Shelby - Invention
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 31 August 1900
Evan Shelby, late of this county, has invented a pocket telephone which can be used at any pole fitted for its use, and the Lafayette papers give extended accounts of it. It is designed for the use of police, linemen and others. The Lafayette Call says:
“The city officials of Crawfordsville are anxious to have the system instituted in the Hoosier Athens, and other cities will fall in line as soon as the devise is put into operation. The uses of the pocket phone are not confined to police circles, however, and it promises to become popular in many different lines of business. Mr. Shelby has applied for a patent, and it would appear that he will be well repaid for his efforts. The little device used in the test was made by the Sterling Electric Company, under the direction of Mr. Shelby.
(*Evan Shelby was the son of James and Harriet Clark Shelby. James was the son of Isaac and Jane Cox Boggs Shelby. Isaac was the son of David and Mary Williams Shelby)