The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-14

signing z, commenced calling b, which
l had ascertained was the signal for
the Lebanon office where ! was at
the key. L answered the call and a
very interesting conversation we had.
Z asked: What news? Any more
skirmishing after your last MESA ge@
No. ] answered, we drove what
little cavalry was away
Has the train arrived yet?
No About how many troops are on
train?'
About 5OO.'
MY curiosity was then to know
what station Y was and aow far away
the train with 500 enemies. then be-
gan to gossip with z and finally said
to him.
A gentleman here in the Office bets
me cigar that you cannot spell the
name of your station correctly.
Take the bet. lebanon J-u-n-c-
t-i-o-n. How did he think j would spell
it?'
He thought you would put two BIS
in Lebanon
'Ha, hal He's green one
Yes, that's So
What time did the train with the
soldiers pass?' 1 inquired.
AIT $50 last night
very singular Where the Tram Is.
Yes: let me know when it arrives
I'VE cut off for a while and an hour
later q called me up and said that the
train had returned to Lebanon Junction
after a ski1mish with the force Morgan
sent to head it off. In a few minutes
the same operator. whose office was a
repeating one for Louisville business,
sent into my ear a dispatch from Gem
eral Boyle to the captive Colonel john
son, to make no delay in driving Nor
gan out of the country. Still another
vigorous dispatch in the same tenor was
wired to Colonel Owen, who was en-
route from somewhere to head off Nor
gam, near Lebanon. Morgan then de-
cided to leave and in order to alay
suspicion in the mind Of z. at the juno
ton, / wired him that / was tired out
and must have long nap.
AN right; don't oversleep yourself
said he
I'VE rode on to Midway, on the
Louisville & Lexington railroad and
reached there before noon. / SUIT
prised the operator. who was sitting ON
the platform of the station little sus-
picioning that Morgan was in his vi
cinity. / asked him to call Lexington
and get the time of day. He did SO. 1t
was a trick of mine to see his style of
handling the key, which corroborated
my first impression from the fact that
I noticed paper in the instrument. To
use a. Geographic phrase. he was a
plug operator and adopting his style
of writing, 1 commenced operations. In
the office I found q signal book very
valuable to me. 1t contained the calls
for ali stations ON the line. Dispatch
after dispatch was going to and from
Lexington, Georgetown, Paris and
Frankfort, every one containing some
reference to Morgan. l tested the line
and found by applying my ground wire
it made no difference with the circuit,
and as Lexington was Headquarters, I
cut Frankfort off, l should have stated
that on commencing operatio I dis
| covered two wires ON the railroad One
was a through wire direct from JIexing-
ton TO Frankfort. not entering the way
offices. All military business was sent
over that wire, and as 1T did not enter
the Midway Office I had the line cut,
thus forcing Lexington business on the
wire that did come into the Office. Mid
way was called and I answered when
l received a. message from some one
signing himself Taylor, Conductor II
was addressed to- operator Woolums
of Midway, who was then my prisoner
! and alongside of me- TAYLOR asked
| VIII there be amy danger in coming to
! Midway? Is everything right?' Wool
ums reported to me that Taylor was a
| conductor ON the line and I reported the
| fact to Morgan. He told me to wire
Taylor, who was holding the train al
Lexington, that it was all right: to
| come on with his train / added. No
sign of Morgan here and signed the
/ dispatch 'Woolums. operator Morgan
made ready to give Taylor's train a
warm reception. but It got timely warn
| ing and turned back