Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1914-01-09

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 wifes 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 garnet. Eleven days after the granting
Of the patent he assigned the other half interest
over to his father nominally for 81 0OO 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 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 S1,250 There was one
saving clause in that bill of sale It 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
Sl6 week at manufacturing his own machines
he was so incompetent 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
Oh 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 10 place. HIS father took pity on him and
reconveyed the half interest in the patent 70
Elias. Then Howe took advantage of the fact
that various persons were infringing on his nat
ent and sued them For four wears the suits
dragged along. Howe won most of them and col
iected $4,000 in one instance With this money
ne repurchased the half interest he had sold to
the owner of the garnet for $500
Ihat was one of the few sensible things he ever
ulu IN business way When he died in 1867 at
the age of forty-eght he left S2OOOOOo
Ell whitney invented the cotton GIN He was
ne" hngiander who went south and on the plan
tatlon OF Gen. Nathaniel Green of Revolutionary
iame saw the slaves separating the lint from the
cotton seed by hand. Few things that cana
from the brain OF many have worked ! greater
revolution than the cotton gin. Without injury
10 the hber 1t cuts the lint from the seed and niles
II INTO the frame in which later it is baled
from his invention, which may be classed as
one OF the ten most important in history, Whitney
never got dollar of profit. immediately unon
the introduction of the gin dozens of narsops
pirated the invention. Whitney tried to protect
mis- legal rights and soon became involved in
lot of lawsuits Some of them he won without
much trouble, some of the more important vera
carried from court to court and were dragged ON
interminably.
The affair became one of the scandals os tbo
ume Mr.. Whitney, disguised with the nrotroctea
ana expensive litigation, nearly at the end of his
financial resources and despairing of ever yetting
Justice In the courts determined tn let tbe ro~IS
nave the benefit of his invention without nroat N
himself The state of Georgia In recooniti -
what 1t had benefited through the gin voted $50
OOO to him That cid not cover the legal cost,
the lawyers fees and the time he had given ~
the creation of the gin but with this noonev he
embarked in business in New England in the man.
nf9eture OF firearms and made enough money !.
live in comparative ease.