn
the creation OF the gin but with this money he
embarked in business in New England in the man
fracture OF hrearms, and made enough money to
live in comparative ease