Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-11-06
ACREAT SCOOP"



''1'he assassination of Lincoln" read
Henry N. Garland, passenger agent OF
the Wabash, as he spread out n copy
OF newspaper dated April Is, 1865.
and which contained an account of the
murder OF the president.
81 remember that event most vivid
ly." said Mr. Garland, "and it is i'm
printed on my memory through part
l played the next morning in connec-
ton with it. was a boy living in
Oswego. N. Y. at that time, and was
messenger boy for what was known
as the United States Branch Telegraph
Company 1t was Canadian line
and we were fighting the Western
Union for all we were worth. In
Oswcgo the Western Union Office was
separated only by a partition. The
rivalry and jealousy was bitter. and
messenger boys followed the example
of our superiors in working up busi-
ness. Whenever we'd delivered a
message we'd ask for an answer. and
II the fellow would say there was mono
we'd wait until he read the message
and then ask him if he was sure there
was nothing to go back.
ut was my business to open the
Office in the morning, and the day after
Lincoln was shot l was down at the
Office at 1880 getting ready for the days
work. There were no night offices then.
and no one in Oswego had heard Of the
assassination. AS opened the door
heard the instrument ticking our Office
call. was just learning then, and
knew nothing beyond the Office call, o.
s., and the alphabet, which l could
figure out l wondered why the thing
was going so early, and let it go for
awhile. The call was kept up for so
long l became convinced that it was
something big. We used tho old
wheels and roll OF paper in those days.
something like bucket shop ticker,
and l walked over to the instrument
two or three times undecided what to
do. There would be no one around
for an hour or two. and at last l went
to the key and broke in with Il l. the
signal that all was ready for the mes
sage and turned on the wheel. The
instant l did SO my hair began 70
raise. as the operator at the end, be-
lieving the regular man was on, began
to send in n big message. was fright
ened half to death and hardly knew
what to do. The blamed ticker kept q
going though, and after Ihad pranced
around the Office awhile, it began
giving the Office call again. surmis-
ed what the operator wanted this time
and ! gave him %. X and signed.
This was all he wanted and he let me
alone. took the strip OF paper and
pencil and sat down to figure out the
message. 1t was pretty cold, but I
was wet with perspiration and so ner-
vous l could hardly hold the pencil in
my fingers.
Il finally managed to find out what
1t meant. Abe Lincoln was shot and
our Office had got it first. rushed
out TO the door and saw that the West
ern Union had no bulletin out and then
began to work. got big sheet Of
paper and with plenty Of ink managed
to fix up a bulletin that drew crowd.
About $3.50 the manager came in and
asked me what meant l told him
what had done and he nearly had q
fit 1t was a great scoop on the West
ern Union and big adj for our COM
pany aud the boss predicted that !
would be the biggest operator and
telegraph man in the country-but
guess let down too soon." Chicago
Evening 10 urnal.