The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-10-03
A Haunted Telephone.
New York SUM-


Mr.. John J. Ghegan, the night oper-
ator in the Newark Office of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company, is agent
for Professor Phelps and Professor Edi-
sons telephones, and he has put up large
number of both kinds of the instruments
in Newark. About three months ago he
put up Phelps telephone for Mr.. J. J.
O'Connor, the Catholic bookseller and
publisher for the diocese of Newark Mr..
O'Connor il the agent for the Cemetery
of the Holy Sepulcher, in East Orange,
two miles from Mr.. O'Connor's store and
residence, at No. 103 Washington-street
&c frequently had occasion to send
orders and other communications to Mr..
Rowe, the superintendent in the cem-
etery; so he determined to have a tele-
phone to connect his store and the GEM
etery, in order to save time and the ex-
pense of messengers. At the cemetery
is small building used as an Office by
the superintendent, and in this office
Mr.. Ghegan placed a telephone, which
he connected with another telephone in
Mr.. O'Connor's house. No other tele-
phone connects Newark with the Gem
etery of the Holy Sepulcher.
Mr.. O'Connor was delighted with his
telephone. 1t was a novelty, and it
worked like charm. Mrs. OCounor
aud her friends found amusement in con-
versing through the instrument with
persons in the cemetery. The telephone
was thus kept in constant use for several
days. By means of it orders could be
| sent at a minutes notice to the cemetery
for the opening of a grave. Mr.. O'Connor
told Mr.. Ghegan that he would not do
without telephone for any money
| At about four o'clock one morning,
three weeks after the telephone was first
used, Mr.. and Mrs. UConnor were
awakened by furious ringing of the call
bell attached to the telephone in their
room. Mr.. O'Connor was surprised, be-
cause he knew that the office in the Gem
etery was locked every evening at six
O'Clock, when Superintendent Rowe and
his assistants go home for the night. Mr..
O'Connor thought, however, that some
ruffians might have been caught defac.
ing the monuments and tombstones
which had been done before, and that the
police were wanted, Sc he answered the
call and asked through the speaking
tube what was wanted. He received nc
reply except ringing of the bell. This
answer came through the tube Mr.
O'Connor finally concluded that either
the wire was being tampered with OF
some person had gained access to the
cemetery Office, and given an alarm il
order to play joke on him or to annoy
him. So he told Mr.. Ghegan the mex
morning of his nights experience.
Mr.. Ghegan said that the call bel
could not be rung unless some person
turned the crank attached to the tele
phone in the cemetery Office, neithe
could the bell be rung by tamperipg will
the wire, because the bell is not rune b,
a battery, but by a magnetic alarm. Mr.
Ghegan questioned the men in the Gem
etery, but neither Superintendent Row,
nor any of his assistants had been in th
cemetery after six o'clock on the previou
evening. The little Office was examined
and the windows and doors showed n
evidence of having been opened, no
were there any indications that any on
had been inside. No one could accoun
for the mysterious alarm, so Mr.. Ghega
advised Mr.. O'Connor to await futur
developments
Several nights later Mr.. O'Connor an
T his wife were again awakened by fur
| o1ls ringing of the call bell of the tele
phone. Mr.. OConnor could get n
answer to his questions through tn
speaking tube. He disconnected tn
wire, but the bell kept on ringing. Hi
wife was SO thoroughly alarmed that sh
, demanded that the instrument should b
removed from the house.
Mr.. Ghegan and Superintendent Row
then had the door and window of tn
,, cemetery Office so secured that no perso
could enter and tamper with the tel
!, phone without leaving traces benin
them. On that very night the call be
again rang in Mr.. O'Connor's hous
The workmen in the cemetery then sal
that an evil spirit was the cause of tt
!, trouble. Mr.. O'Connor wrote letter
: Mr.. Ghegan, in which he said:
= {" If you are in communion with d
= parted spirits, We implore you to 81
! that they will not disturb us at unnece
= sary hours"
Thereafter watch was kept on tt
. cemetery Office at night, but Mr.. O'Co
= nor still complained that the call be
4 was ruDg at night at intervals Supe
intendent Rowe, Mr.. O'Connor, ar
!, Mr.. Ghegan still cannot account for Il
\, IL StSIlouS SlSldlS. some OF the lena
neighbors of the OConnors are sure it
n the work of spirits.
, Mr.. Ghegan said to a reporter of tt
4 Sun: am not superstitious, but
"a confess that this thing puzzles me.
y Spiritualist friend tells me he is certa
&c spirit has sent the signals to NJ
~ ~ OConnor. | know many persons wi
y have telephones in their houses, al
some of them are connected with othel
h yet | never received complaints fro
n n them Mr.. O'Connor's telephone has
70 connection, except with the cemetery
N have investigated the thing for weel
RS and cannot even suggest an explain
IS IS tion of the mystery, for mystery it c.
"a tainly is. If the instrument were II
70 70 by battery the mystery could be G
i. planned, but in this case 1 cannot und,
\ stand it at all. | hope we will soon Fl
ar out the secret for the sake of the nervo
women"