| Show POOR INVENTORS AMASS WEALTH F Town Scoffed at Talking Machine Makers rakel's Once Now BowsBY Bows BY H E Special Correspondent of Tin Th Standard Exam Copyright 1926 By The Consoli Consoli- Consolida Consolidated Consolidated da dated ted Press Association MOUNT HOLLY N J S Dec The IS-The The story back of ot the pro pro- projected pro projected sale of ot the Victor Talking Machine company for tor Is of o particular Interest to Moun t HolI for It is one of ot those small towns which refuse to honor their own prophets until success num num- numbers num- num numbers bers hers them among the millionaires and the famous Within the tho next week public offering is expected of ot stock tn Inthe the Victor company by the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York banking syndicate of ot J Jand and W V Seligman and company and Speyer Speer and company which holds bolds an option on a majority of the tho stock and has offered per share to other stockholders who may wish to turn In their ONCE StD SAD EXPERIENCE Back In the nineties Mount Holly had a somewhat sad experience capon capon- experience ence with Inventors that turned It a bit sour Two shrewd Ver Vermont Ver- Ver Vermont mont Yankees Clarence and Mer- Mer Merriam Mer Hotchkiss blossomed acro across s the horizon with a scheme for solving all world problems brough through construction ot of ota ofa ofa a monorail bicycle railroad They built a five or six-mile six stretch ot of It and Mount Holly largely fur furnished fur fur- the wherewithal The thing was an Interesting novelty but a winters winter's frost warped the track and rains s spoiled the riding ap- ap ap apparatus The Tle brilliant exploit co col- col collapsed col collapsed 1 lapsed and Mount Holly was out about At about this time two machine shop toilers honest and respect respect- respectable respectable respectable able citizens of o Mount 1 Holly Holly we to putting in their spare time tinker tinker- tinkerIng tinkering ing with a box boa which then mal niale only squeaks but which they were certain would astonish the world with the clarity and beauty or of orthe the tho tones It would eventually put forth The two men were Johnson a n farmers farmer's son living on the outskirts of Mount 1 Holly and Albert W Atkinson a resident of the town In the dimness of ot Cl a kitchen they secretly tolled toiled by night perfecting the squeaking contraption as Mount 1 Holly termed It and by day carried theIr tin dinner palls pails to the machine shop where they got their 20 pay envelopes en each Saturday For a year r el they kept at It their foundry associates sneering at them an ant the community c scoffing at the tho of success But nut grada the tho squeaking box became something real and then the usual quest of oC Impecunious and hopeful Inventors WAS WM LON N OAS Into the home of the writer came Mr Jr Atkinson ono one night to request the loan of 1000 as part of the pool of ho 10 and Mr lIr Johnson decided they would need to get right II If 1011 1 of 01 th m rITs of or tin tin tin- talking machine and as ns il tl I stock In the then unincorporated com company pan And as he waxed en- en enthusiastic en enthusiastic a frOtH frowsy mutt of ot a II fox tox terrier which always him about toWn ton snapped and snarled at those he seemed sure were vere paying scant attention to bt tobt masters master's voice olce A talking biking machine eh was the uplifted brow retort to Mr Ir Atkinsons Atkinson's appeal and he ma may have heard beard the tho ha ha as ha lie h hu u h hu u went nis hiS way to still other hard hard- hard boiled friends Everywhere ere In the thO little town there was wt a 0 figurative tapping approach of ot the brow at his ap- ap ap But Dut elsewhere the story was different In Camden N J was found F Vallis Armstrong an advertising solicitor on a news news- newspaper newspaper paper who was beginning to nt- nt at tract attract HK the attention of ot Cyrus H K ic Curtis by the daring of ot his efforts In carrying pay-dirt pay to the Curtis publications Mr Arm Arm- Armstrong Armstrong Armstrong strong had a little mone money lie He chipped In without batting an eye and got more moro front from others and In ina Ina a 1 few months a frame shack went up on the Delaware where n now w towers Lowers the massive o Victor Talking Machine company buildings s in III competition with tho the William Penn statue on the tho city ball hall across the tho river MILLIONS NOW XO And so the old old story reaches the final chapter Mr Ir Johnson enfeebled 29 in health is to get 29 23 of ot the tho prospective pur- pur purchase purchase pur purchase chase price and Mr lr Atkinson son who carried carried the financial tight light through the 10 early years may receive 10 0 The frowsy mutt has long since had lad his tion In trade a mark worth a million anyhow and Mount Holi waves Its hands and tip it its hats In obeisance toward the two men It had once scoffed at at as they roll 1011 down Its Ils main street In their limousines |
