Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-01
A GREAT SCOOP"
Telegraph Messenger Boys Remnfs-
cence of the Lincoln Assassination.

"The assassination of Lincoln" read
Henry N. Garland, passenger agent of
the Wabash, as he spread out copy
of newspaper dated April Is, 1865,
and which contained an account of the
murder of the president.
Il remember that event most vivid
w." said Mr.. Garland land it is inn
printed on my memory through part
| played the next morning in connec-
ton with it. | was boy living in
OsW ego, n. Y, at that time and was a
messenger boy for what was known as
the United States Branch Telegraph
Company 1t was Il Canadian line
and we were fighting the Western
Union for all we were worth. In
Oswego the Western Union office and
our office was separated only by a par
tition. The rivalry and jealousy was
bitter, and messenger boys followed
the example of our superlors in work.
ing up business. Whenever we'd de-
livered a message we'd ask for an an
swer and if the fellow would say there
was none we'd wait until he read the
message and then ask him if he was
sure there was nothing to 90 back.
1t was my business to open the
office in the mornings, 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 | open
ed the door | heard the instrument
ticking our office call. | was just
learning then and knew nothing be-
yond the office call. O. S., and the
alphabet. which l could figure out. I
wondered why the thing was going so
early and let it 60 for while. The
call was kept up for so long | became
convinced that it was something big.
We used the old wheels and all the
paper in those days, something like a
bucket shop ticker, and | 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 | went to the key and broke
in with i j. the signal that all was
ready for the message and turned on
the wheel. The instant / did SO my
hair began to raise as the thing went
Off like an engine, as the operator at
the end. believing the regular man
was on, began to send in big mes
sage. | was frightened half to death
and hardly knew what to do. The
blamed ticker kept a going though,
and after l had pranced around the
office awhile, it began giving the office
call again. l surmised what the OPP
orator wanted this time and | gave
him o. X and signed. This was all
he wanted and he let me alone. l took
the strip of paper and pencil and sat
down to figure out the message. 1t
was pretty cold, but l was wet with
perspiration and so nervous l could
hardly hold the pencil in my fingers.
Il finally managed to find out what
it 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 l began to work. | got a big
sheet of paper and with plenty of ink
managed TO fix up a bulletin that drew
a crowd. About $50 the manager
came rushing in ard asked me what l
meant. | told him what | had done
and he nearly had tit. 1t was great
scoop on the Western Union and big
adj for our company and the boss pre-
dicted that | would be the biggest OPP
orator and telegraph man in the coun-
try-but guess | let down too soon."