The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-03-29
The True Story of the First Telegram

The bill met with neither sneers nor OPP
position in the Senate but the business Of
that House went on with discouragng SLOW
ness. AT twilight on the last evening OF
the session March 3, 1S43 there were one
hundred and nineteen bills before it. As it
seemed impossible for it to be reached in
regular course before the hour of adjourn
ment should arrive, the Professor, who had
anxiously watched the tardy movements Of
business all day from the gallery of the Sen
ate chamber, went with sad heart to his
hotel, and prepared to leave for New York
at an early hour the next morning: While
at breakfast a servant Informed him that a
young lady desired to see him in the parlor.
There he met Miss Annie Ellsworth, then a
young school girl--the daughter of his init
mate friend, Hon. Henry [. Ellsworth. the
first Commissioner of Patents, who said, as
she extended her hand to him, Il have
come to congratulate you"
upon what?" inquired the Professor.
Upon the passage of your bill" she re-
piled.
Impossible! Its fate was sealed at dusk
last evening. You must be mistaken"
Not at ALL" she responded. Father
sent me to tell you that your bill was passed.
He remained until the session closed, and
yours was the last bill but one acted upon,
and it was passed just FIVE minutes before
the adjournment and 1 am SO 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 joy in the household was unbounded.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Ellsworth had fully be-
lieveG in the project, and the former, in his
confidence in it, and in his warm friendship
for Professor Morse, had spent all the clos
ing hours of the session in the Senate cham
Der, doing what he could to he'll the bill
along, and giving it all the influence of his
high personal and official position.
Grasping the hand of his young friend, the
Professor thanked her again and again for
bearing him such pleasant tidings, and as
sured her that she should send over the
wires the first message, as her reward. The
matter was talked over in the family, and
Mrs. Ellsworth suggested message which
Professor Morse referred to the daughter,
for her approval; and this was the one
which was subsequently sent.
"A heOiO hiOiO tihu ii ycdi dltci IiuiO,
the line between Washington and Baltimore
was completed. Professor Morse was in
the former city, and Mr.. Alfred Vail, his
assistant, in the latter; the first in the
chamber of the Supreme Court, the last in
the Mount Glare depot when, the circuit
being perfect, Professor Morse sent to Miss
Ellsworth for her message, and it came:
WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT"
1t was sent in triplicate, in the dot-and- line
language Of the instrument, to Baltimore,
and was the first message eUer transmitted
By recording telegraph
The story of this first message has been
often told with many exaggerations. 1t has
roamed about Europe with various romantic
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 friends daughter, and he
makes her a promise which he keeps, aud
thus links her name with his own, and with
an invention which becomes one of the con-
trolling instruments of civilization for all
time -.Scribner's for March,