The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-14

doesn't prove anything Poor Morse's heart
was almost broken. His triumph was
turned all to bitterness Every one of his
visitors went away more skeptical than
ever. The public, or SO small a portion as
took any interest in the matter, generally
attributed the results that Morse obtained to
diabolism, or when the more intelligent and
scientific minds considered it, to inert leg
erdemain.
Everybody" continued Mr. Kirk.
Thought it good joke on me and had to
stand lots of chatting around the Capitol 1t
wasn't long before | saw that Assistant
Postmaster General Bryan had pretty level
head as politician in not wanting to be
mixed up with what he called 'Morse's fool
ishness. But held on. The truth is had
fallen in love with that resolute old man
battling against such odds as pre- JUDGE kept
piling up against him"
Morse worked only the harder after his
failure to convince the wise men from Con-
gress by the test of his five-mile loop. Day
by day more poles were set and more wire
was stretched, and Annapolis Junction
half way to Baltimore--was just about
reached when the Wing National Conven-
ton of May, 1874, opened in Baltimore.
Here, at the suggestion of Mr.. Kirk, Morse
saw opportunities beyond any that had come
to him before. On the morning that the
convention organized he was able, by dlnt
of work by night as well as by day, to get
connection through TO Annapolis Junction
from his little Washington machine shop.
He had placed a bright young fellow at the
Annapolis junction end with instructions
to get information of what the convention
had done just as soon as the afternoon Baltl-
more train arrived at the junction and tel
egraph it at once to Washington.
OF course the capital was in ferment
every citizen was anxious for the news from
the scene it was recognized that nothing
could be known.
The eranest old fellow spent that eventful
afternoon all alone, save for the companion
ship of John Kirk. Anxious even to excite
ment, he had finally succeeded in getting a
satisfying message from the junction that
all was right at that end of the line and
ready for the transmission of the news as
soon as the expected ira n should arrive 1t
was an experience to leave lifelong impress
sions. and it isn't wonderful that Mr.. Kirk
still wildly recalls that strange, remote
room in its fOrlorn trappings OF wire and
pots and chemicals, set in its centre with
the old man, nervous, eager, verltably
gasping, for the realization of his lifes chief
hope
Suddenly there came an animated click
ing. He who was most interested bent for
ward as if intent on fairly consuming the
ter There was almost agony III his face as
snail-like, the paper halted and hesitated,
spurted a little, stood still, made false starts
and then spurted more till-the message
| completed-Morse rose erect, looked proudly
about him, and said as grandly as though
he were distributing kingdoms
''Mr. Kirk, the convention has adjourned
The train for Washington has just left
Annapolis junction. And the ticket"-he
hesitated, holding final proof of his victory
beyond all disputing-' ticket-the
ticket is Clay and Frelinghuysen~
"You are quizzing u.s." was the quick
retort he heard when this was proclaimed
outside. Its easy enough for you to guess
that Clay is at the head of the ticket, but
Frelinghuysen-who the devil is Freling-
huysen~
II only know" was the dignifed answer,
that it is telegraphed me so from Annapolis
junction, where my operator had the news
| five minutes ago from the train that Is bound
| this way bringing the delegates"
In those days the 20 miles from Annapolis
| junction to Washington made up a trip of
an hour and quarter for the exceptionally
| fast trains, such as that which was bringing
| the Wing delegates to Washington. Long
| before the journey was over the newspapers
-enterprising even in those days-had
extras on the streets, and the newsboy was
CRYING Justify the chronicle that Morse had
caught flashing through 20 miles of air. A
great crowd of people was at the station.
| The extras. with their cabalistic legend BY
| Telegraph" had whetted public curiosity to
keenest edge. Out of the jammed train
came the delegates piling, each anxious to
be foremost in sending abroad to friends the
inspiritiug news that fortune was with
Harry of the West. And how dumbfounded
| they were, finding in very type before them
| the story that they had believed exclusively
their own. Certain they were that no rail
road train had preceded their own. How
but by miracle could the news have gained
such headway9 by telegraph" SO they
telegraph That pestiferous Morse They
had seen the wires stretching along the
track all the way from Annapolis Junction
| into Washington; they had seen it, and they
had ioked about it glibly. Phew! 1t was
hard TO realize. But-but-but what can a
man do when he can't do anything! The
doubters and the scoffers became enthusiast
tically dumb.
S. F. B. Morse had won When next he
appeared in public the people showered him
with huzZas.
| He was no longer a dreamer; he was a
doer: and there were honors for him I'M
stinted Yet he bore all meekly, once in a
while the calm of that strong face giving
way to a radiance seen there but seldom in
the later years.
A stranger, who had been seated close to
| the little company attentive to this remlnis-
cence, arose as Mr. Kirk halted, offered
his hand, and said: ''This is a great big
treat to me, sir, and L hope you'll pardon
my intrusion. Ny name is Plumb, Col.
Ralph Plumb they call me out home in
| Illinois, where they elect me to Congress.
| lust want to add one word to the story
you've told | know something of it my
self. was a delegate from Ohio to that
! Clay convention. | was on that first train
/ to Washington | remember the little shed
| at Annapolis Junction, where we stopped
on our way. | saw the man there who was
| ticking away on little brass machine |
saw him and talked with him. | wanted
to know what str4hge thing he was doing,
and he answered that he. was telegraphing
to Morse in Washington about our conven-
ton. and he pointed toward the wires over
head running in Washingtons direction,
the first wire ever put up for telegraphing.
In common with all the rest of the real wise
ones of the day, l hailed the affair as
huge Joke, till when we landed in the Wash
ington City station, sure enough, Morse
! had had the news an hour or more ahead
of us and the whole city was informed of
the fact that we had put dark horse on the
ticket with our hero Clay. The evidence
couldn't be upset. of course; the most
preiudiced of us couldn't presume to sug-
pest that Morse's work was guessing-for
| no man alive would have imagined that