PAPERS ON EDISON ARE OBTAINED

Complete records of the case in which Thomas A. Edison was sued for half his fortune by an early business associate have just been received by the Business Historical Society. They were compiled and thoroughly annotated by R. W. Hale '92, son of the lawyer who defended Edison against his former benefactor and the latter's colorful attorney. Benjamin F. Butler.

Photostatic copies of the original papers reveal that Edison, as a struggling young inventor, signed over half rights in all his future inventions in return for $40 each. Years later the holder of this contract entered suit against Edison for $30.000. After a short time the plaintiff retained Benjamin F. Butler, Civil War general and one-time presidential candidate, who made a dramatic entrance into the case by immediately raising the amount of the suit to $230,000. The case was finally settled out of court at the figure of $10,000.