The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-06-11
ATELECRAPHER' YARN.
iowa Farmers Listen with Wonder tC
Music in Plymouth Church.

THE trouble that is being expert.
enced in several cities with electric
light wires and the number of men who
have been killed repairing them," said
q Western Union operator the other
morning about 2 o'clock as he stood in
company with several other lightning
singers on the corner of Main street
and Public Landing, while the water
rose over their shoe-tops, reminds me
of lot of smart people who, when
electric lighting was first talked
about, thought they knew more about il
than Edison. They wouldn't let me
say word about electricity, and in
deed / didn't know much about it, but
certainly more than any of those hay.
seeds. and 1 had to play joke on them
which, although it didn't kill any of
the greenies, came near killing me
with laughing. It was in little Iowa
town and was manager of the little
Western Union telegraph office. Every
night the people would get together in
small crowds in the various stores and
loafing places, and the amount of
knowledge they showed in regard to
electric lighting would have made Tom
Etttsou go sit down in-tite rroetts ana
wonder whether he knew what he was
doing or not. Oh, they were awfully
intelligent on the subject, and if l ven
tured to make any correction of their
foolish notions l was told in plain
words that had better keep quiet in
presence of such learned company.
Well, 1 thought they needed taking
down q peg or two, and after little
thought as to how it should be ac-
complished, [ took newspaper re-
porter into my confidence, and in the
next issue of the paper appeared the
following startling bit of news:
.'On next Saturday afternoon at 4
O'Clock the citizens of R will have
an opportunity to witness one of the
most Wonderful exhibitions of Edison's
genius as an electrician that has ever
been seen. At that time a telegraph
wire will be connected with the Omaha
Bee Office and Beecher's church, in
Brooklyn, and several tunes will be
played on the organ of the church
which can be heard at all points
through which the wire will pass.
The local manager of the Western
Union has been notified that one oi
his wires will be used, so that all who
are at the office at the time above men
toned will hear this marvellous per-
formance of Edison's latest invention
which is called trelaphone.'
"Well, you would have thought
there was a county fair in progress il
that town the next Saturday. As
early as 9 a. m. the farmers began tc
come in, and by o'clock the office anC
the payement in front of it were crowd
ed with those smart electricians whC
| would hear the music and then tel
each other how easy it was done. Yes
they heard it and told how it was done
| 5ut their explanation of it was was OIL
a par with their sense on electric light
ing"
But where did the music com
fromPn asked one of the boys who's
! shoes were fast filling with muddy Obi
| river water.
.'Well, I'll tell you. A girl at tn
house where l boarded had a !ittl
music box that played three tunes. Tw
of them had never heard before no
since | saw that box, and the third on
was The Last Rose of Summer
took that box and put it in the bottom
drawer on one side of my desk and pu
a match under the wheel, so the thin
| wOuldnt go on, anu oll Il0 YIN " III
match I tied long piece OF threac
which I run up behind the desk to tn
top drawer on the other side. an
fastened it so that if L pulled ths
drawer out the thread would pull th
match out of the wheel and let tn
organ play.
q Promptly at 4 o'clock I remarkc
that l would smoke cigar and opene
the drawer to get match, and ava
went the organ in Beecher's church
You could have heard pin drop Will
the music-box played its three littl
, tunes, and as the box was smothere
up with papers and other things tha
| will accumulate in desk, the decel
ton was very plausible. But whe
She began to play The Last Rose
summer 1 had to blow my nose &c, COZ
1 stantly to keep from laughing. VINE
l II was all over the crowd went ava.
satisfied that what they had heard WI
a Genuine exhibition of one Of the gre
r Td;son's wonderful inventions and
far as know, they never learned a. al
different. as left there shortly afte
ward to find a place where Peol
didn't know so much. '-Ct'1ct'''''
|