Show I L NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY I ITHE THE TOWN THAT LISTEN By J E Edwards ThIs dall daily serIes o ot of anecdotes and Incidents I that throw threw now Interesting and ena havo have frequently dramatic light on tam ram ous events and personalities of ot tho past been collected by b Edwards during durIn J nearly nearby nearl forty tort years oars of ot moro more or 01 lots less IntI mato mate acquaintance with many man of ot tho the leaders lenders since tho Civil War Wor Each anecdote or Incident 1 is II fresh from Mr II E notebook and either In who whole or i In P part T it Il constitutes New News of ot Yesterday garnered from tram tho the men who made the th news the history or front from en e authoritative sources As Im portent contributions of ot the Human Int mt crest sort to American history these articles have hove a distinctive value all tho the Ir 11 own When hen General Grant was inns president ho he made a a trip to New England England In 1871 and was Wag received a at as a guest at al the time house of ot United States Senator Wil Willam i lIam lam A Buckingham who lived In Norwich Conn and who in tho the war WUl I days ays had gained national distinction n as ns one ono of ot the tho great war governors of oJ ho tho north DurIng the course courso of ot his stay with ho tho senator senat r the president displayed much Interest In the manufacturing du of New England and this finally led lcd his host to tell what I be hove lieve to bo be the hitherto unpublished tory story stor of ot how boa the tho town of ot Norwich I missed tho the opportunity of or becoming what Fall RI r Is today ono no of the I great Industrial centers of the time world and all because It listen In the tho th early part of oC tho the adminis administration of or Thomas Jefferson as pI el dent ent said tho the senator there came to the United States from Crom Scotland a man who know all about the tho use usa of ot tIle the machinery then thou newly Invented for rr forthe forthe I the spinning of ot flax and hemp Ho said mId he was untie looking for Co I foi or his Ills proposed manufactories miL ami was vas recommended mended to visit eastern Con Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut Perhaps ho was specifically direct directed ed to visit tho the little city or Norwich which then tilen carried on quite a trado trade with the West Indies but tuned nothing except paper At any rate nato ho Ito landed In Norwich one day looked over tho the waterpower to Us lie satisfaction and amid persuaded the tile people pc plo to believe that It If they the would establish for tor the spinning of ot hemp and amid a flax 11 ax their town tonit would become a n great gr nt manufacturing center The Tho government nt at Washington was wag w communicated w th and md encouraged the undertaking stat stating statIng ing ng that the tue war and navy departments would be glad to buy largo large amounts I of ot American products of ot this kind While these negotiations between he tho Norwich people and tho the Scotchman were still pending a ii L very I alert ilert mannered young oun man appeared In n tho the town and told some somo of ot tho citizens whom unborn he met that they thoy had within their towns boundaries abundant abundant ant an for tho the manufacture A J J of ot cotton goods Ho He spoke with great earnestness saying that now noun that cot cotton cotton cotton ton was to be bo raised plentifully and cheaply In the south New England with Its groat water power ought to tobo too tobe bo be o the tho Ideal doal place for fol manufacturing the tho raw cotton Into cloth This young oung man luau who ho introduced himself as aim Samuel Slater had bind no rec recommendation that ho could show other than lain his bile own Intelligence and sincerity Probably Pr ba ly partly because of or this fact and partly partiS because tho tIle Scotchman had time the town so enthusiastic over oer the pros prospect prospect poet of ot spinning hemp and ilax no one ono In It would listen seriously to tho the young oung mans maims proposition to use water waterpower waterpower waterpower power to manufacture cotton So dis discouraged discouraged Mr Slater Sister went away going further east cast and finding near Prowl Provi Providence dence R 1 I equally equably good water wilter power POWel finally finall persuaded men of ot Influence In that community to Join John with him In erecting what was the tho first filst mill In Inthe Inthe the time United States to manufacture cot cotton cotton Iton ton goods by machinery and amid water waterpower waterpower power Well ell tho hemp homp and flax finC manufactorIes manufactories manufactories tories of Norwich were failures Cot Cotton Cotton Cotton ton spinning became the tho great New Now England Industry Great cities were established at It Providence and amid Fall I River Mr Slater became beca one one of r tile the richest of or Americans of or his day da and amid It Is his grandson andson John F Slator who Is now tho tile wealthiest man mami perhaps In iii the state of ot Connecticut As for Norwich It would take several towns Its Us size to make a n Fall River population population tion ion and many more mOIe to make a Fall River of manufacturing Importance and wealth It was tho the grandson of ot Samuel Slator mentioned by Senator Buckingham who w o by b will bequeathed one million dollars as ItS a n fund for tho tito education of at Illiterate negroes In tho the south tho famous Slater educational fund tumid |