Evening star., 1896-10-31


makes In storm on that night.
Our contracts are always made for the
news alcne. the 7perators beng paid by
the parties that receive the returns. They
are usually allowed $ for the nights work,
as 1t Is sort of gala occasion. and the
pes. men do not care to work election
night. We are always compelled 10 draw
on the railroads and government depart
ments Tor operators to help cut and even
tnese additions are frequently inadequate.
ola men tfat have not worked At a key for
years coming back into the business for q
ope-night stand
AS 10 our best customers, I think New
York and Pennsylvania head the list, al
though this year Illinois and Ohio will
probably be almost even with them in the
financial returns. 1 wish 1 could give you
the exact figures of the mum GER of private
instruments that will be in use in New
York and Pennsylvania on election night;
1t would be an eye-opener. I am sure. The
workingmen in the smaller Towns are pro-
verbally good spendsrs, and on election
night chip in to secure an operator and
private wire Sa-2- a-.v
1.-The humorous incidents In connection
with the receiving of returns are many and
varied. For instance, man is assigned to
q private club. In nearby room a table
Is spread with a dainty luncheon and on a
sideboard liquors of all kinds can be hai
for the vanting. If the news that comes
in pleases a certain set the poor operator
is patted on the back and asked by several
at a time to have something. Then the
returns take on another complexion. and
the opposition set. not to be outdone, call
upon the operator to stand by them, and
again the liQuCr Is served.
Where Liquor Flows Freely.
TT has frequently occurred that by mid
Eight clubs of this kind will be beseeching
us to, send them another operator, as the
man they have has gone to sleep, leaving
them stranded.
Il can call to mind now threu incidents
in connection with receiving the election
returns. One occurred m this city. and in
a private room secured by about dozen
sporting men. VINO HAD thousands of dollars
on the result. AS an operator they secured
a man who had worked at the different
race tracks and was an expert in the buSi-
ness.
Two of the men went to the operator
and told him to give out exactly the oppo-
site returns that would come in over the
wire. and that they would give him a per
centage of the money they secured on bets
But they tackled the wrong man, or a man
as shrewd as themselves.
The operator went to a friend in the
party, told him Of the scheme and 1t was
decided to take all the money that was Of
fered. Well, you remember how. from the
very start everything that year had a
Cleveland complexion. The two crooked
men decided at once that the operator was
cooking the returns as he had promised,
and Immediately began boasting of the
strength of Harrison in New York and as
sumea an asgrieved air Then the money
was mashed on the crowd. bur only one
man, after well-dis5used effort at hesi-
tatlon, took hundred-lollar bet
Then the schemers became bolder, and
$500 was offered on Harrison The one man
bettor played his part we'll He became
angry and apparently lost his head:
heesHied.s., o0'e' ~
The offer was Instantly accented and
sbs,fo -fslIo
Operator 6xedr things, up with the two
sehemers I never learned, but do Know
that he went out of the telegraph business
and Is now a full-fedged partner of the
pookmaker ne befrlended that night.
Got What They Wanted.
The second case occurred at one of the
big uptown clubs, the men that clustered
around the operator being of national rep
utation. By special request We had given
them one Of the best men In the business,
but they began loading him up with fancy
drinks at an early hour and his usefulness
was destroyed. The party was entirely of
one way OF thinking, politically, and the
operator retained enough sense to see that
the news they wanted was received. BY IL
o clock the political battle was over. to
their way of thinking and bidding the
operator goodbye they started down town
shouting for Harrison. One prominent
army man afterward told me the incident
Harrison, as he was too muddled to grasp
the possibility that something might have
gone wrong with the operator and wagered
everything he had with him. This year
that party will probably drift down town
and depend on the newspapers for the
returns. ..-
1.-The third incident occurred in a small
town near Philadelphia and away back in
the fall Of "a. An organization called the
'Plumed Knights had built cozy club
house, and although they had lots of
money, kicked on paying the operator IS
for his services, claiming that So was suffi-
cient. The telegrapher that had been as
signed the duty of taking the report at
that place. instead ofsinstantly dropping
cut of the position, was shrewd enough to
make counter proposition that a collec-
tion be taken up for his benefit and that
every cent taken In should be his.
The committee readily agreed to the
proposal. The big club room was packed
on election night and you can recall the
anxiety felt over the result. In Pennsylva-
MIA Mr.. Blaine was almost worshiped and
to hint at the possibility of his defeat was
rank treason. About IL o'clock the opera
tor turned his trick. He came out on the
little stage. said the committee had agreed
to give him the proceeds of a collection
and refused to go on with his work until
this collection had been made He gently
ninted that another operator was an i'm
possibility. Three men grabbed hats and
started over the hall and the dimes and
quarters fairly showered into the recep-
tacles. The operator finished his nights
work, as he secured nearly $50, much to
the establishment Of the committee.