The Van Buren press., 1893-09-02
TRICKS OF ELECTRICITY.
How Young Lad Stole Messages from
Telegraph Wire.


How Young Lad Stole Messages from =
Telegraph Wire.
Electricity is good servant, but a
bad master. When it is a servant it
carries the messages instead of killing
the messenger, and it rings bells, in
stead of melting them. In watching
the electric cars you will have noticed
how ready the electricity is to escape,
or, at least, how ready it is to make a
spark, which shows that something
has happened What happens in such
a case is that the force of the electrici-
ty does not pass by contact from the
wire to the trolley wheel, but having
to jump through the air, makes the
spark. Although the electric current
will keep to its wire, and usually do its
work quite properly, it very easily be-
comes kind of truant from school,
and will run off, and go into
the earth and become lost.
This is little trick which
1t has, and the knowledge that it will
do 80 is sometimes useful. You may
have read how, during war, the SOL
diers of one side will gallop across coun-
try and tap the telegraph wires, as it is
called. This means that by using a
small apparatus, which they carry with
them. they can stop the telegraph mes
sage from passing any farther along
the wire, and can take off the message
at that point and read it themselves.
They do this in order to find out If pos
sible, what their enemies may be tele-
graphing to each other about. Then,
when they reach such messages they
can send back a reply to deceive their
enemies, who, not knowing that the
telegraph wires have been tapped, may
suppose that the reply is the real reply
of the persons to whom they tele-
graphed. But can remember an elec-
tric trick which was not at all useful,
though it was rather amusing.
A good many years ago, when l was
In Germany, happened to know fam
fly who used in the summer to live in
house of their own, in the chief town
of one of the German states, which we
will call the state of the Duke OF PUN
pernickel. This name is, in Germany,
as you may know, the name OF very
dark looking bread. But this name is
not the German name, for the bread is
SO called because, when the French sol
diers at the beginning of the century
were in Germany, they were given this
bread to eat; but they said it is only
"bon pour Nicole," meaning that it was
only good for their horses, which every
Frenchman generally calls Nicole. And
then the German peasants, in trying To
saw the French words, made out
of them the word Pumpernickel.
Now the Duke of Pumpernickel
lived in what he called his residence
town." for the capital of each state in
Germany is called the residence
town." and Berlin is also called the
"world town" The duke had, OF
course, telegraph wires going in every
direction through his residence town,
and from it to the other towns and
villages of his country, and also to the
towns and residence towns OF the
neighboring sovereigns 1t so hap.
pened that nearly all the wires turned
the corner of the street in which was
the house of my friends family, and
passed underneath some OF the upper
windows. The youngest son OF my
friend was a bright little boy OF about
twelve wears of age, and ! suppose he
had been reading about electricity, and
about its liking to run away II IL coulo
get n chance. At any rate he found out
that. by hanging wire from the teie'
oraph wires and continuing it to the
eartb he could make all the electricity
run off into the earth. So he took MS
fishing-rod and arranged it with a long
wire and he let the other end OF the
wire 90 through the rooms, and out OF
a back window into the garden. lhen,
whenever he thought that no one couio
soe him he amused himself in throw
;ng tbe wire. as if he were fy-hshing'
over the telegraph wires and after let
ting It rest awhile would flick IL OH
and then fish again.
There vast great trouble among the
roon,e who sent messages from the
resiaence town, and among the neigh
bors who sent messages into the resi-
dence town; for every day good many
of them mysteriously disappeared 90
the duke and his ministers sent messen-
gers TO find out where the detect IN liie
n;res was. But the telegraph poles were
al m and the wires were all in their
places, and the insulators seemed 10 DC
all in good order; yet most OF the mes, mes
sopcs never arrived. In few Gays
this state of things became very seri,
ons. and the duke and his ministers did
not know how they could carry on the
;.,.o,tant nor business OF the state, and
n,anare their little army, and inter
change courtesies with the neighpor-
;ng States. Neither could the mer-
ahsrts S or hotel keepers, or travellers
Va S,,re that their telegraph messages
nould arrive. So at last the policemen
W. 49, o.bors were set to watch all over
aha aMa town TO find out, If possible, what
,.as .m. interfering with the business ol
.he state of Pumpernicltel. finally .
'n1 ,;ss,mon saw the little boy cast MS
SS.hinp-rod to fish for the l messages .eas
sro,n tbe wires between the telegraph
nolss. The policeman in great lna's