The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-02
HEARD The new TELEPHONE.
Travelling PakiTS Deceive a Crowd Of Curious
COulGTmGl.

My partner was a bad man." said tho
tramp, as he curled his legs under the park
| bench and tried 10 persuade himself that he
was not cold because the spring sun was
shining. 81 confess that l was often led
into sin by Jim,' and his eye twinked as
his mind recalled some piece of choice
iniquity which his face and voice tried to
mourn for.
Jim was a glib talker and he took me
into partnership selling patent medicines
down South. in the country towns off the
| line OF the railroads, at fairs and on market
days. was the capper who came up and
bought the stuff when the sale hung fire and
jim did all the nratOry. Our luck was as
good as the average, but one day we struck
town in Alabama where a well-atteDded
fair was going on, but we could not sell
enough cOrn,paster or ague cure to pay for
our meals. Too many of our kind had been
through that town recently.
'Jim,' said, you're beat at last And
believe you re no good!
Pm not beat yet,' said Jim. Give me
time to go on another tack If can't catch
these jays one way, | can another. The
telegraph operator here is an old friend CT
mine and | can get him drunk in half a day.
If set about it, and then I'll show you q
trick worth knowing
Then he got some dodgers printed ut r
job office and sent me to distribute them
through the town, while he devoted him
self TO the telegraph operator. Thess
dodgers read as follows: Wonderful exhibit
ton of Edison's new telephone-After the
close of business Mt the telegraph office this
evening an exhibition VIII be given OF this
marvellous instrument - BY arrangement
with the head office in New York. visitors
can hear the famous organ in Chickering
Hall playing popular muSio-AdmissiOn Csc
L had no idea of how the trick was to be
done, but | had faith in Jim. The tee-
graph office closed at 6 o'clock and by that
time the operator was duly paralyzed.
When the crowd began to arrive Jim had
big funnelshaped tin attached to the telc-
graph instrument. and he had the
''sounder' detached and an open wire
attached to il, and so arranged under his
desk that he could, with one hand, tele-
graph to himself. Then he made fine
speech, telling how he was travelling over
the country Just to introduce the new tee-
phone. The simple funnel they saw before
them was connected by wire with the tele-
phone in Chickering Hall, New Y ork, and
he would now turn on the music.
Then the telegraph instrument began to
tick and the music finated out over the room
and the people began TO express their as
constituent in tOh's and Ans of apore-
quarters at the door and Jim felt en-
couraged. He began to talk eloquently
about the wonders of the telephone, when
an old chap asked:
Did you say this was the Chickering
Hall organ we hear?
80 just that, my dear sir, replied Jim,
glibiy. You see the
"'That's no organ interrupted the old
man. It's more like piano
~ am very sorry for your Ignorance
says jim with calm gall. If YOU don't
know piano from an organ, and the fl est
one.'
Pm not so ignorant as you would like
me to be. my fine fellow, answered the old
chap angrily. L believe you're fraud,
and before Jim could prevent him he had
reached his long walking stick over, caught
the crook about the cover of the desk, and
yanked it open, revealing inside littl.
music-bax that was playing 1.-The Star
spangled Banner" full tilt.
There was yell of rage and rush for
Jim and me aud the telegraph operator
Butwe had been in tight places before Quick
as q flash | knocked over one lamp and Jim
the other. and in the confusion and dark
ness we shot out window, leaving the
luclsless though innocent operator to the
tender ,mereies OF the swindled South
prnerS"