The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-05-19
A THRILLING STORY.

A few years ago, as ! was riding
on an out of-the way railroad in one
of the old second. hand cars of more
prosperous road / was very much an
noyed by the incessant rattling of the
car windows. 'Tis said that misery
loves company, and I at last shouted
my feelings on the subject to the pas
senger beside-a middle-aged busi-
ness looking man-who shouted back :
eyes, it is pretty noisy, but it don't
mean anything, and amt dangerous.
You probably never heard a window
talk nationally, not to say intelli-
gently?" he said.
''Not that / can remember" said
I, little ironically. "Did you?"
II have" said he, land as soon as
we stop I will not only make win
dow talk, but possibly get an answer
from some other window"
When we had stopped, my neigh
Dor touched me on the shoulder and
said, "Now let me sit by that window,
and will show you something anus
ing, and afterward tell you story"
changed seats with him, and he,
taking hold of the window, began to
rattle it at a lively rate pausing every
few seconds to listen. Pretty soon I
was surprised to hear window at
the other end of the car behind us
rattle in the same manner.
Now" said the stranger, TASK
me question about the back of some
special person sitting behind US with
out either of us looking behind"
"Well," said I, describe to me
the appearance of the back of the head
of, say the outside passenger in the
third seat behind u.s.
He ratified the window and then
listened to the answering window.
Then he said:
"There is no person just sitting
there. Try again"
looked and sure enough he was
right. So / made it the fifth seat.
"Short black hair, one side grey,
high shirt collar and coat collar turned
up. Railroad ticket in the back of
his hat," said my companion at the
window.
Stepping back I found that the de.
scription was correct, one side of the
mans hair being turned white, proba-
bly, from disease.
"How did you do it," I asked, as
l took my seat again.
"By telegraphy," he said. II at
first sounded the single word Fire /
over and over tillit caught the trained
ear of an operator in the other end ol
the car and he telegraphed what
wanted to know. So you see that a
window may rattle intelligibly."
EYES," said I, land now about the
story"
And he proceeded to relate:
Ten years ago I was telegraph
operator at small town in New
Jersey but my health failing I gave
up the situation, and taking an agency
travelled westward until ! reached Sar
Francisco. While there I took {
fancy to visit a mining region, SO Sc
lecting suitable goods to sell to miners
l went and satisfied my curiosity
made little money and was return
ing in stagecoach, when the Incl
dent I am about to relate occurred.
There were besides myself three in
side passengers an old man of sixty
and two roughly dressed men, appar
emily miners. These two men sat al
opposite ends of the coach, not ap
pearing to know each other, while
the old gentleman and myself sa
close together. I noticed that th'
old gentleman had a tin or iron bo1
between his legs which he seemed
anxious to keep out of sight.
After short conversation with hin
on all subjects I allowed myself t
drift gently into doze, and while il
that condition my ear, trained as i
was to the intelligent sound of th'
telegraph instrument, caught a fain
tic, tic, which resolved itself into tn
following words
"Bill, the young one is going t
sleep and I will tend him while yo'
pitch the old one out over the preci
piece when 1 make the signal and Sc
cure the box"
was now wide awake as if l ha,
been "called" by an operator to re
ceive message; but pretended t
be still doing while I listened in
tently. Then / heard the windo'
rattle and it read:
"All right, Rob. We will be t
the Big Jump in twenty minutes an
then give the word and out he goes.
Taking curious look from betwee
my eyelids I saw that one of the vi
lains was telegraphing by vibrating
knife blade between his teeth, Will
the other used the window for ths
purpose, neither of them appearing
notice each other.
/ knew the precipice to which b
referred, terrible place where
miner had once jumped off in fit
despair at his bad luck, from whic
it was known as the Big Jump. Ho
to communicate to the old gentlema
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