ideals of righteousness
and justice, that he offered no protests, or arguments against his
rivals and opponents other than the superiority of his own machine. Only
his great genius which produced the superior machine (a fact which no
one could possibly contradict) could have saved him from the fierce
opposition of his more powerful rivals. One has only to read from some
of his own letters reproduced in this narrative, to witness the fairness
of his attitude, or to gain a knowledge of his scruples.

Yet it was just this which has operated to deprive Obed Hussey of his
well deserved fame as inventor of the reaper. Moreover, a great industry,
fostered by his opponents in the patent controversy, has grown up, the
basis and life of which is Obed Hussey's invention of the reaper. It
would seem that the vast fortunes made from this industry should be ample
reward for those who are receiving the benefits of a man's life work
without whose genius it would never have been.

In 1897 there was published in Chicago a booklet entitled "A Brief
Narrative of the Invention of Reaping Machines," a large part of which is
reproduced in this book. The pamphlets of which the narrative was a
republication were from the pen of Edward Stabler, an able man and a
mechanic of great skill and ability, a close friend of Mr. Hussey and one
familiar with his reaper and with all the facts which he set forth in
these articles. Such other facts and information as are published herein
were furnished by Martha Hussey, daughter of Mr. Hussey, now living and
by my uncle, Hon. Alexander B. Lamberton, who married Mr. Hussey's widow.
Mr. Lamberton is a man of high standing, having for many years taken an
active part in the affairs of Rochester. He was President of the
Rochester Chamber of Commerce, 1901-1904 (three successive terms), and
has been President of the Rochester Park Board for the past eleven years.
He also won national fame as a hunter and naturalist and was President of
the National Association for the Protection of Fish and Game. His
relation to the Hussey family has made him conversant with the whole
history of the invention of the reaper and of Mr. Hussey's early
struggles.

The facts as set forth in this volume are well known to the reaper men of
the United States, men high up in the industry. Had Mr. Hussey lived, he
would have been able to establish his claim to the invention of the
reaper beyond the shadow of a doubt. This humble man, who