The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-08-12
A WoMAN,s WIT.
rhe Telephone Message Tint Led to ths
Arrest of Train Robbers.


" You can talk all you please about a wo.
man not having wit for affairs outside OF her
own sphere in life," remarked an old tele.
graph operator, as he put his feet upon the
table and pulled lazily at his pipe, "but
I've got little story to tell which may
change your opinion. Several years ago 1
had station on railroad way out on the
plains. There had never been any train
robberies near us, though there was much
talk about EN-. One time the engineer of a
passenger train stopped his engine in o
hurry Mt the 46lst mile post and then back
ed up. He declared train robbers had plac.
ed distractions on the track and were lying
in ambush. Investigation showed that what
he had thought distractions was nothing
but some of tho big rolling weeds which
had blown across the prairie and gathered
on the track. OF course the engineer was
laughed at for his error, and after that
whenever train robbers were mentioned
somebody would inquire il they were the
same kind that Willinm Roberts saw at the
461st mile post.
One night l was alone in my office,
waiting for No. 8. She was an hour or more
late. was DOING over my pipe when, on
looking up, saw revolvers pointed at me
from both ticket windows OF course !
threw up my hands. They were train rob.
bers, sure enough. There were onlythree of
them, but such desperate fellows never saw.
They told me what they wanted me to do.
was to write dispatch for the conductor
of No. 8, signing the superintendent name
to it, ordering him to leave his train OF my
station, in my care, and take the engine
and several armed men and go toward
Plum Creek, moving cautiously and pre-
pared to attack train robbers. The dis
patch was to hand the conductor through
the window when he came up for orders as
usual, two of the men hiding in the Office
ready to shoot me if attempted to give the
alarm. The scoundrels expected by this
means to have the train left OF their mercy.
told them No. 3 was four hours late and
tried to scare them out that way. Then I
tried to delay matters so that No. 8 would
come before got the telegraph ready. But
they meant business, and in ten minutes the
| dispatch was written as they dictated.
cudgelled my brain for some means to de-
feat the robbers, but could not think OF
anything for a long time. Suddenly / re-
membered my wife and tho telephone l had
put up connecting our residence with the
station. made the telephone myself, and,
though crude, it answered very we'll. l told
the robbers that wanted to telephone my
wife that the train was late, and that she
should not go to bed.
as If don't let her know" added, she
| will be down here-you know how queer
women are-and you'll have trouble
:" Then was given permission to talk to
her, but was cautioned that any attempt on
my part to give the alarm would send bull
let through my head. So l simply called
to my wife and said:
g Number three late; trouble Mt 46lst
mile post; go to bed, as I shant be home
till late. Good night"
" Tint was all, but was satisfied II was
enough. felt sure that my wife would
detect in my tone that there was trouble,
and never be satisfied to retire until she
Ind sent down to SEQ. Besides, had men.
toned the 46lst mile post, to which my
captors had no objections, as they knew
nothing of the ncare that Roberts had had
there, and hoped this would alarm her.
The minutes that followed seemed like
hours. The robbers were becoming impa-
tent and Vicious and they more than once
threatened to kill me if I trioked them. In
about fifteen minutes we heard the tramp of
feet upon the platform, and in walked my
wife with four men, all armed, whom she
had aroused in the village. The two rob-
beers were captured, but they afterward es-
capped. My wife said she knew I was in
trouble, and it was her duty to como to me
with assistance, as if 1 had told her SO in
plain words. I tell you, I've had pretty
high respect for O woman's intuition and
sense since that night. Chicago Herald.