The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-11-18
How Tinney Was Made Hey.
lew York Timea

In Turkey and Egypt il is customary for the
grsndees to make presents to those who bring
the IN the first information of good news. The
SUE essor to the Egyptian throne always re-
wa Is the person informing him of the death
of his predecessor by promoting him to the
rand of hey, and paying him 100000 piasters
(s5, 900, When Said Pasha, to whom Ismail
Pa. ma, the late khedive, succeeded, was dan
ger usly i'll at Alexandra, Ismsil Pasha him
sell was at Cairo At that time the Eastern
Tel graph company had not yet established
their lines all over Egypt, ard Cairo was
joined to Alexandria by single line belong
ing to the Egyptian government and which
was managed by certain Mr.. Thomas, who is
still III the service of the company.
Mr.. Thomas knew how anxious Ismal
Pal was to receive the knews OF Said Pashas
death, and he further knew that the reward to
the person first informing Ismail Pasha would
| be The title of hey and 100000 piasters--both
of which would be very acceptable to Mr..
Thomas himself, and which he resolved to
get His Office was in Alexandria, but know
ing the news must come over the telegraph
wires which he controlled he told his subor-
dina;es at Alexandria that he was going on q
visit of inspection to Cairo, where he might
stay for some time He told them to be very
careful during his absence, especially as to tho
important news concerning Said Pasha's
heatth-abont which poor Ismail was very I'M
easy-and, mounting his dromedary, started
for cairo.
The Cairo Office was then managed by
A Dali. I'M
ne!, 10 whose surprise Mr.. Thomas. instead
OF 2Ding to the hotel as he had always done,
too up his quarters at the telegraph station,
VIII .o, bosides staying ell day, he also passed
the night He never left tho Office for one
miulta, and always being near the instrument
10 see What passed over the wire. The system
by which the telegraph was worked in Egypt
was by Impressions Of dots and lines on paper
bands, and not by sound as it is in America,
and Mr.. Thomas kept his eye on the slip for
fully ten days and nights and yet the news he
was 80 anxlously expecting came not. Young
Imnoy was at a loss to know what all this
meant. and was much ANNOYED by the man
ager proceedings, who he thought suspected
him, and therefore watched him. Mr. Thomas
by this time became quite nervous, the effects
of s.caplcss nights were plainly visible in his
fac and at about 3 o'clock one afternoon,
feeling exhausted he told Tinney that he was
goi = to take little rest on the floor, giving
nm sJllcl ORDERS 10 Call MN III case any ttle-
gram came about the death of Said Pasha
TIley then, for the first time, discovered
what all Mr. Thomas anxiety was about, and
as soon as the laater was fast asleep he called
in he Arab bOolkecper, from whom he
learned III a casual way, as if in no way inter
terC7ted, that the bearer of the news of Said
Pas has death TO his SUCCESSOR, lsmail Pasha,
would receive the frank Of hey and 100000
piasters
Hour after hour passed; many business and
other kilograms came, and not the one eX-
pected. At the commencement Mr. Thomas
awoko every time the instrument licked, and
asked what il was, but at last he slept so heav-
lily that no ordinary noise would wake him.
About two hours after midnight tick tick
tick went the instrument Young Iinney
became all ears and eyes, and he knew in
few minutes that Said Pasha had just then ex-
pirel at Alexandria He Immediately tore
away the slip, un6.rewed the instrument,
took away part of it With him, and, pulling off
his boots, left the room, making as little noise
rs possible. For further security he went up
to the story above and disconnected the wire.
He then ran as fast as he could i'll the direc-
ton of the EZbekich road where he knew
lsmali Pasha lived. Arriving at the little
kioslue the latter then occupied, he was then
stopped by the guard, but upon telling him
thai he had run all the way from the telegraph
station to give the pasha news of a revolution
that had broke ont in Alexandria during the
night he was kept in the basement until word
was brought from upstairs that Ismali Pasha
would receive him. The moment he saw the
telegraph operator he knew what had hap
pened, as nobody had been more anxiously
citing the news than himself not even Mr..
Thomas.
Tinney told him in English, which language
Ism Ii Pasha understands that Said Pasha
was lead, and then gave him the slip of the
instrument Ismali asked him his name, and
upoN his saying George Tinney, the pashs,
thin on a piece of paper, and, handing it to ,
him, said: '"Tinney Boy, / thank you very
muc ;. here is an order on the treasury for
l00 90 piastres, and the trade naming you
hey will be the first shall sign"