The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-27
DO NOTHING But
OVERHEAR TALK
Telephone Tappers Paid to
Listen to Questionable
Conversations.

CHICAGO, March 26. - OF all the
Strange occupations the StrangeSt is
that of telephone Taper" said an old
employe Of the telephone company the
other day! There aren't ten men in
Chicago who know what telephone tap
ping is, but there are hundreds of per-
sons who have come to grief through
his work.
The Taper is man who is hired
blythe telephone company. His bust
ness is to tap the wires on party lines,
at hotels, and such places, to see if the
telephone is being used by persons
who are not careful of what they say.
Often the company receives complaints
that telephone users say unprintable
things that are unavoidably overheard.
The company tries to do away with
this sort of patronage. Hence the tap
per.
rThe taEper must be a man of in
finite patience. l have known them to
sit for twenty hours at a stretch wait
ing for a signal When a complaint Is
made that the wrong kind of talk is
circulating on party line the Taper
goes to one of the houses, generally
the home of the complainant. and taps
the wire. This is done with a specially
constructed instrument, which has a
receiver and transrnftter, just as does
any telephone. 1t is fastened to the
regular phone and then the Taper sits
back with the receiver clamped to his
ear to await a call.
He takes notes on every CONVERSE
ton he hears, and sometimes he must
repeat his vigil day after day. AS a
rule he does not have to wait many
hours. because the persons who use the
telephone reckleSSly are at the inStru-
ment about as often as they can find
time.
Not long ago complaint was made
by man on a party line. He said that
very disgusting courtship was being
carried on over the wire, and that his
wife and daughter could not take down
the receiver without hearing some
thing they should not hear.
The Taper was sent out to investigate.
He rugged up his instrument and sat
down 10 wait. All afternoon he stuck to
his post. hearing only the orders given to
the butcher, the grocer or the coal man.
Finally. in the evening, shortly before
dinner the bell rang three times. The tap
per looked at his notebook and learned
the call was for the home of well known
family. Soon the click was heard as a
receiver came from the hook and young
woman's voice called out, Hello,
- Is this Miss - asked a masculine
voice
Yes went the answer over the party
line. is this YOU? asked the young woman
calling the man by name. You see the
Taper had learned there in a minute who
were the guilty parties. He remained at
the receiver and heard a conversation
that l would not repeat He let the couple
finish their conversation and then returned
TO the complaint office. Next day notice
was served on the people who live in the
house on the party line that the telephone
must not be used as it had been in the
past. The young woman protested that
she had not talked over the telephone in
a week. but when notes on the conVersa-
ton We're shown to her she arose and in
dignantly swept from the room.
The Taper often meets with laugh
able experiences One of them was sent
out 10 investigate the case where a man
was in the habit of swearing great deal
when using the telephone. After long
walt without hearing him one day he was
more successful. He had hardly taken
up his watch when the bell rang ThS
man he was after was calling another
person.
THE men were at outs it seemed. and
began quarreling and swearing at each
other. The talk soon became furious.
TIL not stand for your way of doing
and I'll take punch at you the first time
: see YOU, said one of the men, with a
liberal supply of Oaths.
IF you do your wife won't know you
wnen you go home. the other retorted.
The verbal duel grew hotter. The tap
Yhe other be did not know. But he finalI.;
3got IT. The conversation kept on until
ione called the other some kind of a
% I'll whip you for that or nv name
isn't -. yelled the unknown, and the
rapper had completed his chain. No COM
plants have since been made by persons
ion that line. The tapper's work put An
end to the disagreeable conversations.
''Of course, it very often happens that
The Taper waits vainly for his parties
oGt he hears enough of the private affairs
OF people to fill a dozen such note books
as he carries. One of the men was on a
Zine not long ago when the bell rang and
"a Young woman answered the phone.
[ q" 'How's YOUR head today, dearv?' asked
"a young man who had the other end of
the line.
+" Big as a balloon. couId baa, ,,,o,,,
toagne corlIs popping all night long. 81
tmore of the bubbles for me- came the
answer.
I've been feeling badly all day. too.