The morning times., 1897-02-09
W|RE-PULLER ON THE ROOF
Citizens Alarmed by a Mys-
teriOus Telephone Operator.
TOOK HIM FOR A BURGLAR
The Police Chased a Secret Manip-
uIator of CIandestiue Wires in
the Night Time-Mr. f f. Borgia
Heard the Coil Rattle said to Be
for Speakeasy

An unknown vioIatOr OF the anti-over-
head wire regulation created considerable
excltement about O'Clock last night, by
attempting to run wire from d pole,
near the corner of Eighth and / streets
northeast, across the roofs of the row 0f
dwellings, on the north side Of I, between
Eighth and Ninth streets The wire, il is
supposed, was TO nave operated a speak
easy phone, III enc Of the dwellings, u
the block, and had SO nearly resulted
successfully, that Jhe~OpeTatOT was ID the
act or making connections with the feed
wires, on the pole, when detected The
noise made by the heavy wire being drawn
across the TN roofs gave the scheme away.
Mr.. F. +. BorSid. who lives at No sos
l street northwest, was The first TO dis
cover the presence Of the unweicome wire.
A rafting overhead attracted his atten-
ton and he was soon utrt on the roof to
discover whether or not it was hailing, as
he supposed
He stumbled over the wire IN the dark
ness, and following its direction, saw In
the darkness the outline Of man high
up on the Eighth-Strect pole. pulling the
wire across the roofs
Several inquiries yelled across roofs fOr
half a square brought No response, and
after vainly endcavOrins o. pull the wire
from the grasp of the lineman. Mr.. BoTgia
next hurried around 10 the Ninth street
station, where he demanded that the wire
be removed from his roof Policeman
Fisher went at once L. the scene of tie
trouble.
The Iinenan in the meantime had fled,
leaving the long line OF wire stretched
out from the pole across the roofs. This
was taken possession of by the policemen,
/ and is now at the station. No definite
| clew could be obtained as To the purpose
! of the wire, but the hour chosen to place
| it in position, and the hasty departure OF
| the operator when discovered. gives u
/ crooked look to the business
| The police, however. are content that
/ the scheme has been thwaTJed, and Moth
| ing hey ond a casual investigation viii be
/ made. A recent attempt ut burglary by
1 entering one of the trap doors on the
/ roof of a house has kept this neighbOThOOd
1 in Il state OF anxiety for some weeks past,
| and the strange sounds coming from the
/ roof last night were at once attributed To
/ THE wish providers. The excitement, how
ever, died out in u laugh on Policeman
| Gleason, who arrived on the scene some
| while after Mr.. Borgid, and Policeman
| Fisher had begun their operations.
Mr. Gleason saw several men watkins Z
about on the roofs and after some difficulty
| succeeded IN reaching the adioining roof
| of MeIford Hall. The men he had seen had
| disappeared, having gained the street by
way of Mr.. BoFgias trapdOOr and house
| Mr. Gleason happened 10 look down at the
foot OF the pole and saw gathered about it
a suspicious looking group. He gathered up
the wire Oh the roof and fastened TO the
street, where, after some explanation on
both sides, the policeman discovered in the
supposed violators of the law the other
searching party.