Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-11-08
The Tclegrapher's Revere.

We find in the last number of the Ide-
grapher the accompanying pretty pen pic
lures of a nights experience in q telegraph
Office. It recalls our own experience dur
ing the "long years Of the sad war time" "
when it was our duty to watch the click
ing instruments, night after night, and
write the reports of battles and skirmishes,
ambuscades and forced marches, and all
the rumors as they came from the head
quarters of the Associated Press. One calm
night in the spring time, when the silver
stars were cleaning out pensively, and
scarcely q football on the pavement of
Broadway or State street broke the still
ness that reigned, the cupaloman on the
( City Hall had intoned the midnight hour,
sand added y. Alrs WELL" when sudden
nervous call of Rep, Rep" aroused all on
the line from Washington to the red mans
home in the West, and to the Southwest,
where green grass waved in luxuriance,
and the1ittle birds twittered their matin
songs from among the boughs of blossom
ing trees, as we'll as to the fey vastnesses of
Halifax and the Canadas5-to all alike came
the narrowing words, "IitiS Tuntore1 that
the President 7o0s shot at the theatre to-
night 4" How our hearts seemed to rent
asunder, and the great tears welled UP to
the eyes that for years previous were stran.
gers to such outward expressions of sor-
row!, Soon after another message came,
sayingl 9 Supnress that rumor sent you
Its all false, What muttered threats
and words followed one another over the
wire to rheadanarters,s after the reception
of this letter, will meyer be known but to
those in attendance that sad and fatal
night. Again all was quiet, and the CLOCK
licked away the moments, and the hands
sped around to the morning hours, when
3" Report, report ." was sounded, and the
brass instruments clicked out an" Off
cial, y giving the whole dark and bloody
tragedy of the assassination of the lament
ed President. Sad and wan was the face of
our little report boy, Patsey, as he handed
into the offices OF the morning papers the
heartrending account; and nerVously the
hands of the weary cOmpositors picked
the letters that, set into form, recorded the
assassination Of President Lincoln on the
eve of April IA, 1866 That night was but
one of many sad ones, which we may, Il ON
time to time, work into form for our read;
~ Rep6Ttcr. tpais r. har noittsgii esri
/ My place of business Is In one Of the
large offices, where the day is one contin.
ual rattle, and far into the night the din
keeps up. But as with the elements, so
with q repeating Office a calm comes at
length, and scarce click breaks the, still
ness, which is almost startling in its in.
tensity My duties often keep me at the
Office until the night force relieves the day,
and untilth former, one by one, drop off,
and the "repartp. operator alone is left |;
and then 80" comes, and am alone.
What more annoying or upsetting to
ones ideas than when in the middle of a
column ofIfigures trying to balance ones
| cash, or following to its legitimate conclu-
| sion some line efthought, or filing letter
with love out of a heart all OVERLOOKING
with it, to ones wife, or some one elses
sister-an office hundred miles or so
away breaks in, and with his "a A AZ
sends figures, and thoughts, and love all
| flying from the head, like frost-touched
leaves from the forest tree, driven before
| the autumn wind. 4 With an effort the
mind is got to work again, but the "a A
A" is repeated with an earnestnessv that
appeals irresistibly to ones conscience, and
peace is only obtained by answering the
call or shutting off the instrument. saoi
ls7A And by all the feelings of satisfaction at
having done good deed; by all the feel
ings of gratitude awakened in the hearts