The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-02
THE ELECTRIC LAMP.
Stories OF Hotel Men Who Manage to
Have Lots of Fun Out of It.

have Lots OF Fun Out OF It.
Several hotel men were standing in
a group in an uptown hotel recently
chatting. The conversation turned
upon the eccentricities of guests. The
many odd ways in which different peo-
pie handle electric lights came up, and
one hotel man said:
Nearly every one now knows how
the incandescent lamp is operated, but
still We meet with some funny in
stances Of ignorance. Last week we
nearly had our hotel set on fire on
account of piece of stupidity On the
part OF a guest. The building being
fire-proof alone prevented a connagra-
ton. A woman came to the house who
was in the habit of sleeping with dim
light in her room, and the electric
lamp bothered her. She either had to
let it burn brightly, or else turn it off
altogether. Finally she hit upon the
idea of wrapping a towel around it.
Then she began to question whether
the towel would catch fire. Then she
adopted the happy expedient Of wet
ting the towel. That was the worst
thing that she could do. She soon
dropped asleep, and of course the towel
soon began to burn. A blazing piece
dropped on the curtains, and soon the
whole room was afye. She was badly
scared and. of course. contents of
the room were ruined.
f'That was odd said another one
of the party, but the strangest thing
I have heard of was the case Of farm
er who came into St. Louis. He went
to a hotel where electric lamps were
used. He tried for an hour to put it
out, and then sent for call-boy. The
guest explained his dilemma, and the
boy promptly stepped up to the lamp
and turned the button. There was 4
moment of silence, and then from the
place where the farmer stood there
came a fash and report, and a bullet
buried itself in the wall, narrowly
missing the boy. Again and again the
pistol was heard until every chamber
was empty. Fortunately the hoy es-
capped and the police entered the room
and placed the farmer under arrest.
The old fellow was talking incoherent-
II, and seemed mad clear through.
When he was finally Quieted down he
gave his reason for shooting. He said
that he had been trying to pat out
neW-fangled sort of light and had not
been able to do it. Then he called a
boy, who blew it out. Just after the light
went out he heard a click, and knew
that someone had cooked a revolver.
Ee at once thought he was about to be
murdered and robbed, and did net wait,
but began shooting at once. When told
of his mistake he was much chagrined,
and apologized most humbly."
This story brought forth another one
from a member of the party. who had
not yet spoken. He said:
when we put electric lights in our
hotel We placed them SO that they
could be moved to any part of the room,
plenty Of wire being allowed for that
purpose One night a man came to
the house who was unfamiliar with the
light, and could not find the way to
put it out. Evidently he did not wish
to show his ignorance, and as he could
not sleep with the light burning, he
cast about for some way to get rid of
it. Finally he drew the bureau up
alongside the lamp. Then he took the
globe and placed it in one OF the bu-
reau drawers, and closed the drawer
tightly The result was the light was
practically put out. The chambermaid
found it there in the morning, and it
was still burning brightly. He ad
mitted his ignorance then, and we
showed him how the machine worked"
st. Louis Chronicle.