Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-23
4 Romantic Story.
THE STRANGE HISTORY OF A MAN
 FOUND DEAD.

FOUND DEAD.
 He was a Telegraph Operator, and was
 Kidnapped and Forced to Send
 Lying Message Over Cut Wires to In.
 fuence Speculation.
 NEW YORK, April 23.-A special to The World from Tonawanda, N. Y., says: The body of an elderly man, evidently tramp, was found alonside the Central railroad track Thursday morning horribly mangled It is not known whether the case was one of accl- dent or suicide. Letters found in the clothing showed the dead mans name to be William Van Buren, and his history has just been learned. He was once an expert telegraph operator, but the latter years of his life were Spent in disgrace and debauchery, and he att ributed his downfall to remarkable ad- venture which turned the whole course of his life. He had not been in Tonawanda for ten years before, but probably wandered here to seek assistance from former associate in tn employ of the Western Union Telegraph company, from whom the following story was obtained:
 One evening in October, 1868, Gen. Anson Stager, who was then general superin- tendent of the Western Unions western division, was entertaining Q party of friends at his elegant home in Chicago. Just before midnight servant informed the host that stranger was at the door demanding to see him at once, but refusing to give his name or business When the general reached the hall he found c wild looking individual, dusty, dirty and ragged, who requested private interview. Upon close scrutiny the host dis covered the features of a telegraph operator who had served under him in the army dur ing the rebellion
 Van Buren?' was his startled exclama-
 ''Yes," replied the visitor, ''that is my ,aine, and you can judge of the importance If my errand by my looks and the haste have made to get to you" The superintend- ent hurried Van Buren into his library, and the operator laid before his chief the details Of tie remarkable adventure here narrated
 Van Buren had been for two years past chief operator of the Western Union office at Cheyenne, where he had formed the acquaint- ance of man named Godfrey Whitman. Whitman one day suggested to the operator the feasibility of making good round sum by discoilnecting wire between two repeat ing stations, inserting an instrument, and teiegraphlng bogus news message which would influence the stock market. Van Buren refused to listen to the scheme, and very soon after Whitman disappeared from the place. A few weeks later the operator was ordered to take charge of the San Fran cisco office, and he started by the overland mail coach across the plains. When about 100 miles out from Cheyenne the coach was stopped at night by five mounted men, who claimed to be United States soldiers and they arrested Van Buren as deserter. He was taken from the stage 4 prisoner, placed upon a horse, and the party rode rapidly eastward, finally dismounting at a log cabin not far from the stage road. When @ fire was lighted Van Buren discovered in the leader of the gang his Cheyenne friend, Whitman, who frankly told him what they intended to do, and that refusal met death.
 Whitman's scheme was, as outlined at Cheyenne, to tap the telegraph line, cutting off San Francisco, and to send to New York dispatch the copy of which he showed Van Buren. The latter demurred at first, saying he had not the necessary instruments, but Whitman produced a key and relay and coil'of small insulated copper wire, and Van Buren was forced to obey orders. One of the men buckled on pair of climbers, such as telegraph hnemen use, and short walk brought the party to the line of poles and wire that stretched across the continent from ocean to ocean.
 The climber held his lantern out over the wire that stretched westward, and cut it in two. It swung to the ground, and San Fran cisco was cut off entirely from communica- tion with the east.
 Then he tied the copper wire to the eastern line, threw both ends to the ground, and his work was done. Van Buren attached the end of the copper wire to his relay, showed one end foot into the earth, and his circuit to Chicago was complete.
 The bogus dispatch was about 100 words in length, addressed to J. w. Simonton, the New York agent of the Associated Press, and signed w. H. Smith, agent at San Francisco. It recounted briefly the loss by fire of the steamship New Granada, of the Pacific Mail steamship company's line, having on board 18O passengers and over $2,OOO, ,OOO in bars of gold, when only thirty hours out from port, en route to Panama. Further particulars were promised in the morning.
 Van Buren sent the message and received 70. K." from Chicago. Whitman exclaimed that they were acting in connection with a syndicate of Wall street brokers who had ''sold short" 10000 shares of Pacific Mai stock at 91. The stock at the news of the dis aster would drop twenty-five points at least | and before any correction could reach New York the brokers would cover their ''short' in. terest and buy 1000 shares more for the rise which would surely follow the discovery oj the canard. Whitman promised the operate, $50, 900, and said that the profits for the whole syndicate would be s1,OOo, ,oOo. Van Burer remained with the gang, closely watched, fo, two days and then they all separated te rendezvous at St. Catharines, Ont, in { month. The operator made his way over tn, plains back to the stage route, and as rapidly as possible, by begging and borrowing reached Chicago ragged, hungry and penni | less.
 Gen. Stager listened to the recital witl great interest, and informed the operator that the bogus dispatch was received and be lieved in Chicago, but that a violent storn along the lakes delayed its transmission t. New York until after the western lines hat been repaired and news had been received which exposed the fraud. A quiet investiga tion had been going on ever since, both at tn
 west and in New York, to ascertain how an,
 where the dispatch originated, but with n
 result until now.
 After day or two Van Buren was ordere to Buffalo, and a plan formed to reach Whit
 man and obtain from him, if possible, tn
 names of his principals in New York. Va . Buren wrote to him at St. Catharines an
 Whitman wired back to come and see hin