The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-07-10
MODERN RIP
VAN Wrinkle
GETS LEGACY
Wealthy Owner Of Invention
Remembers the Wanderer
Who Aided Him.

/ SILVER CREEK, n. Y, July 10
The greatest of all miracles has oc-
Cured right in this village. Lew"
Keith is worth fortune. II is hard
for people to believe, but it's an ac-
tual fact. So far as he can recall,
Lew" never had more than five dol
lars at one time in his life. and now
he is worth $4,000. It's a rather re-
markabe story, proving once again
the fact has fiction backed clear off
the boards.
Lew" is the modern Rip van Win
kle. He is about IS years Of age. He
was born here, but moved away soon
after the war with his folk and passed
a few years in Missouri, returning
again to remain the rest Of his life.
A good many towns have characters
like LEV" He can Tecite Shakespeare
by the week. He is a philosopher with
uuaintness Of expression which
makes him highly entertaining. He
has always made his living tinker
ing" He can make a motOrboat a
violin, a camera, threshing machine
in fact, he can make anything or
mend anything that anyone ever
dreamed Of But he never tried to
make any money. He never wanted
any An occasional "bracer" on snap
by mornings, or other mornings If he
feels like it, a meal now and then and
a reasonably soft bench in the park
on summer night provided all the lux
uries of his life.
But listen to what has befallen him.
A few weeks ago John b. Webster,
village president, got letter from
Sedalia. Mo, asking If Lew Keith
were alive and if so to furnish proofs
of his identity.
Tell 'em I'm alive, all right" was
"Lew's" nonchalant comment.
Mr.. webster did Back came let
ter from the vice-president of trust
company in st. Louis. This is, in
substance, what it said:
In 1878 a man named Carter, living
in Sedalia, was at work on a machine
to separate zinc from ore. He was
unable to perfect his device. Lew"
Keith, a young man, happened in and
tinkered around till the machine was
complete. Lew" moved away. Mn.
Carter patented the machine and made
a fortune out Of it. Many times dur
ing his life he started to hunt up
Lew" Keith. but never followed out
the notion. When he died Mr.. Carter,
very wealthy man, provided in his
will that 100000 should be set aside
to provide an income for life for Lew"
Keith, in case he could be found
The receipt of this information
caused some comment and surprise
in Silver Creek. 1t didn't bother Lew"
much. one day he was observed wend-
ing a somewhat unsteady course from
one hotel to another and he was asked
wherefore.
Nothing, only I've been somewhat
staggered by the news" he said,
It's all true. Lew says he was in
Sedalia in 1878. He says he worked
for Mr.. Carter and helped him with
the machine.
1T wasn't anything to worry over
though" he says. "All Carter needed
was a suggestion or two and l had
the suggestions-that's all there was
to it."
A few days ago a check came from
the st. Louis trust company and witt
it letter that Lew Journey to Sedalis
to establish himself permanently II
his new income. Lew has gone. WORD
has come back that Everything Is
all right"
The trust fund provides an income
at the rate of six per cent or $500
a year. This is roughly S6S week
Considering that Lew" has never
earned more than ten or ifteen-al,
though he might easily have earned
many times that il he had applied his