Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-05-10
SAVED BY BELL BUTTON.

"Some years ago. said A. How
ard, "my life and $4,000 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, bat had aban-
doned the business for mining. We
had luck IN prospecting, and after
a few years had sold our claims for
S27 300 of which We took $1,000
in prOmisory notes and started
East with the balance, chiefly in
bank notes. II appears that three
outlaws learned the real valne of
cur old trunks and contents. |
had left Jim at the clerks desk Of
a new faugled hotel in Western
town and followed the parties as
they carried the baggage to the
front end Of our room, on the fourth
floor. After dismissing them | had
shut the door, noglecting to lock it,
however, and had turned to the
washstand, behind, when | heard
the door swing slowly open behind
me.
"Thinking it was jim, | rinsed
the lather from my eyes aud turned,
only to find man holding a Six
shooter IN my face, another locking
the door, and a third making
break for the trunk. | wanted at
first to argue the matter from a
standpoint of morality, and so in'
qulred what right they had to dis
turb me in dressing. But the man
with the gun remark ed, axiomati-
cally, might makes all things
right, stranger, and this Is might,
tapping his weapon with the dis
engaged hand. | felt that the ST.
lent instrument in his hand was a
deeper, a more potent argument
than any | could advance under
existing circumstances.
"'Back him mp to the wall and
keep him covered until we get the
stuff, and then we'll slit his throat
and LOPEZ resumed the leader.
"Though the programme did not
Just suit me, / acquiesced, as far as
the wall. Put your hands behind
you.' commanded my jailer. | did,
when happy thought str1ck me.
My right hand had come in contact
with a knob, which recognized as
the electric bell which commnni'
Gated with the clerk. This was a
feature OF civilization the robbers
we're not posted abont. Unob'
served 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 gun
through the transom and shoot.
Be quick and CAREFUL
any only hope was that Jim
might be still lounging where | lett
him, in which case his ear would
quickly catch on. There was a
chance in a hundred, and | began
to sweat very freely. But | started
repeating the message, aud was
nearly through, when bang, bang,
two shots we're fred 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
t and the knowledge of being on the
right side at last. 1t would be
: painting it a shade light to say We
Ind sprung a surprise party on the
| visitors. | had a gun in a moment
5 and kept the thieves at bay unit
a the two men outside got in anC
. tied them up, except the leader
j who was as dead as a man evel
t gets to be. The other wounded
D one died in a hospital three months
!. afterwards, and my jailer wa'
J, killed in an attempt to escape lal
:. about the same time.
a GAS | had expected, when thu
! bell began ringing the message IL
d the Office, jim was there and com
r menced taking it. The clerk gaze'
8 IN such astonishment that he for
t got to start a boy up to answer
8 for a minute, when jim pulled hi
p gun and remarked THE first MAJ
d that leaves this room gets all Iy
i got here in the neck When b
had got the 'ringogram, as he al
terward termed it, he rapidly eS
planned, cautioned every body els
r not to follow, took drummer q
% had met on the train, snatched
ladder, and as soon as he conl
4 climb around the job was done."-