Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-10-03

clauses governing the money appro-
priatioD, having been met by young
lad, one of his family, the boy said
loosely TO his father, "Now, father,
you ought to treat on that" $50 l
would, my son" was the grave reply,
" but this is all the money have in
the world" and a silver quarter of a
dollar was produced. It was much
earlier than this that Morse, when with
friend in Wall street, some time be-
fore 1910, when in addition TO the news
brought by steamer, ,bulletin-boards had
posted on them the prices of stocks,
that the Professor said to an astonished
friend, "You see those prices of stocks
quotedP Well, before many years you
will have the price of telegraph stock put
on that board" Of course, as was per-
fectly natural, the Professors friend
looked at him with amazement. The
devising of his telegraphic machinery
so fully absorbed his mind that the
neighborhood in which he lived, good,
straightforward people, could hardly
understand him. A son mentions the
fact that, as he was playing as child
in public square, some compassionate
friend of the family, looking at him,
said: Poor child, it would be a hundred
times better if your father would pay
more attention to you, instead of work
ing over his old rusty wires, which never
can come to anything" When Morse
was taking daguerroetypes on the top
of the building at the corner of Nassau
and Beekman streets, Samuel Colt, the
N of tho r.aunlxrafa a frintnH .Nf
the electrician. Colt had his mind full
of torpedo for the defense of the
coast, which was to be exploded by an
electric circuit. As Morse had the
wires and battery, the dabbler in tor
pedoes found his necessary machinery
ready at hand. On one occasion, when
Morse was absent, an experiment was to
be tried on the roof of the house, with q
slight charge of powder, which was to
be confined under a drum of figs. The
gentleman who tells this story was then
mere lad, light of weight, and was
exactly the convenient resisting medium
which Colt wanted. 1t was agreed that
the boy should stand on the box while
the powder was fired. Just as all prepa-
rations were completed, and the lad
stood on the box, Prof. Morse appeared,
who took in the situation at a glance.
"Stop," he cried; "Colt, bid that boy
get down, If you want to try the ex-
pertinent, jump up in his place"
"There is not the eighth of pound OF
powder there" said Colt, "but L am
agreed. 1 will get up in the boys
place. Professor, do you touch the
key" Touch the key did Morse. An
explosion followed, and it was all Colt
could do, who was a man of large build,
to prevent himself being hurled over
into the street below. If the boy had
stood there he would have been GER
tainly lifted into the air. 1t was evident
that then Prof. Morse knew that explo-
sions were intensified in accordance
with the means employed to fire pecu-
liar substances, and must have had an
inkling of the effects of what is now
called the vibratory influence on deto-
mating substances. Once" says an
informant, in Prof. Morse's later life,
he wanted package of papers, which,
he told me, were on his table. l secured
a voluminous bundle of documents, and
having brought them down, presented
them to the Professor. "'You have
made a mistake; these are not the pa.
pers l wanted. Still, though they are
of no moment now, at one time they
caused me certain amount of disturb
ance. They represent the vouchers
paid by me for lawyers, costs, and ex-
penses in defending my telegraph.
once took the trouble to add up the fig,
ures. can't give it exactly now, but
the aggregate ought to sum up some.
thing very close to S500,000.'" Prof
Morse's charities were endless. All the
impecunious of the United States made
him their milch COW. He gave, if not
wisely, at least well, and must have
during the last twenty years of his life
dispensed fortune IN small sums. IN
Y Times.