Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-01-02
SPIRIT FINGERS AT THE KEY.
An Operator Bothered by Persistent Conn
munlcations from the Other World.

]
the indianapolis Journal. lie was
round faced good natured young fell
low, and great favorite with all who
knew him, very neat in his personal
appearance, being always dressed in
the latest and best that fashion dctat-
ed. He was without bad habits, aud
correct and business-like in all his
dealings.
The other day n Journal reporter
was stopped by the extended hand Of
dilapidated specimen OF humanity,
who. with a strange qnaver in his voice.
asked if the reporter did not recognize
/ him. Without waiting for the reply in
/ the negative which he saw in the un-
responsive glance of the reporter he
introduced himself rs the dapper little
/ telegrapher of other days. Suspect
/ ing this as preface to IA demand for n
cash contribution, the newspaper man
was putting his hand into his pocket,
when the seedy man interposed Il ges-
/ ture of dissent. Il am not asking for
cent; the boys have staked me. and /
have railroad ticket that takes me To
the old home in western New York. |
/ just stopped over Il few hours to see
two or three of the people who knew
me in 1881 and 1882. l leave tonight"
! The reporter could not restrain an
( impulse TO ask what had brought about
so great "A change in the appearance of
his whilom acquaintance. well, - he
replied with some hesitation. lit wasn't
spirits. ut least not ardent spirits, tor
never INDUCED to any extent in liquor.
1t was spirits of very different kind.
l don't know that they ever meant me
any harm, but they have about ruined
me as "A telegraphcr. There's one now.
| Don't you hear the sounder2 II. G.. =
/ II. G.'-'P. e., that's my call. I'll just
answer them '25'-that means busy
/ Perhaps they'll let me alone until tell
my story.
Il never knew anything about spir-
tualism, never cared anything about it,
and all at once. six years ago. without
any asking or desire on my part,
/ found myself to be possessed of the
strangest and most distressing medium
/ istic powers. had friend of about
my own age; we had learned telegraphy
/ together in Cleveland and had always
| been very intimate. About the time |
went to Omaha he went TO Cheyenne.
| We kept up correspondence by letter
and wire, but after while he got in
the habit of taking an occasional spree
/ He was delicate, sensitive fellow, and
on SOLDERING up would he the most
melancholy chap imaginable. His
sprees become more and more frequent.
his tits of depression deeper. One day.
! following prolonged debauch. he dis
appeared from Cheyenne. One of the
/ boys knowing our intimacy. tclegraphed
me To know ii he had come TO Omaha.
1t was exactly 1920 at night as | was
/ taking the message of the wires when
/ | heard the sounder on an old and dis
/ connected instrument, one that the
boys about the Office had PLAYED with,
! humping away, p. G.'-'P. G.'-'P.
/ G. | answered '1S' mechanically on
my own instrument-'W hats the mat
/ ter?'-and the sounder thumped out
the information that he (my frend)
! had passed over only minute or two
/ before. and that would find out all
ahoIt it three or four days later in the
SaG Francisco papers. 1t was all
strange to me. incomprehensible. At
first thought that Billy was playing
some sort OF trick on me. but there
!
and no chance of any hocas- pocus of
that kind. Ga the fifth day thereafter
got hold of a Frisco paper. i'll which
was the notice of the death of an un-
known man. supposed to be about "a
years old. ut the thirdrate hotel. and
the coroner's verdict death from eX-
cessive use OF alcoholic drinks and ex-
posure.' As | was reading this the
souuder started up again. You got the
papers. it ratified away. The coroner
was right. Great roundup for young
man. wasn't it?'
II didn't like the carelessness of this
remark continued the operator. land
said rs much. when the old soundeI
took it up and continued with even
greater recklessness. Billy had al.
ways been, even at his worst, consider.
ate OF the feelings Of others. He had
the instincts of a gentleman, but APP
parently after he passed over he be-
came lost To all decency and all regard
for the feelings and welfare OF him
who had been his best friend while
here in tho flesh. He kept up such a
( racket in the Omaha office that he in.
terfcred with my business. and there
| WAS no shutting nun OH. AllcI IL iluIc
he began TO bring in other operators
who had passed over and then you'd
better believe had Il time OF it. Some
OF these were disrepulable fellows.
and most of them were of IA class that
no self-respectinS operator OH earth
would care to associate with. | tried
to keep straight. quit drink entirely,
but they brought bad atmosphere
about me aud my acquaintances began
to cut me. My work at the office be-
came mixed in spite of all that could
do. for the spirits soon got tired of the
old sounder and came over to the live
liue.
The consequence was that | was
discharged. | didn't feel very sorry
about it ut first. had saved up a
hundred dollars or so and made up my
mind To- keep away from the click Of
the instrument entirely for month or
so and give the spirits chance TO
fasten on some other poor operator.
lodged them for about week. and
vnS hppiliniur In fppl like my old So (