Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-07-20
TRICKS AMONG TELEeRAPAERs.
The TeRderfoot Is Usually Put Through .
 Vigorous Course of Sprouts.

The TeRderfoot Is Usually Put Through .
 Vigorous Course of Sprouts.
 Speaking of country town telegraph CTS" said a veteran operator, reminds me of story on myself. was the student of the railway station in small New Jersey town when an old timer came down there to work wire in the division superintendent's office, which was just across the track in another build ing.
 'One day I answered a call on my in- strument and got message from Mas ter Mechanic McMartin, who lived down the track sixty miles, asking me as per sonal favor to take the handcar and go down the road about three miles to the farm of J. Bird, where l would get 500 strawberry plants, He wanted me to bring them to the station and send them down by the evening express. Now Nc Martin was in especial favor with me. ! had two brothers working under him, and naturally thought he was great man. So I said I would do it.
 'I went home, got a big clothes basket, rolled out the handcar, and with one of the boys that always hang around a country depot started out to find the farm of J. Bird. I had never heard of any such person, but thought I might have overlooked him. So pumped away up a long grade until reckoned had gone at least three miles. Then hailed man in field and asked him where J. Bird lived. He said there wasn't any such man around there-might live farther west; so 1 went on a couple of miles until 1 found another man, and he was at least half a mile away in plowed field So foundered over that stretch of broken ground and asked him where to find the farm of J. Bird. He said he had lived in that county thirty years, and that no such person had ever been in it so far as he knew-there was no such man in that immediate section, anyway.
 "I went back to the handcar in a quandary. would have gone farther west, though l was already between eight and nine miles from town, and my hands from pumping the handcar were bfistered fearfully, if it hadn't been for the old farmers positive statement that no such man lived anywhere around. Finally concluded that there had been some mistake and started back. It was mighty hard work and my hands were awful sore, but 1 pumped away, and at last rolled up to the depot. There was great crowd of young fellows there, and when I picked up the big clothes basket and stepped on to the platform everybody gave me great laugh. Then the old time operator put his head out of the window and sung out:
 "'Got them strawberry plants?
 ''It didn't take me more'n a second to realize the whole measly trick. The op- orator from the other building had switched on his ground wire, called me up and sent me the message and signed it McMartin. On the strength of that had gone out on hunt for a jaybird and come back with two dozen blisters. While was gone he had circulated the story and the gang had gathered. didn't hear the last of that sell for months, and was so suspicious after ward that I wouldn't answer my own call half the time. That's what I call a low down trick; but I've hoaxed young operators just as badly since. It teaches 'em the business. New York Star.