The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-24
TELEGRAM FROM TIE DEAD.
The Strange Message That Was Flashed
Over The Wires.

The Telegraph Instrument Gave Notice
of the Approach of a Band of Indians
Who Intended to Murder the Operator
at an Isolated Station and Hold UP
a Train, Although the Supposed
Sender Had DIED Several Hours Be-
fore.
From the Philadelphia Times.
In 1SS- 1 was telegraph operator at a
relay station on the main line of the South
ern Pacific railroad, in New Mexico. My
neighbor was Frederick Albaugh. at Tu-
mis-, another lonely and isolated switch
and telegraph station, twelve miles east.
Fred and l had frequent chats over the
wires at night, when the wires were COM
paratively free from business. My time
for going on duty was at o'clock p. m.
My station was best known as Lone
Switch" a title given it by the trainmen
because of its being in such an isolated
locality. II was, indeed, lonely spot,
away out there on the dark mesa" and
with only the occasional howl Of a coyote
or the harsh squeak of a sand-hin crane
to break the prevailing stiffness.
One Saturday evening the sos eastbound
train was several minutes overdue at
Gage, and among others with me in the
waiting room I noted the presence of sew
eral rancherOs. They were evidently from
the south, and the subject of their con-
versatiOn was Apache Kid" who had
been committing depredations along the
southern border. He had given both the
Mexican and states officers considerable
trouble, and embOldened by his success. in
evading capture, he and number of
demons hand
of Apaches had extended the line of their
operations to ranch on the outskirts
of the little "greaser' village of Upper
Ciudad.
OF course, there was little or no appre-
hension of his attacking so large a set
tlement as Gage, but some of the outlying
ranches were practically unprotected, and
a his mercy, unless his murderous course
was stopped by the cavalry force stationed
a Fort Pierson. ] did not apprehend for
moment that the Kid would venture as
far north as Lone SWitch'-lndeed no
such idea entered my mind.
When the train came into Gage sta
ton, twenty minutes late, bound for
Lone Switch" l got aboard and stood
on the platform of the smoking car, talk
ing to one of the brakemen. Soon the con-
ductor joined us remarking at the same
'"Too bad about Albaugh, isn't it?''
] asked him what he meant. Replying he
why didn't you know the boy was
taken down with mesa leVef lulS morn
ing? No q stopped at Tunis the red
was down, and after waiting reasonable
time for a clear signal the conductor
walked to the station TO see, what was
amiss. There he found Albaugh senseless,
all curled up on the floor and raving like
a maniac He was placed on the train
and taken to the hospital at Cambury,
where the doctor pronounced y Verita-
BILE case of mesa fever, with slim
chance of recovery. A substitute for AL
baugh could not be procured right away,
and for the time being Tunis station
is closed up"
1t was quite late when we reached
Lone Switch" The up train was wait
ing for us. Each train soon passed from
my sight and ! was left alone, with my
heart oppressed over the condition of
poor Fred Albaugh AS the night wore
on a curious indefinable uneasiness took
possession of me; every sound from the
''mesa'' startled me, and dismal squeak
of a crane flying over the station made
me jump from my chair with sheer fright.
There were, too, strange sounds on the
wires that night-sounds that no opera
tor could understand or explain; curious
dashes and thrills totally unlike those of
the daytime. Several times ! thought
heard my call but when l went to the
instrument l could only catch series of
unintellgible ticks.
Shortly after midnight I ate my lunch,
and then went to window TO iaKe
my pipe, and gazing outside, found the
moon and stars shining brightly. The
surface of the mesa was smooth and IN
c cr9' of night-brd broke the
unnatural silence. A miasmatic vapor,
light and ethereal. but deadly in its poison,
was rising from the dark loco-grass. The
tall cactus looked weird and spectral in
the moonlight The telegraph wires,
touched by a light current of air, hummed
and walled, emitting music like that of
d First ir would be heard soft notes, scarcely
audible, then the whole scale would
seem to be covered in wall almost hu-
man in the intensity OF the agony Cndef
these conditions my pipe was no solace,
and in my nervousness beads of sweat
gathered on my brow. tried to laugh,
from the contemplation of my lonliness
and surroundings. Gazing from my win
dow | beheid the serried looking land
scape, and turning to my instrument |
hoard the blurred and hurried tick, tick,
ticls that to my distorted imagination
sounded like death knell. Suddenly the
eoiln6s became more rapid and perfectly
cIear and / easily deciphered the call for
nv station-'L 2S.' This agitated me
pbvsically and mentally in manner I
cannot describe, l hurried to the table
waited for perhaps thirty or forty sec
onds. The ticker sounded again and the
message received nearly froze the
blood in my veins, ana L was almost
pi Flee for your life! Apaches have
looted station and started west Notify
all trains. ~ 8,
That message was from Albaughs sta
ton and signed with Albaugh's name
and number Recovering partially from
nv fright | gave a quick look out of the
window. The mesa was still unruhled
and no new objects were in sight Would
7 have time to repeat the message to the
various trains as my duty required and
NV manhood dictated? or to save my
own life must I at once desert the sta
tion and fly and hide myself?
These thoughts possessed my mind but
a moment, and resolved to stand by my
post and DO my duty, even if it cost me
nv existence. Quickly opening the cir
cult l flashed the warning message over