Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-03-02
1T CURED HIM.
The Telephone Borrowing Nuisance
Gets n jolt That Does
Him Good.

One of the worst of modern nuisances
is the chronic may-I-use-yom-tele-
phone fellow. Sometimes he is
neighbor, sometimes business ac-
quaintance, occasionally an entire
stranger. But he always hustles in
with a confident air, and it is quite
impossible to turn him down in any
ordinary way,
Once in awhile an extraordinary way
is unearthed, and for the benefit of local
victimized telephone owners the Tales
of.the-Town man will let them in on a
scheme that was tried recently in Phil
adelphia with eminent success. Here is
the story as the Philadelphia Inquirer
tells it:
For some time prominent firm had
nerequests for gratuitous telephone
accommodation with patience, but
WHEN the nuisance grew so bad that
there were more calls made over that
particular phone by outsiders than by
members of the firm or their employees,
the conclusion was reached that it was
time halt should be called. The tele-
phone was thereupon removed to an
out-of-the-way place in the establish
ment, and bogus phone put where the
real thing had formerly hung.
This bogus instrument was just like
all other phones, except that 1t wasn't
.o,ra,t,J ,,.;4b ssoartroln ~, any. o+ n az.
place. 1t had transmitter, a receiver,
bell that rang when the crank was
turned, and all the rest of the telephone
paraphernalia, and nothing could have
been better calculated to deceive. The
first victim was commercial traveller
employed by neighboring establish
ment that was without n telephone.
81 want to talk to Blank q Co.." he eX-
claimed, rushing into the Office of the
firm with the telephone, breathlessly
may | use your 'phone?"
Certainly" was the response, "helr
yourself?"
"B-r-r-r-r, b-r-r-r, b-r-r-r," went the
bell on the bogus instrument, "b-r-r-r
b-r-r-r."
There was silence for a minute, a ST
lence participated in by everyone with
in hearing. Then the travelling mar
began to grow inpatient.
"B-r-r-r-r, b-r-r-r-r, b-r-r-r-r," sound
ed the bell again, this time just trifl,
savagely.
Got a new girl on our line" re
marked bystander, doesn't quite un
derstand her business yet. Keeps Il.
waiting five minutes sometimes"
"Well, she won't keep me waiting fiy'
minutes growled The victim; I'm no
the waiting kind"
Then he grabbed the crank and mad,
the bell hum for fully 30 seconds. TIL,
onlookers suppressed their laughte
with difficulty.
More silence. during which the trav
cling man waited with the receive
pressed hard to his ear and his teetl
gritted together. At the end of tire
minutes a member of the firm cam
forward with another suggestion.
Sometimes the wire attached to tn
receiver gets twisted and interfere
with the phone" he said. as it twist
ed now?'
Sure enough, K was.
"Give it a good jerk" continued TN
member of the firm, that will straight
en- it out"
The victim did as told. and the entir
telephone came tumbling to the foo
with crash. The travelling mans fac
was a study. Visions of big bill TO
repairs flashed before his eyes and h
began to wish that he had parted wit
ten cents at pay station for his tele
phoning. When the shouts of laughte
had subsidized somewhat an employ
of the establishment picked up tn
bogus phone, adjusted it to its piac
on the wall, and otherwise prepared TO
another victim. That was several day
ago, and since then victims have bee
numerous. But requests for free tel,
phone service are diminishing rapid
and the firm feels satisfied that tn
little scheme is worth all it cost
Cleveland Plain Dealer.