Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-10-31
THE TELEPHONE UNMASKED.
The Danger which Turks in an Appa.
rentIy Harmless and Useful Inyen.
ton Pointed Out.
New York Times.


the telephone should be fully exposed,
and its inventors of whom there are
quantity, held up to public execra-
ton.
When this notorious instrument was
first introduced, it was pretended that
It's purpose was an innocent one. We
were told that the telephone enabled
4 man in New York to hear what
man in Philadelphia might say and
though twas difiicultto understand why
anybody should ever want to listen to
a Philadelphian's remark which, no
toriously, consist exclusively of illusions
to the Centennial exhibition and alleged
line Of American steamships, = there
was nothing necessarily immoral III this
possible use Of the telephone. Then it
was claimed that by means of the tele-
phone conversations could be carried
on with other than Philadelphians, and
that political speeches delivered in
Washington could be heard in any city
of the continent A, the president was
ut that time making speeches in Yer
mont instead of Washington, the public
was not alarmed by this announcement,
and it was not until the telephone con
spirators mentioned that the uproar of
u Grassland could be transmitted to
any distance through the telephone that
any general feeling Of uneasness was
developed Nevertheless, the vast cap
abilities for mischief Of the telephone,
and the real purpose of It's unprinci-
pied inventors have been studiously
concealed, and it is only by accident
that the greatness and imminencc of
the danger to which the public is ex-
posed have suddeny been revealed.
Suspicion ought to have bcch gWak-
ened by the recent publication OF the
fact that if the lamp-posts of our city
were to be connected by wires, every
confidential remark made to n lamp
post by belated democratic statesman
could be reproduced by telephone
connected with any other lamp-pOst.
1t is true that this publication was os-
tensibly made in the interest of the
police force, and it was recommended
that patrolmen should use the lamp
posts a. means of communication with
police headquarters II was evident,
however, that the result would be to
make every iamp-post II spy upon mid
night wayfarers Men who had trusted
to friendly lamp-posts for years, and
embraced them with the utmost conf
dence IN their silence and discretion,
would find themselves shameessly be-
trayed, and their unsuspecting solilo-
qules literally reported to their indlc-
nant families strange to say this Sug-
gestlve hint of the powers of the tcle-
phone attracted no attention. and has
ere this been in all probability for
gotten.
\ series of incidents which has lately
occurred in Providence has, however,
clearly shown the frightful capabilities
of the telephone. Two men, to whom
SO far It's is known, no improper motive
can be attributed were recently expert
mentng with u telephone, the wire of
which was attached over the roofs of
innumerable buildings. and was csti-
mated to be fully four miles in length.
They relate that on the first evening of
their telephone dissipation they heard
men and women singing songs and elo-
quent clergymcn preaching ponderous
sermons md that they detected sew
eral persons III the act of practicing
upon brass Instruments. This sort of
thing was repeated every evening, while
on sunday morning Il perfect deluge of
partially conglomoratcd sermons rushed
IN upon them, These are the main
facts mentioned 10y the two men in what
may be called their official report of
their experiments, but it is asserted
that they heard other things which
they did not venture to openly repeat
The remarks of thousands Of midnight
cats were borne to their listening ears.
The confidential conversation of hun
dred> of husbands and wives were
whispered through the trCachcrouS tclc-
phone, and though the remarks of Mn
and Mrs. Smith We're sometimes mex
trlcahly cntanglcd with those of Mr.. and
Mrs Brown, and it was frequently inn
possible to tell from what particular
wife came the direful threat, "Oh , I'll
Just let You know or from what strong
husband IL his agony came the cry,
Leg 90 that hair - the two aston
ishcd telephone cXpermenters learned
enough of the secrets Of the leading
families of Providence to render it II
hazardous matter for any resident of
that city To hereafter accept a nomina-
ton for any office.
Now. it has been ascertamed that the
wire of this telephone was not in con
tact with amy other wire, and thus the
hypothesis that the sounds heard 10y the
two men were messages IN process of
Transmission by the usual telegraphlc
wires i, untenablc Moreover, little
reflection will show that cats do not
send telegraph messages, and that lead
ing citizens do not transmit 10y telegraph
. pptitionS 10 thCiP wives alyppatino a