Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-02-19
STORY OF A TELEGRAM.

It's Rapid Journey, and the Glad Message
it Conveyed at Its Destination.
am called ga telegram and I wish
to relate my experience. The man who
originated me was Gilbert Hardman, an
old bachlor, who through meanness
had made himself rich. Half of the
money he had when he started in the
world did not belong to him but to his
only sister, who was a widow with three
children, the eldest of whom was Rob-
ert, at this time lad of fourteen years.
Mr.. Hardman had defrauded his sis
ter of herportion of their father estate
by means best known to himself, and
the money he thus basely obtained
placed him in profitable business, and
he became rich, while his poor sister
and her children often suffered for food.
OF this he was well aware, but his
avariclous nature would not allow him
to do what his conscience knew to be
right in the matter.
But one evening friend gave him a
ticket to a lecture the subject of which
was Justice" In some way the words
of the speaker found their way to what
little heart he possessed, and as a result
the next moring I was born "a tele-
gram" and l read as follows:
NEW YORK, July Is, 1884.
ITO MRS. HENRY MARTIN, Denver, Colo
rado-I have placed to your credit in the
Seventh Ward National Bank, twenty thou
aGIIBERT HARDMAN."
/ had lam on Mr.. Hardman's desk
but short time when little fellow in
uniform and with the letters ga d. T."
Hardman's office. I was handed to the
boy, who rushed to the Western Union
office with me, and there was given to
pretty young lady, who acted as if
she was very glad to see me. for she
counted me over twice, and seemed
very careful of me.
angelic temper, for she turned me on
with rubber stamp that nearly broke
it. Not satisfied with this cruelty, she
rolled me up and put me into little
box, which she dropped into hole,
where I was blown-yes, actually
blown-through a tube up to the seventh
story of the building into room where
I thought by the noise and racket that
there must be million little imps with
tack-hammers, pounding on tin pans.
Before I had recovered from my
fright, was taken out of the box and
carried to table marked '.First Chi
cago Quad where / was treated to
still further indignity by being impaled
on hook, after which I think must
have lost my senses, for kind OF
dreamy sensation seized me, and /
found myself being sent in sections. as
it were. on a slender wire. What
sensation it was!
From the high roof of that building
/ went flying over the tops of houses
till came to the North River, where /
plunged under the dark waters, to the
Jersey side; then / went hurrying
along the line of the Erie Railway,
outstripping the trains, over mount
aims, through valleys and towns, rain
and sunshine, till / reached Buffalo,
where passed through such an intri-
cate machine that, if | had been pos
sessed of any will of my own, l should
certainly have lost my way.
I heard the machine called a '.re-
.peater," and | certainly did turn
more corners than an illegal voter on
election day; but [ got through some
how, and soon arrived at Chicago,
where came to consciousness by being
written out by an operator, whom they
called stJake." I heard him remark
as he finished me:
swish I could catch on to luck of
that kind. I'd quit work. and open a
bank.
was then passed to another opera
tor, who looked like gentleman. and
heard him say, as he placed the fig
ures 245 on my face:
II hope that will make some poor
woman happy"
I did not hear the name, but / felt
there must be difference in operators.
Then came the half-unconscious seEsa-
ton again, as I was whirled along the
slender wire, across prairies, under
rivers, over the plains of Kansas and
Colorado, where the wild antelopes,
herds of bufaloes, and an occasional
band of Indians were passing under
me, until reached Denver.
Again came to my full senses, as /
was copied from the sounder on a
blank. Whew! what q ride that was!
Eight minutes ago l was in New York.
Nearly twenty five hundred miles in less,
than eight minutes, for five of the eight
minutes were used for rest in Chicago!
l felt actually dizzy as I realized it;
but my reflections were cut short by a
piece of damp paper being placed over
my face, and | was first squeezed terri
bly,, then folded and put in an envelope.
I heard the clerk call out:
Next boy out!''
And was seized by little fellow,
who glanced at the address on the en-
velope and turned pale. He trembling
ly went back to the clerk, and, with
quivering chin, said:
Please, sir, this telegram is for my
mother. Is there any bad news?''
It seemed almost too strange to be
true. Here was, by wonderful good
fortune, placed at once in the hands of
those most interested in me. II was
little Robert Martin, who was mes
serger, and almost the only support of
his mother and two little sisters.
No wonder he dreaded the reply Of
the clerk. for the only telegram his