“I am grieved to say that many things have lately come to my knowledge in regard to ——­ that show double-dealing.  Be on your guard.  I hope it is but appearance, and that his course may be cleared up by subsequent events.

“I declare to you that I have seen so much duplicity in those in whom I had confided as friends, that I feel in danger of entertaining suspicions of everybody.  I have hitherto thought you were too much inclined to be suspicious of people, but I no longer think so.

“Keep this to yourself.  It may be that appearances are deceptive, and I would not wrong one whom I had esteemed as a real friend without the clearest evidence of unfaithfulness.  Yet when appearances are against, it is right to be cautious.”

The name of the person referred to is left blank in the copy of this letter which I have, so I do not know who it was, but the sentiments would apply to several of the early workers in the establishment of the telegraph.

I have said that Morse, being only human, was sometimes guilty of errors of judgment, but, in a careful study of the facts, the wonder is great that he committed so few.  It is an ungracious task for a son to call attention to anything but the virtues of his father, especially when any lapses were the result of great provocation, and were made under the firm conviction that he was in the right.  Yet in the interest of truth it is best to state the facts fairly and dispassionately, and let posterity judge whether the virtues do not far outweigh the faults.  Such an error was committed, in my judgment, by Morse in the bitter controversy which arose between him and Professor Joseph Henry, and I shall briefly sketch the origin and progress of this regrettable incident.

In 1845, Alfred Vail compiled and published a “History of the American Electro-Magnetic Telegraph.”  In this work hardly any mention was made of the important discoveries of Professor Henry, and this caused that gentleman to take great offense, as he believed that Morse was the real author of the work, or had, at least, given Vail all the materials.  As a matter of fact he had given Vail only his notes on European telegraphs and had not seen the proofs of the work, which was published while he was absent in Europe.  As soon as Morse was made aware of Henry’s feelings, he wrote to him regretting the omission and explaining his innocence in the matter, and he also draughted a letter, at Vail’s request, which the latter copied and sent to Henry, stating that he, Vail, had been unable to obtain the particulars of Henry’s discoveries, and that, if he had offended, he had done so innocently.

Henry was an extremely sensitive man and he paid no attention to Vail’s letter, and sent only a curt acknowledgment of the receipt of Morse’s.  However, at a meeting somewhat later, the misunderstanding seemed to be smoothed over, on the assurance that, in a second edition of Vail’s work, due credit should be given to Henry, and that whenever Morse had the opportunity he would gladly accord to that eminent man the discoveries which were his.  There never was a true second edition of Vail’s book, but in 1847 a few more copies were struck off from the old plates and the date was, unfortunately, changed from 1845 to 1847.  Henry, naturally, looked upon this as a second edition and his resentment grew.