The mode which is the least laborious to accomplish this end, is by collecting what has been written and printed, which bears upon, and elucidates this subject.
It is now very generally known that Mr. Keely, while pursuing a line of experiment in vibrations, "accidentally" as Edison would say, made his discovery of an energy, the origin of which was unknown to himself; and six years passed, in experiment, before he was able to repeat its production at will. In the meantime he had exhausted his resources and willingly accepted the proposal of men, who, after witnessing the operation of the energy that he was able to show with this unknown force, offered to organize a company to furnish him with the means to construct an engine to use this force as the motive power, anticipating immediate success.
But discovery is one thing, invention quite another thing, and the years rolled on without Mr. Keely's being able to fulfil his promises. In 1882, which was about ten years after the company was formed, an action at law was brought against him for non-fulfilment of his contract. The Evening Bulletin of March 30th of that year thus explains, truthfully, the position.
A STATEMENT FROM ONE OF THE INVENTOR'S STOCKHOLDERS.
"To the Editor of the Evening Bulletin: In your issue of last Tuesday appears an article which deserves attention, and also calls for some explanation upon that very much misunderstood question of the Keely motor. From some cause not easy to learn, there seems to be a tendency to keep only one side of that subject before the public.
"Being one of the unfortunates of the Keely motor speculation, interest has led me to investigate not only the invention and the man who has everything to do with it, but also the management of the company, which is equally important to those who put their money into the enterprise as an investment. Permit me, therefore, to state a few of the facts which, if known, would very much change some of the popular views now held.
"There are perhaps a thousand stockholders in the Keely Motor Company. The mass of these, like myself, are not the prosecutors in this case against Mr. Keely. We do not believe that Mr. Keely can be forced to divulge any valuable secrets if he possesses them. We do not believe that a case in court is calculated to prolong the inventor's life, or render it more safe from the accidents to which he is exposed. We do not believe that these proceedings are likely to increase his good will towards the company. Some of us know that by purchasing Keely motor stock, we have not thereby put our money into the invention, nor has Mr. Keely had the benefit of it. We also know that some, if not all, of the parties to this prosecution, especially those who are most vehement in its favour under the pretence of protecting the common stockholders, are selfish to the last degree, while for themselves they have the least cause to complain. Their official records show an utter disregard of the interests of stockholders or the rights of the inventor: while the success of the invention is to them a secondary consideration. It is they, and not the inventor, who have drummed up the customers, and recommended and sold the stock. They, and not he, are answerable to the purchasers. If Mr. Keely is guilty of deception, they are to say the least equally so. Look at a few statements: