Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-08-16


me Ealss Alarm that stirred = histis m
damn Town about Two years Ase.
LAFAYrrrE, Ind, August Tine ssory
of the massage. aGen. Grant u dead. sent
over !, tbe wires AZ signal fox the strike Of
he brotherhood of Telegraph Operators
littIe over two yeare ago, Is Q matter o.
common information, and pretty generally
rsy;ved AT present; but there there Is
s;reuJsr piece Of history connected with It
thai has never found its way into print. lts
scene was at Corwin, little place ABOUT
Twelve miles south of here. Corwln -
tvn;caI country town, with about $50 IN
Ssh;tants II has one long, Struggling
street, with few general stores. wns,e
are supplied the simple wants OF It's Peols
and the scattered population OF the proso
Vista of farming land that forms its pacH
srnrnd. At the end of the street Is its sole
i;rk with the outside world-a telegraph
ofsfe presided over by an old man named
Sann,I Owens. BE has been IN the em-
rIor nj ,he Western Union ever since les
rim and his duties are light, for nothing
.re. bsp, ems ut Gown, and its buster neige-
nor. generally overlook its existence
G;veps learned telegraphy before the modern
I'd the ;nstrum' Mt be uses is the old fash
toned Morse register, very rev Q! Wu'cn
still remain on the Western Union nnes Ia
out-ofihe-way places. 1000 c:-
On the morning of July Is, 1885, Givens
was dropipg over his instrument wnen II
suddenly called. To save the paper RIBBON
on which the brass point of the register re-
corded its message he always kept It closed
mill he heard his calI II was the letter u
two dots, a dash, and dot--and 1t rat
lied ont its staccato warning with an energy
Ills time that made him open it with IN
wonted suddenRess.
Ont rolled the ribbon bearing on It's sur
facs the words. Gen. Grant is dead, Giyens
Uas NO. a brotherhood man. Living IN tue
isolated village he did not know that ms
uroiession was on the eve OF great stEike,
and the message to him had no import save
that of its face. He had been a soldier In
the armv OF the Tennessee, had laid down
his arms at Appomsttox, and ne regarded
Gen Grant with that solemn reverence that
ia found among his followers alone. de
seized the tape with trembling hngres, ana
bursting into sobs, rushed out to spread the
news.
CorWin is setted largely By soldiers OF the
late war. who have taken farm land ID the
vicinity. No news to them could have been
more startling, more deeply moving than
this. Instantly the village vas in such q
stir as il never saw befors and will probably
never see again. All crowded around the
old telegrapher, anxious to hear him read
and reresd the message. They were eager
10 learn more, but the instrument had stop
mad after those four words, and was silent.
Some one suggested TO coll the village
school bell, and dozen men ran to put the
idea into effect. Grant at that time was 81
years old, and for an hour and one minute
the slow notes of the bell echoed through
tie town. This tolling was heard for long
distance through the Silly air, and 1t, and
together with the farmers who happened to
be in Corwin st the time, and left imue'
diately on their wagons, sutiiced to rapidly
spread the news.
Had stanger passed through the village
at about noon he would have been surprised
to see every store aud house draPed in
mourning. There was little Grape to be had,
but the black calico at the store was press
Ell into service at the suggestion that every
one display some mark of griet Meantime
the farmers from the surrounding country
lad hurried into town, and the strangely
unwonted crowd filled the street. Givens
had suddenly assumed Importance, and the
ribbon, with its cabalistic dots aud dsshes
translated into English with pencil, was
eagerly passed from hand to hand until its
messsg e was obliterated. Every one how
ever, had the few words by heart and many
were the surmises as to the details OF the
old commanders end.
In early afternoon it was thought well
that there should be some formal expression
of the sentiment Of the town, and the meet
ing was accordingly held in the largest
store, owned by a man named Wright. 1t
was not, however, nearley large enough to
hold the crowd, and thong was clustered
about tn door. An old farmer, who had
been sergeant in an Indiana regiment,
and whose name, believe, was Andrews,
was Chairman Of the meeting and it was
opened by prayer and song Lincoln
favorite, Why Should the Spirit Of Mortal
be Proud was chosen. Many was the
speech made and many the Renaissance
told by those who had carried musket in
the great Captain legions. The people of
Corwin will never forget that meeting, be-
cause all participated in it At its close q
series OF resolutions were adopted, express
ing SORROW and agreeing that no more labor
be done for that day. A copy of these re-
solutions, written in pencil on sheet Of
legal cap, are still at the store where the
meeting was held.
1t was not until next morning that the
little town learned Of its strange mistake.
A few copies Of the Indianapolis papers re-
ached it then, containing news Of the strike
and the story of the signal, and great was
the rejoicing thereat. Old Givens was still
at his obsolete instrument day before yester.
day, when for the second time the ribbon
bore the message Of death.