Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-15
VOICES IN THE CONDUIT.
Two Youngsters I'm Cable Vault
Mystify People.

From the Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph
This is story of how two policemen
came near being sold for mere song,
Just tell them that you saw me-
There was a quiet on 9Th avenue between
Gist and Jumonyille streets last night that
was only accentuated by the whirr of an
occasional cricket and the modified clatter
of a few belated wayfarers. Fair Luna, to
keep the chill off, threw over Mother Earth
a shawl of slvery sheen. People sat on
their doorsters doing nothing and appear
ing to enjoy it. Suddenly there broke upon
their listening ears Ghe plural is used be-
cause more than one ear was brought INTO
requisition,, yellow cry from the steel
blue night. as Stephen Crane would have
ii, Just tell them that you saw me.
In all that wide eXpanse from Gist street
to Jumonyiile street, not a soul was TO be
seen, save the people on the doorsteps The
crier was not on q passing car for there
We're no passing cars. The cars had passed,
and had lost their grip. over all that sec
ton halo of mysticism lowered. ConJec-
ture was spelled with a capital &C And
even while folks wondered, again there
rose that weirdest of cries, Just tell them
that you me-
One man expressed the belief that pho
nograph had been placed in the conduit by
some practical joker. Another man de-
| clared that a banshee was expressing its
diSapproval of the coming overhead trolley
wires sui another gave ii as MS opinion
| that the words were uttered by the spook
| of conductor who had been knocked down
by death in the spring, after doing little
knocking down of his own. And then the
| harmless but necessary wag, who is to be
found everywhere, suggested that the only
way to solve the mystery was to drop a
| nickel in the slot. HIS suggestion not
| acted upon, for just at that moment there
! appeared at an adjacent ma n-hole of the
| cable line the tousled head, mischievous
eye and dirty face of newsboy and boot
black who. impudently winking at the
crowd assembled, before returning to the
| conduit. cried in accents shrill but clear
Just tell them that you saw me-
| Now, nobody objected to the boy under
studying the rat by going into this under
ground trap, but everybody objected TO the
! hind him. The open man-holes were a
source of great danger to cyclists and pc
destrians. The police Were notified. Even
| as the messengers moved toward the sta
| ton house there was heard the cry, Just
tell them that you me-
| a couple of policemen went to the spot
! Like modern Aesops. they wandered up and
down the street, with lanterns in their
| hands, but for long time nothing came of
| it. Ever and anon the back of one of the
! boys there were two of them in the con-
| duiD would be seen through the slot and
| the policemen would call to them. But it
did no good. AT the end of an hour the po-
| Ecemen decided to watch a couple of man.
| holes and tire the boys out. They were
| quite sure the boys We're between the two
! man-holeS, but they were mistaken. The
| policemen had no sooner settled themselves
! to wait, than a man-hole down the street
| was thrown open, and one of the boys
! popped out his head just long enough to
| shout, Just tell them that you saw me-
| By this time large number of people
| had gathered on the street. and the ma
| Jority of those present entered into the HUI
| NOR of the situation and sympathzed with
the boys. Men talked to them through the