The rosiest hope that shone in front of Sanders and Hubbard was that the Western Union might conclude to buy the Bell patents, just as it had already bought many others.

In one moment of discouragement they had offered the telephone to President Orton, of the Western Union, for $100,000; and Orton had refused it.

"What use," he asked pleasantly, "could this company make of an electrical toy ?" But besides the operation of its own wires, the Western Union was supplying customers with various kinds of printing-telegraphs and dial telegraphs, some of which could transmit sixty words a minute.

These accurate instruments, it believed, could never be displaced by such a scientific oddity as the telephone.

And it continued to believe this until one of its subsidiary companies--the Gold and Stock--reported that several of its machines had been superseded by telephones.
At once the Western Union awoke from its indifference.