Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-10-16
AN OLD OPERATOR.
He Relates Some Of His Tclegraphic
Experience Of Twenty
Years Ago.

Henry O. Pratt is probably the old
est telegrapher on the coast, dating
his debut on the telegraphic stage
from 1861. In conversation with n
Tribune reporter hc told some inter
esting "reminiscences Of early times
when an operator was obliged to WELD
with ono hand his pen, while with tho
other he kept ut bay Indians, panth-
ers and other dcnizcns Of the howling
wilderness. After having presented
"Prntty" with choice specimen of
the disguised cabbagc leaf, he tipped
back his chair, and completely hidden
by clouds OF pearly smoke, opened the
"key" and "scnt' in good style some
what after the following:
"Onc evening in the fall OF 1862 T.,
being in the Salt Lake Office, war
times, you know. had just cleared up
'ronst' with Chicago, and was lying
back in my chair resting, when / heard
tho station beyond Pacific Junction
calling like mad. Wondering what
the devil was up, l answered him.
when back came the words, Station
and corral IRE on fire, five hundred
Indians around us, and our chances
are slim. CThere were only three
men, two soldiers and the operator J
Wo are going TO gain potato hole
under cover of the smoke, and MS We
have lots of ammunition. wc will give
it to 'cm us long as we can. Good
bye
"Wcll, boys, you can bet I felt for
those follows. In about ten minutes
noticed tho line ground, and / knew
what that meant ! just jumped on n
horse, flow up to Fort Douglas and
got an order from the commandment to
the commandment at Fort Laramie, re-
questlng that troops be sent to rescue
the men, whom by this time ! knew to
bc csconscd in the potato hole AS /
afterwards learned the soldiers arrived
ut 10 tho following morning and res
cucd the be!eagucrod men. The
brother of w. p. st. Clair, by the
way, was the operator, and W. p.
himself was at Pacific Junction, twelve
miles west Of where the red devils
were ut work. ] shall never forget
what sound it was TO hear the latter
calling his brothers station all night
long and receiving no response. What
his feelings were you can best inn
agine.
Swell, it was fully Il month after
this before communication with Jules.
burg was re-cstablished, and when the
line was finally repaired we had n
stack Of messages three feet high and
Julcsburg had as many. Ned Conway
was the operator ut Julcsburg, and he
just lot into us for ten days steady
and cleared up the accumulation of
old messages. 1t was the protest
work J ever did OF ever expect to soc.
"Anothcr time Plattsmouth, Ne
brasku, called me up and said: "A
band of Indians have just passed, go
ing to the river, and they sny if am
here when they return they will kill
me. What would you do?'
81 told him." said Pratt, 'that he
had better ride to the fort and get out
OF the way, but he said he would stay
with it.
"Prctty soon he called again and
said, They are coming ] advised
him again to fly, but he decided to
stand his ground, and when. ten min
utos later, the wire suddenly opened,
| knew bis time had como. And so it
proved, for his lifelcss, scaIpcd and
mnti!atod body was found Oh the floor
of the Office by the relief party that J.
sent out
Pratty is getting pretty we'll along
in years, but when thc above cllroni-
clea events transpircd ho was the best
and fastost operator in the country,
and he is known by I'LL the old timers
from tIainc to Oregon. lie numbers
among his acquaintances men in high
places, and all speak we'll Of him..
salt Lake Tribune.