The record-union., 1892-12-12
GHCSTLY DOTS AND DASHFS
A Telegrapher's Queer story of a Mes
sage From the Unknown.


sage From the Unknown.
One of the widest, weirdest stories of
the supernatural that have ever come
under the experience of mortal man
was told a Detroit Sun man bv r. H.
Field, the Big -Four telegraph operator at
Southside Station. Mr.. Field is a very
intelligent and conscientious man, and he
relates his fearful experience with a
candor and earnestness that almost make
one believe it in spite of its extreme inn
probability.
1T was seven years ago." he began. ''I
was assigned to night duty at a littIeista-
ton called Evansburg, Pa, on the New
York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad.
| hadn't been around the world very
much, but tlattered myself that l had a
good deal of mechanical genius. The
office was in charge of an old-fogy sort of
a fellow named Jones. The telegraph
instrument got out of adjustment, and |
knew something about repairing +.
Jones suggested that l take to my home
an old-tashioned relay box and fix it up.
Glad of the opportunity to show what [
could do, carried the box to my board
ing-hOuse one morning and put it on
shelf in an old cupboard and went to bed.
intending to fix ii up after my sleep was
over. | had been in bed but a few min
utes, and had not gone to sleep, when to my
surprise and establishment the armature.
or what is otherwise known as the lever
on the instrument, began ticking. l was
perfectly amazed and thought there must
be some mistake. To satisfy myself that
had not been carried away by my
imagination, tor the ticking was faint and
subdued, | got out of bed and with fear
and trembling opened the cupboard door.
"I took the instrument in my hand and
it still continued to work. l put it on the
table, but the sound it made was unin-
al hlp turnnl tln hot
there would be less resistance, and then
in as clear and perfect Morse as | ever
heard, the invisible person, spirit, or
whatever it was, wrote:
"'Do you get meP
81 was so overcome that [ involun-
tarily answered yes without putting it
on the instrument. The unknown heard
me, for again in the beautiful writing, it
continued:
"'Thank God, at last. My name is
Charles Blake. l am an old-timer. MY
parents, who reside in Mount Pleasant.
Iowa, have lost me. They don't know
what my fate has been. l want you to
write TO my father, Homer Blake, at
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and inform him
that l died at Shreveport, La, of yellow
fever on - l have forgotten the date.
but it was several years prior to the date
OF this communication.
Il was frightened to death. Nv hair
stood on END. My boarding house was
two miles from the telegraph station, and
there was no telegraph wire OF any kind
in the vicinity. l WAS a little dubious
about the communication from the other
world, or from somewhere, | will not
undertake to say.
Before veuturing to write to Homer
Blake as directed, picked up a Western
Union tariff book which / had in nv
room to see if there was such town as
Mount Pleasant, Iowa. l found there
was such a place, and it was located on
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Railroad. 10 satisfy myself and not to be
taken in. | wrote letter to the Postmaster
Mt Mount Pleasant and asked if he knew
OF anyone in that vicinity named Homer
Blake and 10 give me what information
he could, without telling him what |
wanted it for.
"A few days later I received reply,
and | have his letters somewhere among
my effects, i'll which he said that Homer
Blake had lived in Mount Pleasant years
before, but that he had moved away, to
what place he did not know. Blake, he
informed NE, had two sons, one OF whom,
Charles, was supposed TO be dead, and the
other was q grain merchant in the far
West"
Ibid you not pursue your investiga-
tions further ?''
mo, [ did not. The truth is, was
scared to death. | worked the wire for
eighteen months. Every time [ took off
the relay it made the same peculiar noise
and worked in a spluttering sort OF a way,
and to show that there must have been
some hidden or occult force it crossed the
other wires"