Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-06-08
SAVED sT A BELL BUTTON,
An Old Ielegrapher's Successful Experi-
 ment with a Morse Sounder.

ment with a Morse Sounder.
 "Some years ago." said A. Howard, "my life and $2O.0O0 belonging to my partner, Jim Bigney. and myself were saved and gang of robbers broken up by means of an electric bell. Jim and had been telegraph operators, but had abandoned the business for mining. We had luck in prospecting, and after few years had sold our claims for S27 300, of which we took $7 300 in promissory notes and started east with the balance, chiefly in bank notes. It appears that three outlaws learned the real value of our old trunks and contents. I had left Jim at the clerks desk of a new fangled hotel in a western town and followed the par ties as they carried the baggage to the front end of our room on the fourth floor. Af5er lislfiiasiflg Them had shut the door, neelecflhe to lock it. however, and Sad tuned t6 fllss xashsfand behind. wheis ] heard the door swing slowly open behind fs1e ssz ssesa ssss <!
 Thinking it was Jim, I rinsed the father from my face and turned. only to find man holding six shooter in my face, another locking the door and third making break for the trunk. I wanted at first to argue the matter from a standpoint of morality, and so inquired what right they had to disturb me in dressing. But the man with the gun re- marked automatically, Might makes all things right, stranger, and this is might tapping his weapon with the disengaged hopI I folk tl0f tha ofior1% ,k in his hand was deeper, a more potent argument than any could advance un- der existing circumstances.
 "'Back him up to the wall and keep him covered until we get the stuff, and then we'll slit his throat and lope, re- stunned the leader.
 Though the programme did not just suit me, I acquiesced, as far as the wall. Put your hands behind you,' command ed my jailer. I did, when happy thought struck me. My right hand had come in contact with knob, which l recognized as the electric bell which communicated with the clerk. This was a feature of civilization the robbers were not posted about. Unobserved by them, I began sending the following message:
 'JIM-Three robbers have the door locked, and are just waiting to get our dust to murder me. Get a man and step ladder. and don't make 8 sign of noise, put a gun through the transom and shoot. Be quick and careful.
 My only hope was that Jim might be still lounging where I left him, in which case his ear would quickly catch on. There was chance in hundred, and 1 began to sweat very freely. But started repeating the message, and was nearly through, when bang, bang, two shots were fired from over the door, and the man, who had not been hit, turned just enough to let me hit him back of the ear with my right hand-the force of despair and the knowledge of being on the right side at last. It would be painting it a shade light to say we had sprung sur prise party on the visitors. had gun in moment, and kept the thieves at bay until the two men outside got in and tied them up, except the leader, who was as dead as man ever gets to be. The other wounded one died in hospital thcee months afterward, and my jailer was killed in an attempt to escape jail about the same time.
 "As had expected, when the bell be- gan ringing the message in the office. Jim was there and commenced taking it. The clerk gazed in such astonish- ment that he forgot to start a boy up to answer it for minute, when Jim pulled his gun and remarked: The first man that leaves this room gets all I've got here in the neck When he had got the 'ringogram, as he afterward termed it, he rapidly explained, cautioned every body else not to follow, took a drummer he had met on the train, snatched lad. der, and as soon as he could climt around the job was done. St. Louis Globe-Democrat.