Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1894-06-12
A TICK ON THE WALL.

"Whon l was young man, )" remarked
the traveller, sitting by the hotel stove one
night, II was for about five years tele-
graph operator, and it was the making Of
my fortune When 1 was 25, was sent
down into Mexico with lot of other oper-
ators to handle the tickers for new line
they We're building there.
AFTER had been working there about
a month we had 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 $50, 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
came back to my town 1 never saw o
man In such pitiable state Of grief over
any piece of deviltry as that landlord was,
"That night I retired about II O'Clock,
and just as was on the point of falling
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 it and went to sleep.
Once or twice during the night rolled
over uneasily and fancied could hear that
| dcathwatch still plugging away. just be-
| fore daybroak I 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
| o'clock q knock on my door wallened me
for breakfast, and at first thought the
deathwatch must have found a hammer
and changed his base of operations, but
when l had my eyes fully opened an
swcrcd the knock and heard the caller pat
| ter along down the hall to another door.
AS 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 began to listen.
"sTick, 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
accustomed to it discovered it was not
| irregular.
"Then all at once I sat bolt upright in
| bed, with my ears almost standing straight
out from my head, and the next minute
had laid the side Of my face flat against
the wall. think my heart must have
licked 10 times to that others ticking once
as pressed my ear tight against the wall,
and then l almost yelled at my discovery,
but a second thought came and kept still.
"'Tick tick, tick, tickety, tickety, tick,
tick went tho noise, and read the tele-
graph signals:
"'Helpp they said, help, for Gods sake!
I am the prisoner they are holding for ran
som, and the landlord is in league with
the brigands!'
''My wits came to me then, and taking
hammer had in my small kit ticked
back:
"'Keep up your courage. l am the
American telegraph operator and will have
you out of that as soon as I can get q force
here
''Then dressed quickly, went to my
breakfast, which ate as usual, for was
afraid to do anything to excite suspicion
bination could organize to save my man
The town police 1 believed, were in col
lusion 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 the
poor, unfortunate gentleman, but there
have just arrived in the town 100 govern
ment troops, and they will hunt the muir
dcrcrs 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 chcorfully, and
must go to prepare for them.
"He hurried away, and waited for tht
officers In few minutes had told my
story, and in very few more minutes
they had hurried back to their company
and l was on the tavern steps with tn
landlord when the whole body came up
The landlord was all bows and smiles, ant
the officers came up smiling themselves
In two minutes more they had seized him
and quietly, SO as to cause no alarm, WI
took him to my room, and telegraphet
to the prisoner to know how to get int
his pen. He gave me directions as he bes
could and after difficult search, as TIN
landlord swore he knew nothing and coult
tell nothing we found our man in littl
room with heavy wall all about it ant
no sign of window.
ITO make long story Short" conclud
ed tho traveller, 1--WE got our man out, and
more gratified one you never saw. He tolt
me he had learned telegraphy for pastime
and when he was boxed up in there 1t oc
Cured to him that possibly somebod.
might be beyond the wall who knew tn
signs and that all the time he was no
sleeping he had been repeating that mes
sage on each side of the room and hat
been doing so ever since the first day 0
his capture, for tho robbers had put hin
in there the first night. He felt safe II
doing it, because he knew nobody knev
the signs but the Americans who were il
that vicinity as operators, and it was OF
the chance Of catching one of them he hat
done it, AS said, he was the most CRATE
full man you ever saw, and after rewardinl
all the soldiers literally he gave me pc
sition that let me get out Of the countr
with half a million dollars in seven years.
"What became of the landlord" inquir
ed the hotel clerk.
"Shot the next morning Of daybreak.
w. j. hampton in Detroit Free Press.