The morning times., 1897-01-03

fare, the fire alarms, the police orders, the
presence of a. suspicious person, the demand
for a police surgeon, the request for lnfor-
nation on "a thousand and one subjects
everything finds its way TO the registry.
indefinite messages and messages with
out meaning often come in over the wires,
and unless the sender can be induced to
explain 1t goes Is 1t is, as, for example,
this:
I'VE have lost white girl, two years
old, with red cap
There are very many two-year-old girls
and thousands OF red caps, but the police
act upon the supposition that but one OF
each is astray, and undertake 10 locate
them. Here is one that is explicit:
II clio, No. 1! Your patrol wagon wanted
at the Academy of Music They have two
drunken women up there
\ sad chapter in the annals or the
Nation was written in the District tele-
phone room; notes hastily made and record
quickly transcribed by nervous fingers in
the midst of wild excitement upon every
hand.
TIE GARFIELD ASSASSINATION.
The first message received was as fol-
Send your reserves imme dately to the
B. & p. depot The President has been
shot,
This message as it reads upon the record
has probably never before appe ared in
print. 1t was received at $40 4. m, July
=, 1881, and was Immediately repeated
to every precinct in the city.
The weary days that followed are a
part of history, and are registered as well
in the memory OF a large percentage of the
people. But few need To be reminded that
the brief order above quoted relates to
the killing of President Garfield by Charles
j. Guiteau.
NhA in fhn
series connected with the assassination was
received at 1925, and read:
Ma jor Brock wants to know from Lieut..
Butler if there is any crowd or signs of
one gathering around the Jail. Ii so, let
him know immediately
The answer, at 1875, was-
''Lieutenant is OH his way up, now"
Then came this:
II am OH my way up to see the major
a little later:
Tell the major I have made all ar
rangements with the Jail, if the need aid"
This was signed yLieut. Eckloff
CALLED THEREsERvEs.
At11 O'Clock this order was sent abroad
by Maj. Brock:
Send out Il general order Immediately
for all the men off duty to report at their
stations, ready for a call. Keep them
there until further orders"
One hour latcr an Orucr was SENT TO
headquarters as follows:
'Send two mounted officers to Col
CorkhilI's office at once
F. j Coulton. whoever he may have been,
evidenced some mental distress in the next
message. He said:
"Send word to j. H. Wilson to come to
headquarters at once. 1 am held as wit
ness"
AT 1 p. m. a sergeant telephoned: ASK
Lieut. Eckloff if / shall not take squad
of men with me to that mans room and
take possession of his trunks
This referred TO Guiteau. Tue response
was
''Wait until McElfresh and Miller come
down.,
The succeeding entries for that day of
anxiety are as follows:
2:3O-Force will be sent to warden Of
the Jail.
2:5O-Lieut Eckloff, keep men ready for
call.
3:0O-siX strokes three times on fire
alarm bell is signal for the Washington
Light Infantry to turn out not a fire alarm.
7:10-The President is dead
7:20-That was false alarm; President
is not dead.
7:30-Send two mounted men to the Jail
to carry messages.
Midnight ht-Hold reserves, for service if