The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-06-29
A TICK ON THE WALL.


night, 1T was for about five years tele-
my fortune. When was 25. was sent
down into Mexico with lot of other oper-
ators to handle the tickers for new line
they were building there.
"After had been working there about
y month we had a big sensation in the
shape of the abduction of an Englishman
who owned one of the biggest mines in the
mountains, and he was held for ransom.
The brigands wanted 500, 900 for him, and
the authorities did all they could to catch
the band or rescue the prisoner, but with
out avail. They couldn't find hide nor
hair of robber or Englishman but the de-
mand for ransom still stood. I'd been
along down the line for a week, and when
I came back to my town / never saw
man in such pitiable state of grief over
any piece of deviltry as that landlord was
"That night 1 retired about II o'clock,
and Just as 1 was ON the point of falling
asleep heard what 1 thought was a crick-
ct or rather deathwatch knocking on
the heavy wall of masonry against which
my bed stood. could hear the faint knock
ing Of the bug, but not being superstitious
paid little attention to 1t and went to sleep.
Once or twice during the night rolled
over uneasily and fancied could hear that
deathwaGch still plugging away. Just be-
fore daybreak heard it again and made
up my mind to make little investigation
in the morning and see what manner Of
insect 'deathwatch' was anyhow. AT
z o'clock knock on my door Weakened mo
for breakfast, and at first thought the
deathwatch must have found a hammer
and changed his base of operations, but
when I had my eyes fully opened I an
swered the knock and heard the caller pat
ter along down the hall to another door.
AS I lay in bed enjoying for moment or
two the pain of having to get up, heard
my deathwatch again, this time in the
wall near my head and 1 began to listen.
"'Tick, tick, it went, then several ticks,
but could not see any sign of bug or in
sect.
"'Tick, tick, tick it went again, slow
| er and faster, irregularly l thought at
| first, but in moment or two as became
| accustomed to it discovered it was not
irregular.
"Then all at once sat bolt upright in
| bed, with my ears almost standing straight
out from my head, and the next minute L
had laid the side of my face fat against
the wall. I think my heart must have
| licked 10 times to that others ticking once
as pressed my ear tight against the wall,
and then almost yelled at my discovery,
but second thought came, and kept still.
"'Tick, tick, tick, tickety, tickety, tick,
tick, went the noise, and read the tele-
| graph signals:
"'Helpp they said, help for Gods sakel
how hn1 linn FL,
| som, and the landlord Is in league with
| the brigands!
"My wits came to me then, and taking
q hammer had in my small kit licked
back:
"'Keep up your courage. I am the
| American telegraph operator and will have
| you out of that as soon as can get force
| here
"Then dressed quickly, went to my
breakfast, which ate as usual, for was
afraid to do anything to excite suspicion,
| and went out to see what kind of COM
bination could organize to save my man.
| The town police, believed, were in col
| fusion with the brigands, and could not
| go to them. At the corner of the street
| met the landlord.
"'Ah, Mr.. American, he said, almost
| In tears we have heard nothing of tho
poor, unfortunate gentleman, but there
have just arrived in the town 100 govern
ment troops, and they will hunt the muir
| derers down and do justice to the poor pris-
| oner. There comes the gentleman in COM
mand now,' and looking as the landlord
pointed saw Mexican cavalry captain
| with two aids walking.
"'They are going to stop at my house.,
explained the landlord cheerfully, and
must go to prepare for them
| "He hurried away, and waited for the
officers In few minutes had told my
story, and in very few more minutes
they had hurried back to their company,
and was on the tavern steps with the
landlord when tho whole body came up.
The landlord was all bows and smiles, and
the officers came up smiling themselves.
In two minutes more they had seized him,
and quietly, so as to cause no alarm, wo
took him to my room and l telegraphed
to the prisoner to know how to get into
his pen. He gave me directions as he best
could and after difficult search, as tho
landlord swore he knew nothing and could
tell nothing, we found our man in little
room with heavy wall all about it and
no sign Of a window.
ITO make o long story short" conclud-
ed the traveller, 1--WE got our man out, and a
more gratified one YOU never saw. He told
me he had learned telegraphy for pastime,
and when he was boxed up in there it &C.
CURED to him that possibly somebody
might be beyond the wall who knew the
signs, and that all the time he was not
sleeping he had been repeating that mes
sage on each side of the room and had
been doing so ever since the first day Of
his capture, for the robbers had put. him
In there the first night. He felt safe in
doing 1t, because he knew nobody knew
tho signs but the Americans who were in
that vicinity as operators, and it was on
the chance Of catching one of them he had
done it. AS said, he was the most CRATE
full man you ever saw, and after rewarding
all the soldiers literally he gave me a po-
sition that let me get out Of the country
with half a million dollars in seven years. I"
What became Of the landlord" inquir-
ed the hotel clerk.
"Shot the next morning at daybreak. I"
w. j. hampton in Detroit Free Press.
L
n Druggists Precaution.
One of the most prominent druggists in