The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-04
PORTLAND, Apr. 2, 1872

To the Editor of the Press:
The story of Parton, which you pub
lish in this mornings edition of your pa
per, have seen, for the first time, there.
1t is all a fiction, and when the History of
the Telegraph shall be written, the world
will reverse its whole judgment ON the sub
ject of its invention, and the merits of the
parties engaged in it. In suit now pending
in New X, between myself, and Mr.. Coz
nell, to wiz I your article refers, the fol-
lowing is an extract from the printed argu-
ment of the plaintiff in the case, which will
cast some light upon this topic of Mr.. Par
toms fanciful narrative, viz
''The defendants counsel was pleased to
allu6e to some historical surroundings of this
case, which are not in proof, to make show
of justification Of the legal, but not morally
justifable plea of the statute of Limitations,
put in to avoid his obligations for the pay
ment of property which he derived from the
plaintiff, and out of which has grown ALL
THAT VAST FUND OF WEALTH, from which
he has drawn so largely, and entirely, to
build up to himself an enduring name, as a
benefactor of his race, in founding one of the
noblest local Institutions of which our coun-
try can boast, for the practical education of
its fellow citizens: Called the CORNELL UNI
vERsITY OF NEW YORK.
''The historical derivation of this large
wealth, used so signally in contrast with the
dishonest principle now resorted to for the
purpose ofwith-holding a just proportion of
it from the man who alone gave him and sus-
tanned him in the opportunity of acquiring it,
will not be doubted, in view of the other his
torical fact, not mentioned by his counsel,
that less than three years precious to the date
of the contracts here put in suit against him,
the defendant was taken from the wan
dering life of peddler of Patent
Ploughs,'' into the employment of
this plaintiff, as manager of the plain
tiff's men and mules, at the low wages
of an ordinary superintendent, and in embed
ding in the earth the first Intellectual essay OF
Prof Morse to erect a line of Magnetic Tele-
graph between the cities of Washington and
Baltimore. 1t is well known at this day,
that the conceptions of Prof Morse for ac-
complishing that structure proved, in all its
parts, an utter failure. And it was not
known to this plaintiff for many years there
after, that to cover up for the time being the
exact character and blunders of that failure
Prof Morse privately arranged with Cornell
to stealthily disable the plaintiffs machine
with which the wires were being laid, so as
to break up for the time the further progress
of the plaintiffs work, and to keep the rea
cause from the knowledge of the plaintiff and
of all other persons except Prof Morse and
the conspiratOr manager, Cornell. Strange
as 1t may seem, and peculiar as character
istic of Mr.. Cornell, this act of treachery by
him to his employer, at the request of Prof.
Morse, was few years since made the basis
of a claim for smartness ON the part of Cor
nell, and so published to the world in at least
two different biographical sketches of himself
one published in Wells & Fowler's 'Phren
illogical Journal, as also in other publ,
journals; and had not the secret of thi.
treachery been so well kept by Prof. Morse
and Cornell, this plaintiff would not have
been drawn into the personal relations OF
confidence with Mr.. Cornell which the con-
tracts now here in suit indicate; nor would
the plaintiff have been subjected to this un'
pleasant task OF resisting CornelPs escape
from the obligations of those contracts, under
cover of his dishonorable plea of the statute ot
limitations. After the suspension OF the
work by reason of the treacheEons conduct o
Morse and Cornell, as stated, the plaintiff S
mules were necessarily removed to Washing
ton for the ensuing winter, and Cornell was
employed as the plaintiffs hostler in charge
of them, until the following spring, when the
underground wires were abandoned as i'm
practicable, and the wires were suspended in
lie All oh PooIs, ltpoIi the pldIl duOpted seven
years before, by Prof Steinhill, in Germany
for recording telegraph which he then HAD
in use. To all fair minded men, this plea o
not having promised to pay his liabilities un
der these contracts within six years of tht
commencement Of plaintiffs suit, can imply
nothing less than that the debt was once hon.
estty due, and has neoer been paid The eff
feet of it, however, if not disproVed by plain
tiff, is to utterly bar the defendants liability
to pay it."
MEssRs. EDIroRs,-I need add nothing tC
correct the knowledge of your readers on the
subject, to the above extract.
Most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
+. o. j. SMITH.