Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1909 — Niccum Retains Perpetual Hobby. [ARTICLE]

Niccum Retains Perpetual Hobby.

J. S., Nickum, who for a number of years was located at Logansport, and was the inventor of the alleged “perpetual light’’ which not only attracted attention but dollars cf many in this section of the state a few yea.s ago, is said to have located at Montpelier, where, until about eight montn he received liberal support Lr the perfection of his “perpetual motion” machine. It will be remembered that wuiie located at Loganspcrt, Nickum was declared a fraud by the postal authorities and after it became known that he had deposited several thousand dollars in the bank at that place his mail was stopped. Nickum’s late “invention” at Montpelier is said to have been worked at behind closed doors in a similar manner to which the Logansport projeet was carried on. In a recent issue of the Hartford City Ttoee-Cstzette tie would-be Inventor is given credit with having secured the financial assistance of residents of that place to the extent of probably $2,000, which, s nee his disappearance from there several months hence and the Exposure of the seemingly fradulent invention, mortgaged homes will probably be sold and several prominent citizens among which are the heaviest Investors ranging from SSOO to SI,OOO each, may lose all. When Nickum left Logansport several years ago, It seemed that he bad mysteriously disappeared and not until his location at Montpelier had he been heard from. While prior to that time almost every' issue of tile leading publications in this /section contalnde lengthy articles concerning Nickum and his wonderful “perpetual light. ” J. S. Nickum, it is said, made his first appearance in Montpelier between three and four years ago, where at a boarding house he was given a room to himself in which he worked night and day on his "perpetual motion” machine for months. Later his shop was moved to a small fiame building in Montpelier and here, at the dead of night he took his machine and afterwards worked at it in secret —or so he told his stockholders. He had a small gas engine and some other machinery and people passing the place, which he had carefully boarded up, could her his engine running and the machinery in operation. The secret of perpetual motion was near, Nickum said, and he was believed. Seven or eight months ago he announced that there was just one more point to be worked out and then he machine would be completed and be the mechanical marvel of the world. * He bad a friend at Seymour, Ind.,. a mechanical genius like bimself, and the two could certainly be able to overcome this one slight point and then the money would come streaming in and not dribbling out. Three months bad elapsed since Nickum has been heard from by any of the Montpelier stockholders, when he wrote that he bad been very sick but was getting stronger and would soon be able to go to work again and complete his invention. He told them not to lose heart for Buccess was in sight. As far as can be learned none of the Montpelier stockholders saw the machine, in the Buccesß of which they had invested the'.r money. They had only Nickum’s word for it that there was such a machine at all. There was always some excuse for net exhibiting the Invention that served to satisfy them and they were assured that when completed they should be the first to see the wonder that should overturn all present powers and make of steam and water a mockery and even electricity should be a back number, exdtept for light? Nickum motors running forever with no fuel, no external power, should turn the world.