The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-07-26
The LOST WIRE
MYSTERY

II was strange who was stealing the
wire up there on the Lehigh & Hud-
son, popularity known as the Lean and
Hungry railroad, said the old railroad
telegraph operator, who has gained a
reputation for his work in assisting
Truth 20 rise after she has been crush
ed to earth, according TO the records
of the New York Sun. You see, the
road is putting up new line of wires
and they had lots of trouble losing
their equipment.
Most of the trouble occurred up
near Sugar Loaf mountain, near the
old cemetery, just the other side of
Eastchester station. They never could
seem to find out who stole the wire.
"A fellow would be sending mes
sages up the road to the different
Summer resorts-Love me and the
world is mine-and other kilograms of
the soft-bOiled-egg variety-from guys
in the city to their girls in the noun
tains, but the messages never would
get to their destination.
Whoever pinched the wires would
leave just enough of the metal wire
hanging from the pole to reach the
ground, thereby making a circuit, and
the wire would work all right between
Eastchester and the end of the line,
but the next morning we would get
postal card from the summer resort
saying they lost the wire at such and
such a place. The wire thieves were
literally running the business of the
company into the ground.
so the management stationed a
night Waterman up near the old ceme-
terry TO nab the marauders and teach
'em TO keep their hands off the com
pany's property. For the first three or
four nights there was nothing doing
on wire thieves.
"One night, about eight o'clock, as
we regulars were sitting around the
big stove in Duff Mastens grocery
store talking over the general condi-
ton of the onion crop, the Waterman
stumbled into the front door, almost
frightened TO death. He allowed that
it was ghosts from the cemetery who
were swiping the Lehigh wires.
Res Conkling and ali of us pooh
poohed the idea of ghosts. There were
a good many operator buried up in the
old cemetery, but they had had enough
trouble with wires during their lives
without trying to cabbage any after
death.
Barney Smith and three or four
more of us framed up an expedition to
find out the why's and wherefores of
this ghost business. We journey up
there by Sugar Loaf mountain several
nights without any results
About ? o'clock on the fourth night
we were about leaving in disgust when
there was a whirring sound up behind
one of the large tombstones in the
graveyard and a large object went fly
ing over to one of the telegraph poles
and began pecking at the wire there.
BY gosh it is spirits," cried Charley
Crist, one q the exploring band
Change your brand, said l. I'll
tell you what il is. It's an eagle.
I'D heard only a week or two be-
fore about a pair of bald headed eagles
which had been seen up on Sugar Loaf
mountain. Barney Smith agreed with
me that the wire pirate was the male
eagle stealing wire to build a nest for
his mate.
yes, sir, sure's your born. OF
course, the wire wasn't as heavy as
the modern telegraph wires and could
coil nicely into fine nest for the lady
eagle. The warm messages which had
circulated through the wires to the
summer girl would aid materially in
Matching the eagles eggs.
ct wasn't very hard for the big,
strong male eagle TO snap off length
of wire and fly off with a coil of it
around his neck OF course, it was
just by accident he left enough of it
flying to stick into the ground.
We'll, sir, the company tried it's
best to kill that eagle, placing a boun-
ty of $50 on his head But no one
seemed to shoot straight enough to
kill him, or else he was so tough the
bullets took no effect Even so sure a
shot as Barney Smith failed to bring
him down. The big bird was a pest.
too, for every time he wanted to add
an l. to his nest or build a new apart
ment he'd just draw on the telegraph
line.
The supe was at loss as to what
TO do. Finally | hit upon a scheme.
Why not put in a special brand of
barbed wire? 1t was obvious that If a
lady eagle was preparing to lay an egg
and sat down on a piece of barbed
wire, she'd change her mind about lay
ing the egg and say 'Prunes, or words
to that effect in eagle language.
MY scheme worked all right and
after the barbed wire was installed the
depredations ceased, although many
sharp messages were sent over the
line"
Say" observed the tall, cynical con-
ductor, you've got those nature takers
spiked TO the switch"
Downtrodden Husbands.
The middle class woman i'm England
now generally affects to be superior
to the social position she occupies;