The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-25
THE GENERAL MANAGER~~~H(

officials, however. the engineers an
nounced their intention of remaining
in their old places, being unwilling TO
countenance the Iawlsss acts Of the
mob.
That evening MI. L.ambourne reach
Cd nome later than usual After a
hasty dinner. he sat down at his desk
in the second story front room to
write a batch OF special orders. When
these weIp finished, and ready to be
teleg-aphed to the office. he opened
one of the font windows 10 let in q
little fresh air; turning, as he did so,
to the burglar alarm switch board,
81, order to cut out the front room
and prevent the bell from ringing
His mind was so occupied with bust
ness that he crossed the room be
fore noticing that the opening of
the window had produced no response
from the bell Then, with a suspicion
OF something decidedly wrong, he
carefully examined the alarm.
a thin piece of cork had been
jammed between the armature and
the magnet in such a way that it
would escape casual observation. but
would, none the less, prevent the bell
hammer from making even q vIbra-
tory sound.
1t was but d seconds work for him
to extricate the cork; ana when, af-
ter being put in order, the bell still
refused to make a sound. the con
viction flashed across his mind that
some other window or door must
have been opened for u sufficient
time, after Nora and Brady had lock-
ed up at ten o'clock. to run all the
strength out Of the open cfrcuit bat
terry while the bell was prevented
from giving the alarm.
Lambourne was one of those men
whom If IS difficult TO catch. Be
ing an expert electrician as well as a
mechanic, he had several contri-|
vances about the house, especially IN
his working and sleeping rooms.
which even his family knew little
about.
With every sense keenIy on the
alert he now hastily unlocked and
opened the large bottom drawer of
his roll top desk Attaching two
pieces of wire to the fourteen cells
Of auxiliary battery in. If. he connect
ed them with the burglar circuit.
cutting out the bell, as he did So
in order to prevent It from giving an
alarm and possibly precipitating mat
tiers.
The kitchen switch showed that the
rear door, opening into the exposed
back yard, was open. Lambourne
concluded that he must be the object
Of an attack from the strikers; and
that whoever had succeeded in effect
ing an entrance below would probab-
" wait until the neighborhood had
quoted down for the night before
coming up stairs after their intended
victim
His first impulse was to slip quietly
out of the front door and go straight
to the nearest police station. Look
ing out of the front window. he saw
two men standing under the lamp on
the corner, and he realized that he
was trapped The solitary policeman
on the beat was nowhere in sight,
and the two mounted patrols on Riv-
erside Drive might have been any
where between seventy-second street
and Grants tomb.
The long distance telephone trans
mitter was fixed to a movable stand
ard on his desk, and Lambourne gave.
the magnetic bell a sharp ring. think
ing to call assistance by that mea- s.
When he put the receiver to his E
there was q total absence Of the fainL
Tustling noise Of the current on the