The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-14
KILLED BY THE TELEPHONE.
Incessant Noise in Her Ears Causes
Operators Death.

A sad story comes from Oakland, Cal,
telling of the death of Nettie Friebel,
| only Is years OF age. She was Vlctim
! of the remarkable effect exercised on
her brain and mind by five months
| work at telephone switchboard FOR
| several days before her death she was
| engaged in fierce combat with phan-
| tom receiver that would convey mag
irary messages to her wrecked mind
Five months ago. said Mrs. Erie
bel, "Nettie begged to be allowed to
help earn something for the house, and
said that she could get work at the
telephone company. We did not want
her TO go there, though, and only con-
scented after she had begged hard. For
at first, until she was broken IN, she
would receive nothing. and after that
only very small wages.
We let her go. She was so tall and
| strong and well every one thought her
much older than she was and we did
not believe that the work would hurt
her But a few weeks ago we saw that
it was making her sick and soon after
ward she came home, after staying at
her desk as long as possible, and never
was out of bed again.
She went to work each morning at
7:30 and came home at 2 o'clock. Then
she returned at and was due back
here at 10, but oftener at II and half
past. She had go little sleep, her meals
were so irregular and the work was so
hard, with the roar in her ears that,
strong as she was, it killed her"
After the delirium began two weeks
ago the child rarely regained conscious
ness. Day and night she raved, begging
that the man who was shouting into
her poor ears be taken away and an
swering hour in and hour out countless
imaginary telephone messages Her
strength ebbed fast and gave out soon
moments had believed it would. She
sank begging for help to still the demon
noises that We're maddening her and
fought till she died to keep from her
phantom receiver fastened to her head.
At the very beginning of her illness
a physician was summoned. The dag
| nosis was brain fever As she grew
worse other physicians were called in
| for consultation. One of these was DIR.
j. J. Dunn, who declared then that the
ravages of typhoid had been added to
| those OF the mental malady. DR.. w. III.
Beckwith was summoned, too, and like
Dr. Dunn, detected the presence of the
second disease. But all that skill and
medicine could do was of no avail.
Mr. and Mrs. Friebel declare that
their child is not the worst sufferer
| from the severe demands of the tele-
phone service Nettie's chum, a Miss
Campbell of East Oakland. was taken
recently to the insane asylum at Napa
her mania being the perpetual ringing Of
the telephone in her ears and the never
| ceasing answering of calls. The two
girls We're great friends while employed
| by the company, and went back ond
forth to and from their work together.
When Miss Campbell was stricken Net
tie sorrowed deeply, and spoke again
and again of the awful test of strength
imposed in their Employment.
MY child" sobbed Mrs. Friebel last
evening, gave her life for mere noth-
ing. The first month she was paid she
brought me home ST. Then she came
home with 50. The most she ever re-
ceived was SITE. They locked her lit
tie salary Of $50 per month on every
possible excuse. She told me once that
she couldn't complain, because Miss
Campbell had only received SO for a
whole months work at the building on
18th street Miss Campbell told Nettie
| that she was ashamed to tell ner folks
how little she had received"
Coupled with her hard duties before
she took to her bed, Nettie Friebel suf-
fered with severe cold in her throat
| and head, caught. she said, in the
draughts that swept the room in which
she had to work The girls when they
complained, Nettie told her brother.
We're informed that they would have
to stand it until new partitions were
put in," the old ones having been taken
down.
The dead girl was a pupil last year al
the Garfield grammar school. where
she was considered bright student and
exceedingly strong physically. She was
known to some Of her friends as Agnes
that being her name and not Nettie
which was her pet and home name.