220 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[April, 



^abject of movable comb hives — as I desired notliing 

 which could not be granted to me with the fullest 

 information within their reach. Mr. Page is no 

 longer living, but Mr. Smith is now a solicitor for 

 patents in Washington. My original specification 

 for the re-issue (which I was requested by the office 

 to abbreviate, but which is still on their files) very 

 clearly points out the essential difference between my 

 invention and those of Huber, Munn and Debeauvoys, 

 as will be seen from an extract from a communica- 

 tion published in the Prairie Farmer, in October, 

 1806. 



" Prior to the re-issue of Mr. Langstroth's patent 

 in 18G3, the opposition had relied on the idea that his 

 patent was anticipated by foreign inventions ; but at 

 the time of the re-issue, and on the hearing now, Mr. 

 / .afi c/stroth hinuelf furniahed and laid before the office 

 every work liaving any iiaring on the subject, both 

 foreiffn aiid native, nearly thirty in number, embracing 

 some very rare works — one being the only copy ex- 

 isting in this country. On the recent hearing, they 

 abandoned, wholly, the idea of its being anticipated 

 by any foreign invention, and relied on the effort to 

 prove a prior invention in this country — no less than 

 four of them swearing that they had invented or used 

 the same thing prior to Langstroth ! But these par- 

 ties had done what Job so fervently desired his ene- 

 mies to do — they had each of them " written a book !" 

 — and those books — if there had been no other testi- 

 mony — were sufficient to decide the case against 

 them. There probably has never been a case in the 

 office in which there was so much of fraud and per- 

 jury as was furnished on the part of the opposition 

 in this case ; and it is no wonder that both the Ex- 

 aminer and Commissioner came to the conclusion 

 that the testimony M'as " 7i,ot worth consideration." 



The application for the extension of my patent was 

 hotly contested. Most of the parties who fought it 

 have passed ofl' from the bee-stage, and I have never 

 regretted that I did not spread before the public, the 

 testimony now in the records of the Patent Office, 

 which would have consigned some of them to in- 

 famy ; and which might, if pressed home, have placed 

 others in the penitentiary. I can confidently appeal 

 to the bee-keeping public who have known my course, 

 to bear me out in'the assertion that I have never per- 

 sonally assailed any one, but have often, under cir- 

 cumstances of great provocation, refrained from 

 using very damaging facts against those who have 

 assailed me. 



The generous treatment which I received from the 

 two Bee-keepers' Convention*, at Indianapolis and 

 Cincinnati, have, I trust, put to rest forever all the 

 aspersions which have been heaped upon me by ig- 

 norant or designing men, as being the mere intro- 

 ducer of a foreign invention, which, with some unim- 

 portant modifications, I am charged with having 

 patented and attempted to palm upon an unsuspect- 

 ing public as my own. If ever these charges are 

 again made, by those who know the facts, they must 

 renounce all claims to truth, honor, or even common 

 decency. 



In the contest, which must soon come before the 

 courts of law, I hope that every legitimate weapon 

 which can be used to break down my patent, will be 

 brought forward ; and I ,now hereby invite all the 

 bee-keepers of the United States, and all anywhere 

 else, who may see this appeal, to send to H. A. King 

 & Co., 240 Broadway, New York, against whom 

 suit has been brought for infringing on my patent- 

 any information contained in books or printed pub- 

 lications, in any language, prior to the issue of my 

 patent, (October 5th, 185:i,) which seems to have any 

 adverse bearing on my case, and to bring forward any 

 knowledge which they may possess of any invention 

 mate in this country, but not described in print, by 



■which the claims of my patent may be either weak- 

 ened, limited, or invalidated. I stand upon what I 

 believe to be my rights. It I have none, but am un- 

 fortunate enough to be the honest original inventor, 

 who, to his surprise and sorrow, finds that he was not 

 the first inventor, the sc)oner I know this, the better ; 

 that I may at once cease from claiming what would 

 then belong to the public, and not to me. 



L. L. Langstroth. 

 Oxford, Ohio, March, 1S71. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Proposed Langstroth Memorial. 



Mr. Editor : — I desire through the columns 

 of our Bee Journal, to thank the bee-keepeis 

 who. at Cincinnati, proposed to raise a testi- 

 monial fund for my benefit. 



I must, however, most respectfully decline 

 receiving any money which may be contributed 

 for this purpose. From the report yoit published 

 of the proceedings of the Associdtion, it may be 

 inferred that I did what I properly could to pre- 

 vent that body from sanctioning the meastire 

 proposed. The reporter of those proceedings 

 hardly does justice, however, to the strong ex- 

 pressions which I used to induce an abandon- 

 ment of the testimonial project. The report 

 states that "Mr. Langstroth said he Jiated. to 

 have his private affairs occupy the time of the 

 Association," and the chairman, Rev. Mr. Van 

 Slyke, fearing that I miglit be misunderstood, 

 put the direct question to me : " You do not 

 intend to reflect on the Committee or the Asso- 

 ciation." As the time for adjournment had 

 nearly arrived, I ceased further opposition, but 

 now embrace the first favorable opportunity to 

 put myself right before the bee-keeping public. 



Perhaps I can in no better way express my 

 feelings on this subject than by quoting from an 

 article written by me for the July number of the 

 Journal for 1869, page 20, under the caption of 

 Justice,* as follows : " It is with increasing re- 

 luctance that I am compelled so often to obtrude 

 upon the public my claims, and the various ways 

 in which they have been ignored by many bee- 

 keepers ; but if your readers feel under any ob- 

 ligation to me for the invention of a hive which 

 has confessedly given a new impulse to bee-cul- 

 ture, I can easily show some of them a way in 

 which they can do me jitstice. Let them read 

 my article in this number in * reply to B. C. 

 Auchampaugh's questions about patent rights 

 and claims,' also the advertisement of L. L. 

 Langstroth & Son, showing what territory in the 

 extended patent is still controlled by them. If 

 they are using any style of hive clearly covered 

 by my claims, (see page 152 of the 8th number, 

 volume 4 of the Bee Journal,) no matter of 

 whom they may have purchased the patent, they 

 are using my property, for which they have paid 

 me no equivalent. Our advertisement will show 

 them how they can do us justice. 



"It is true that the larger part of the most 



* The title of the article quoted from was originally, "Jus- 

 tice, NOT Charity," but 1 changed it at the suggestion of a 

 friend, who thought that I might be regarded by some as 

 reflecting on Mr. Walter Hewson, whose friendly notice sug- 

 gested the remarks. 



