Omaha daily bee., 1880-06-27
A TELEGRAPH DETECTIVE.

- -
1t was in a,railroad car that my VII
avis, to while away the time-ws wer
obliged to wait, owing to . broken IA:
-tcld the following story:
"Ten years ago I Was . telegrap
operator at a small town in New Je,
ssy, but, my health failing, I gave q
my situation, and taking an agency
travelled westward until I fnall,
reached San Francisco. While there.
took a fancy to visit the mining re
gions; SO, selecting suitable goods t.
sell among the miners went, satisfied
my curiosity, made q little money, ant
was returning in the stage.coach
when the incidents I am about to 70
late occurred, or at least began to &C
cur.
"Ttere wsre beside myself three in
side passengers, an old gentleman q
60 and two roughly-dressed men, ap'
parently miners. These two men sal
at opposite ends of the coach, not ap'
pearing to know each other, while the
old gentleman and myself SAT c,,ose to.
gether. noticed that the old gen.
tleman had a heavy tin or iron box be.
tween his legs, which he seemed to be
anxious to keep out of sight.
"After a sho;t conversation with
him on general subjects, 1 allowed
myself to drift gently into q doze; and
while in that condition my ear, trained
As it was to the intelligent sound Of
the telegraph instrument, caught a
faint tic, tic, which resolved ITSELF into
the following words:
".Bi.l, the young one is going to
sleep, and I will tend 20 him while you
pitch the old one out over the preci-
pice when I make the signal, and Sc.
cur the box
~ was now ss wide awake as il I
had bsen called by An operator to re-.
ce,ve a message, but I pretended to
bs sti DOING while I listened intent.
ly. Then I heard tho south window
rattle, and it said:
"tAll right, Bob. We will be to
the Big jun in twenty minutes, and
then give the word and out he goes
"Takirg q cautious look from be-
tween my eyelidr, l saw that enc Of
the villains was telegraphing by VI
bratipg . knifs,blade between his
teeth, while the other used the win
dow for that purpose, neither of them
noticing the other.
81 knew tie precipice to which
they referred, a terrible pace, where
a miner bad once jumped eff in a fit
OF despair at bis bad luck, from which
it was known as the Big Jump.
"How to communicate with the old
gentleman I was alta loss to determ-
ins, but finally l took out . newspa-
per and underscorcd the words in q
lengthy editorial, which, If read ocn.
s'cu!ively, would read: BE cautious,
sir. The two villains here intend to
murder and rob US in ten minutes.
When I arise, you attack the one
with the moustaehe and I will take
the other. Killif necessary
"Then I handed tho paper to the
old gentleman, saying: Have you
read tbi', .irl It's . most splendid
editorial
"He took the paper, put on his
and commenced to read.
Soon the UNDERSIGNED words drew his
and he began to study them.
Then I saw. him grow pale and feel
Tor his b,x with his foot. Handing
ne back the paper, he said signi6.
"Do you believe that, sir2"
Ikrow it to be true, sir said I.
"Horrible!" said he, slipping his
hand in his breast pocket, q stern look
Into his face as he added: I
believe that Id feel like shooting some
me-
II saw 1 had q man of courage to
lelp me, so l cared little for the vii. |
ainous emile, which his remark
brought to one Of the rufian's face. |
saw We we we're near the Big Jump |
md were going down = steep grade at
lively rate when one of the villains
eleeraphed:
"'Now!'
"The next minute I was on him, |
knocking bin ienselcss with my re.
oliver. The OLD gentleman did equal. !
y as we'll, the rufians being taken
by surprise at our sudden
We had passed ths precipice
low, and calling the driver to stop,
q and the one outside passenger
to bind our prisoners, whom he
eft inside, while We climbed to the
op. But when We arrived in Sacra.
nento we found that the robbers had
eleased each other, and dropped out
long the road.
"The old gentleman introduced
as Mr.. Stamford, q Sacrament
0 banker, and ipsiatsd on my ACCEPT.
ng the hospitality of his house, say.
ng that I had saved his life and a
srge amount Of money. I consented, |
nd was driven with him to his hand
ONE residence on the outskirts of the
ity, who're I was introduced to his
rife and two daughters, the former .
ind, motherly woman, and the latter
handsome brunette and pretty
"Three weeks stay at Rose Hill, |
ir. Stamford's home, with ito lovely
7alks amid a wealth of tropical flow
RS and the society of Ella and Blanche
'tamford, lovelier, if not moro beau.
iful, than the flowers which bloomed
round them, only served to make me
7ish for a longer stay and whom Mr..
stanford offered me a position in his
anking-house, I most gladly accepted
), not failing to take courage from
he evident delight OF the fair Blanche
whom I thought the lovelier of the
wo sisters-when TOLD her of the offer
nd decision.
"About this time, Mr.. Stamford,
his wife's request, replaced two
IRISH servants with two Cinnamon,
,uch to the formers violent denunci-
ton. Mrs. Stamford was loud in her
raise of her new help, who seemed to
Q quiet, active, orderly fellows, al.
as ready, always willing, and always
D be found at their posts.
ITO these two spoon gobblers,' as
he Irish girls called All Wing aud