Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-08-27
h e d lily
@1T
Snort Story
PURCHASED III THE GOVERN.
MEST.

MEST.
Abel Hawkins was an inventor He
made several very valuable .{nva-
items but not having the cautal +
put them on the market. lie wa
obliged To oouhde his secret 10 ear-
italists- As soon as the capitalists 81
the secret they found a pre5eEt h
use the invention without paving
royalty 20 the inventor FINALLY Havs
kius determined that If be made
smother invention be would keen his
secret uutil he had secured 7sf
contract for the manufacture If fha
article in question
The next thing he invented vas
powerful explosive. He offered II -
the United States government ana vas
referred TO several ordnance officers
who would witness q Demonstration
( Hawkins made some of the explosive
fred il from cannon ana sent
hundred pound shot farther #aar era
had ever been sent before So pleased
were the officers with TIE Test maj
they recommended the purchase of tsse
inventors secret at once
At that time, July i 1914 the aor
eminent was troubled Go 18a uer}-
FOR The few soldiers If had They ueFa
called upon to de civil work III emer-
taS-AlAe3tI1 az kt E"A-sh@t.4 hHHLEI
soldier the nations handy nam mean
ing. for instance that If flood
came and destroyed town she sal-
der could put up tents ard Otherwise
provide for the sufferers As I'd dgbr-
ing. be was not expected 10 hurt ana
one. his duty was only 70 sureaF The
consequence was that Abel Hawkins
invention was pigeoBholad id the war
department. there being no use for Ii
Hawkins died suddenly on TaIv 39
1914, the day the European wa broke
out. Had he been alive 10 iufrusf his
secret TO any one il would have sud
denly become very valuable. lie had
written his secret in cipher. but had
left no key to the cipher.
IFe left q widow and daughter.
Ethel II years old. Ethel explored
a tin box in whtch4er father had kept
what few valuable papers be pos
sesseG and there found the cipher. il
was string Of words without any
meaning. Ethel saw at glance that
she would not be able to translate IT,
There was q chance That chemist
might do so, for there were IL II
large number of chemical terms. But
Ethel did not dare show It % q chem
ist for fear he would steal the secret
She had her fathers want of conf
deuce i'm his fellow beings
Besides, she saw no probability Of
selling the invention to any bur a for
eign government and she had no
means TO go abroad and reach any Of
the powers at war. Therefore she put
the cipher back iu the Tin box and
took II out only once ia the next two
years to- show to oliver Staaaman. q
yoH1g man 10 whom she was en-
gagged
Meanwhile Germany began So sink
ships ana Uncle sam began to grow
Wrathv. oliver 5teadman advocated
trying To do something with tine IT,
veution. but since the United States
WAS not at war lac received no ems
eouragCment even IF the cipher could
be interpreted. 1t seemed hard that
$50 valuable g process should not De
utilized bur there was no help for it.
Then came the breaking of rala-
Sons with Germany. followed hy
deC.arat ON Of var ON the part Of the
United States.
One day a message came 70 her
mother in aH envelope bearing Che
stamp of the postafee Of HauEkolg.
China 1T was from the postmaster 5f
that city. who wrote that there w5s
letter jn his office held Tor postage
r1-srg -rra r.rser. had Esa. r-5-faa ~
81. t--.....-.,. -..7.4.s..-.t =. z--. stsf
Hawkins New York city. Fia Toxic
--.i-,.-7+-. = ..I-l -...--.l.5 ...-s -. -s.
g.g.-... g-s-.r. -. ,..g.,r.r sl.as.s-r tFa
f-.--.
49,. $50 -.-.-..-... -.-....-.--.s --,rt .
see why any such letter should have
T5-....-.- r.. ..--g-s- ss-f#97
r. .---. .--.4f b 1850 = -egE
-l.--.-.- -. -- =. g..
-.- IT, ... ----..-.--.-...... - Eli.
r--s.I5 go ..-..z-.z -..# -
~. -rl.t+[..z .-..5- 5r4
--.-. 5.-1..-.. rl- 4--r.....= mat
..-.-,,- 100 .r,-T5 r.,-.E-- ...- s-e
.,,'....-gs T., +s-s-7 s.s--.s- z-#5z -as
eF-. ---~ 5@----s-le-,. 49,, .-r.a
H.. 49, -.[-.4- ~ s5=.5 zrgr--
.-- F--
NH .1,s +-- T.. s.-e...@-srr
r,-..,-.., ~+ 4e--e farg