The Florida agriculturist., 1889-06-05
SAVED BY A BELL BUTTON.
A Telegrapher's Successful Expert
ment with a Morse Sounder.

my life and 10000 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 $27, 300, of
which we took 81 300 in pFomissory notes
and started east with the balance, chiefly
in bank notes. 1t appears that three
outlaws learned the real value of our old
trunks and contents. had left Jim at
the clerks desk of new tangled 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. After dismissing them had shut
the door, neglecting to lock it, however,
and had turned to the washstand behind,
when heard the door swing slowly open
behind me-
thinking it was Jim, l rinsed the
lather 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. /
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
hand l felt that the silent instrument
in his hand was a 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 LOPEZ re-
sumed the leader.
Though the programme did not just
suit me, / acquiesced, as far as the wall
Put your hands behind you,' command
ed my jailer. did, when a happy
thought struck me. My right hand had
come in contact with a knob, which !
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,
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 a 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 l left him, in which
case his ear would quickly catch on.
There was chance in hundred, and l
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. 1t would be painting it
shade light to say we had sprung sur
prise party on the visitors. had a 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 a hospital three
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 boy up to
answer it for minute, when Jim pulled
l.