The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-02-28
The I..sse Sorry Of lie First Iele-
y?'IEI3l.

The bill met with neither sneers nor op-
position IN the Senate, bat the business OF
that House went on with discoTlagiug slow
ness. At twilight on the last evening OF
the session March 2 1G43J there were 1IJ
bills before it, As IL seemed possible for
ii to he reached in regular course before
the hour Of adjournment should aTIiVS' i tile
Professor, who had auXiously watched, INC
tafdy movements Of business ali daJ from
the gallery OF the Senate cL"hbef' went
with 4 sad heart TO his hptcl ana prepared
to leave for New York at an early Hou. the
next morning. While at breakfast, a ser
want informed him that a young lady de-
sired to see him in the parlor.
There he met Miss Annie Ellsworth, then
a young school giIl--the daughter Of Isis
intimate friend, Hon. Henry L, Ellsworth,
the first Commissioner Of Patents-who
said. as she extended her hand to him II
have come to congratulate you"
Upon what ?' inquired the Professor.
''Upon the passage Of your bill, she re
piled.
impossible! It's fate was scaled at dusk
last ryeuiu~.- You must be mistaken"
..Not at all, - she responded. 'F&ther
sent me to JoiI You Jhat your bill was passed.
lie remained until the session closed, and
yours was the last bill bat one acted upon,
and it was passed just five minutes before
The Adjournment and l am 50 glad TO be
the first one to tell you. Mother says, too,
that You must come home with me to break
fast
The invitation was readily accepted, and
the iov in the household was uUDOunGCG.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth had fully
believed in the project, and the former, IN
his confidence in il and IN his warm friend
chip for Prof Morse, had spent all the clos
ing hours Of the session III the Senate cham
her, doing what he could to help the bin
along. and giving it all the influence of his
igh personal and official position.
'IIasWng the hand Cf his young friend,
the Professor thanked her again and again
for bearing him such pleasant tidings, and
assured her tLat she should send over the
wires the first message, as Hcr reward.
The matter was talked over i'm the family,
and MIS-. Ellsworth suggested q message
" hich Prof. Morse referred to the daugh-
ter, for her approval; and this was the one
Y hiCh was subsequently sent
little more than q year after that time,
the line between Washington ard Baltimore
was Completed Prof. Horse was in the
former city, and Nr. Alfred Vail, his assis-
tlut, in the latter the first in the chamber
'f the supreme Court the last IN the Mount
Glare depot, when the circuit being perfect,
Prof. Morse sent to Miss Ellsworth for her
ge, and it came.
''WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT -
1t was sent in triplicate III the dot-and-
line language of the instrument to balti-
more, and was the FIRST message ccGr trans
snitted By u resor0tag Telegraph. 4 fac
simile Of that first message, with Professor
IOrse's Endorsement. is here given.
The story of this first message has been
often told with many eXaggerations. IthaS
roamed about Europe with various roman
tic material attached to it, originating
mainly in the French imagination, and has
started up anew from time to time in our
own country under fresh forms, but the
above story is simply and literally true. An
inventor in despair receives the news Of his
unexpected success from his friend 'sdaugh-
ter, and lie makes her promise which lac
keeps, and thus links her name with his
own, and with an invention which becomes
one Of the controlling instruments of civil
izatiou for all time.-Scyi5ner's for March.