Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-25
THE MUTE OPERATOR.
STORY IN THE LIFE OF A DEAF
AND DUMB TELEGRAPHER.

He Learned to Receive Messages Through
the Sense OF Touch-wayIsid and
Robbed of $1,000. Which Was After.
wards Recovered by Twin Brother.
ibid you ever hear of deaf and dumb
telegraph operatorl Don't believe it? Why,
man, taught deaf and dumb boy his first
dots. Believe it, Come, let me give you the
facts and a little story with it, off hand like,
and you can work it over to suit yourself and
readers"
Thereupm this foyer with lightning reeled
off the following yarn: ''The deaf and dumb
operator was my twin brother, SO alike in
form and feature, and indeed all save the one
great distinguishing mark of speech, as to be
often mistaken for myself At IL years of
age, bright, noble boy, that great scourge
of childhood, scarlet fever, robbed him of
those two most precious faculties, speech and
hearing. When had secured the position of
messenger at our local telegraph office, with
the promise of opportunity to perfect myself
In the art telegraphic, it was he who pro-
posed and carried out his purpose to
commence the study at tho same time,
and diligently did he pursue his
labor that, manned as he was, he ac-
quired by constant practice what would seem
an impossiblity. He read the fast recurring
clicks of the Morse instruments, not by sound,
as is the rule with telegraphers, but from the
sense Of touch as he placed his fingers lightly
upon tho moving 1rInature. His had been
all home practice from lessons delivered by
myself after other duties were over
Il applied for and secured the management
OF the office at c., a roodly town on the
kennebec. Here tie summer found us, my
brother and |, busily employed with office
duties. The deaf and dumb operator at
tended strictly to Il is branch of the business.
sitting with fingers lightly resting upon the
q Instruments, intent upon calls or copying
with pen the words as they flowed from the
quick pulsatious of the little brass ,.rmature
beneath his sensitive touch.
1T was well along into the ice harvest of
winter that one day Col. Tracy, agent in the
town for one of the larger ice companies, the
chief industry of the town, entered the office
and after cheery greeting, announced the
fact that 81 900 in greenbacks was expected
on the evening express, to be used by him in
paying the hands on the morrow. And,
boys he added. as | suppose you don't care
to keep that amount over night, perhaps
you'd better deliver it to me at the house;
then I'll lock 1t in my safe and be ready with
the pay roll in the morning, for the men will
to please the colonel, and readily consented
to do as he wished. During that afternoon a
furious storm of snow set in. Trains were
delayed, and, in consequence it was after 8
In the evening when the express parcels, and
among them the precious bundle of cash, ar
rived at the Office. Ours was a small office,
supporting no delivery team, and as one
of us must act a. messenger, my brother
proposed doing so while | settled up the
days business Had there been a thought of
danger in the err1 nd to disturb us | never
should have consented to his going alone:
being none, gave gesture of thanks as he
buttoned tightly his coat about him, seized
the parcel and stepped out into the storm
Alone i'll the office, the days busines was soon
put to order and the few express parcels
checked from the way bill Then, seated in
my brothers chair fell into reverie upon
the courage of the poor boy who sat there,
day after day, de; 10 all save the busy in
struments-until aroused by an unusual stir
at the Office door. They We're bringing him
in, my poor boy: bis clothes in disorder and
stained by the storm and, yes, blood What
could have happe,ed} Ills poor right hand,
which coulds have told in place of speech,
hung useless at his side, the arm disabled by
q blow
they had found h.m struggling through the
storm, and, recognizing him, had brought
him here Whiio plying the questions had
clGSped the wounded boy in my arms and
supported him to his accustomed seat beside
the instrument. We have need of q doctor
here greatly raising the injured arm. One
of the men immed ately started in search of o
physician.
What is it, dear boyr l asked aloud
For answer he erasped quickly my right
hand with his uniujured left, and with his
fingers spelled out the words in the familiar
Morse alphabet, which l read from the sim
pie strokes of his fingers 'Robbedl Robbed
Two Mufi1ed figures. Struck me down
Clung to money package to the last-till-tiu
they broke my arm. Oh, cruel, cruel-two
poor boys, to rob them OF so much
"A severe scalp wound, the result of blow
from some blunt instrument, and arm not
broken but badly hurt. Such was the ver-
dict of the physician after an examination
The long winter season at last grew into
spring, then summer, and the sun danced
again on the waves of the Kennebec My
brother was back once more in his old time
seat, fully recovered from his injuries and
busly working the wire as before. Yet no
trace of the stolen money nor the robbers.
gers dinner hour, when one eventful day
there came mes age of special Importance,
requiring immed ate delivery. Our estab-
lished reputation for promptness must not
suffer this to wait the messengers return, SO
thrusting the telei ram into the pocket of my
coat rushed off on delivery duty. / have
said that my brothers appearance so closely
resembled my own as to cause uncertainty
even among our friends in distinguishing one
from another.
Now, as my course lay down toward the
river among the ice houses, | noticed two
idlers of vagaboni appearance sitting cooling
their heels upon one of the long shutes which
proiect out into the river, used in hauling the
ice from its he'd W the great incline plane to
the entrance of tho house As came oppo-
site and almost within arms length of the
two WORTHLESS, one turning to the other ex-
claimed: Here comes the dummy, Bill. He's
got our mark on himr In an instant it flashed
upon me, nov was the time for action To
denounce then later as the robbers would be
hazardous
"'At last I've got you, and with the words,
followed by u cry for help, turned, and
sprang directly at the throat of the first
speaker. There was an answering cry of
surprise from the villain ere my fingers en-
circled his throat, and the next moment we
were rolling over and over, each struggling
for the mastery The other, evidently q
weaker spirit, took to his heels and aban-
doned his comr ade Soon my mad cries
brought help and the robber was secured
Then, after directing some to follow the fugi-
tive, / denounced them both as the express
robbers. That nj ght both-the runaway cap
tured-were safe within the walls of the VII
lage lookup.
FAt the trial which followed, the weaker
spirit quailed, AMI, to secure the clemency of
the court, made q full confession, likewise
disclosing the hiding place Of the stolen
money, which, lie IS some $500, was unearthed
and secured to the express company. Tho re-
ward of $500 for the arrest and conviction Of
the robbers enabled us to make good the
whcle amount. u Lewiston (Me.) Journal