Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-18
MAINE DI>PATCHES.
THE fARMINGTON sWINDLER.
! he Risks WanZeF Ran and the Science
He Displayed-A SkiIlfuI Rascal.
FARMISGToS, Aug. II.

hh"iN"icS, aug. -.
How the swinder of the Farmington bank
obtained the confidence of the officers has
been shown by the published accounts 1t
may not be uninteresting To the many of vour
readers unacquainted with telegraphing to ex-
plain the shrewdness of the scoundrel as
telegrapher. and the chances he took to escape
detection on the spot.
II may be understood that in order to work
telegraph wire, it is necessary to have the
wire connected with the ground at each termi-
nus, and that battery to charge the wire
with electricity should be inserted at one or
both ends.-for instance, a battery at Bangor
and at Portland. Suppose the wire to be
broken at Augusta, the whole wire is dis
charged Of electrieity.
Now each office on the line is provided with
convenienees tor making ground connec-
ton, on each side. In case of break, if
Waterville connects with the ground on the
west side, IL has circuit from the Bangor
battery, showing that the break is west of
him. He can get no circuit from the Port
land battery, consequently he tan work with
all Offices east of him bat not west until the
wire is repaired. In the case of the Farming
ton wire there was but one battery-at Port
land. Wanzer with his improvsed office,
two miles from Pennington, had wire to
connect with the ground, by which he could
cut of Farmington, but not Portland, because
there was no battery at or beyond Farming
ton. So he was Obliged to use the battery at
Portland, and all the intermediate offices.
ANY reasonably expert operator working
on a line for a short time, becomes aceus-
toned to the peculiar lingering of the key of
all the others, so that he can tell at once who
is writing. Every operator has his private
signature which he attaches to every
message sent. Every message is numbered
during the day to each place with which he
has business. A message being sent from
Portland to Pennington contains the number
for the day, the signature OF the sender, (H)
il he be the operator, the number of words
contained in the message, and whether the
message is paid for or to be collected. If
the message is understood, he replies o. X,
and makes his signature CA o..
Bearing these things in mind, let us see
how Wanzer managed. He had creepers to
ascend the pole. He attached small cop
per wire to the main wire, long enough to
reach TO the GROUND, then another of the
same length, about six inches distant from
the first. He then attached both copper
wires TO his pocket relay. Ascending the
pole again he cuts the main wire between the
copper wires. taking care to make the end of
the main wire fast to the pole to prevent its
falling to the ground, and the current of
electricity flows through his instrument, and
he can hear all that is passing on the wires.
Here he had to devote some time to initiate
the writing of H, the operator at Portland,
and o A, operator at Pennington, to avold
suspicion. He had to watch all the messages
between these two offices-keep minute of
all the numbers, and when the proper time
came and he heard the first call for Farm
ington, he instantly attached his wire to the
ground. thus cutting off Pennington, and an
swered the call himself. OF course Portland
had no suspicion and sent two messages, and
received the usual reply: O X, o. One
he DESTROYED and substituted his bogus mes
sage, bearing the same number, also the
other (unimportaut) to keep the numbers
correct. Here came the critical part of the
business. He had to take of his ground
wire in order to send 10 Esrmipgton and the
difficulty was that Portland might here the
message going to Pennington as from the
Portland office, and with the signature of the
Portland operator attached. He must have
waited till he was satisfied that the operator
Of Portland had left his table and had gone
TO some other. He ran great risks but was
successful.