The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-04

.OUe for Chaplin
Makes Rich Man
OF Trunk Dealer


hibited Charlie Chaplin comedy
on a week In the middle OF March
q year ago, +. G.. Bowen, a trunk
dealer of Kansas City might be
poor man today. Mr.. Bowen likes
Charlie Chaplin pictures, be IL
known, and never oVerlooks a
chance to see one.
Accordingly, when Mrs. Bowen
and their 15-year-old daughter Doris
and 7-year-old son Winston ap-
peared at the store on East Ninth
street Just as closing time one
March night year ago and an
nounced the father OF the family
was going to take them to dinner
and then to a picture show, he was
inclined to investigate the matter.
where have you decided we're
golng?" he asked mildly.
ITO the Doric," from the three
promptly.
whats at the Doric?"
Eyes Of the Heart"
''No Chaplin comedy?"
mo Chaplin comedy. but Eyes OF
the Heart ought to be awfully
good"
mot for me-" decided Mr.. Bowen
promptly. "Ill take you all to din
ner all right and put you into the
show, and call for you after It, but
I'll fool around here In tho office
while you're seeing the picture"
And so II happened. Mr.. Bowen
had made up his mind he was not
going to see Eyes OF the Heart"
and he didn't see 1t.
Arriving at his store after escort
Ing his family to the picture show,
he reached for his key to unlock the
door. He found the right one in
the keyholder but noticed that. in
working 1t in the lock he had to
turn the whole holder around, a
clumsy move with bare hands.
doubly so when a person was wear
ing gloves.
There ought to be some way of
improving on you" he said contem-
platively to the holder as he dropped
into a chair in front of his desk and
regarded 1t. Now, let's Sec"
and he started twisting the keys this
way and that.
Two hours Mr.. Bowen worked and
before that span was half way COM
pleted he had evolved new type OF
keyholder, one by which the indi-
vidual keys were attached by hooks
to ball bearings inside OF a tube and
which. IL the hasty diagram he had
all right. would enable a person to
turn a key around and around ami
around, as many times as he wished
to, without moving tho other keys
or the holder an inch.
by George" he exclaimed. gianc-
ing hurriedly at his watch. "Tho
people must be waiting for me over
at the Doric by now. I'm sorry IL
I've kept them there overtime a few
minutes, but maybe they'll find
they're the most profitable minutes
they ever wasted In their lives"
The next day Mr.. Bowen made an
actual metal model OF his keyholder
and took 1t to Charles w, Girard. a
patent attorney
Il want this patented because
think it,s pretty good,' the trunk
man said.
The patent proceedings took time.
Mr.. Bowen found a change or two
TO make in his model; one thing
postponed matters and then another,
and the patent wasn't granted finally
until January 81. 1922. The whole
thing. patent, attorneys fees and
everything, cost him only s95, how
ever, and who wouldn't take a
chance at a bunch of money for
1852" he asked his wife.
A few weeks after he received
notification that his patent was
granted, Mr.. Bowen sent copy OF
his patent and a sample keyholder
to Warner II. Buxton, president OF
the Buxton Key Case company,
Springfield, Mass, n leading dealer
in key cases in the country. The
letter to Buxton was mailed on
Wednesday and Saturday came this
| answer by wire:
116KXMV 1205P 81 lex
| Springfield, Mass. Feb. 25, 1922
| Mr.. Frank G.. Bowen
10S East Street
Kansas City. Mo.
| We are interested in your key
| case structure and will have our
| representative comma who will
| be In Chicago next week comma
go to Kansas City authorized to
deal with you
Buxton
Incorporated
The following Friday r. G. Neal
a patent attorney OF Springfield
Mass, presented himself at the
Bowen store.
II represent Mr.. Warner r. Bux.
ton" he said. i've come to dea|
with you on this keyholder propo'
sition."
Mr.. Bowen and Mr.. Neal talked
the matter over. Mr.. Neal inti-
mated he would pay Mr.. Bower
100000 outright for the keyholder
answered. Wen do business on q
royalty basis or not at ALL"
Accordingly, after some negotia
tion, 1t was agreed that the Buxtor
company would pay Mr.. Bowen g
penny apiece on the first millior
Bowen keyholders they sold eacf
year, three-fourths OF a cent apiece
on the second million. and half
cent on every key holder sold there
after. They would guarantee TO sci
million Bowen holders each year
thus guaranteeing Mr.. Bowen an an
nual income OF at least SIC. 1000. Th'
contract was to run for the life o
the patent. which is IT years. Thu
Mr., Bowen was guaranteed $4,000
for his two hours work the night III
did not want 10 see Eyes OF tht
Heart" at the Dorlc.
The contract drawn up betweei
Mr.. Neal. representing tire Buxtol
firm, and Mr.. Bowen y as sent L
Mr.. Buxton for a final o. X. a
I a