The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-10-27
THE YOUNG
TELEGRAPHER.
[Original.l

TOriginal.1
Marion of the Revolutionary war
and Morgan of the civil war occupy
similar positions In history. General
John Morgan started on his military
career as commander of a company of
young Confederates and operated al
ways in the middle southwest His
career was full of daring. He would
approach a Union picket, assuming to
be a Federal officer. reprfmand him
for some negligence, get possession of
his musket and thus capture single
handed a whole picket post.
1t was during the campaign Of Gen.
eral Halleck against Quaker guns at
Corinth that Morgan was operating in.
Halleck's rear in western Tennessee.
harassing lines of communication.
This is a very important service. An
army must be fed. That means that
the avenues of communication must be
kept open and the supplies passing
over them to the men at the front
must be protected. In this work an
important feature to the protecting
force was the telegraph
The telegraph Office at the town of
P, a station on the railroad supply
ing the army before Corfnth. was in
charge of Tom Venable, who lived
with his family on the upper floor Of
the two story station building. the tele-
graph and ticket Office being below.
One night when Venable was in his
Office sending the dispatches necessary
to get a heavy tran load of supplies
south he heard a tap on the window
pane Looking up, there stood a man
in Confederate uniform covering him
with the muzzle Of his pistol. The Off
Ger had tapped with the pistol to at
tract Venable's attention and ordered
him to throw up the sash. Venable
did so, and the officer climbed in at the
window.
'T'm John Morgan" he said.
Morgan usually declared himself in
this fashion. 1t was the best possible
way of striking an enemy with terror.
Meanwhile the station was surround
ed by Confederate cavalrymen. Nor
gan put his own telegrapher at the key.
| who began to telegraph the train Ven
able had been in communication with.
| The conductor had been warned that
| the Confederates were making a raid
in the region and was waiting to be
assured that it was safe TO advance.
Morgan's telegrapher sent a dispatch
that Morgan had gone off in an easter
ly direction and an order signed by n
Union commander for the train to
come on.
| Now, there is a hero to this story,
though he is asleep in his bed above
the telegraph Office. But a clatter be-
meath awakes him. Being not over
thirteen years old, he doesn't awake In
] a hurry, but his mother helps him by
telling him that the station is In pos
session of the dreaded Morgan. jim
| ME Venable was Of a scientific mind
and had already a miniature telegraph
| outfit in his own little room. His cir
cult was but ten feet and was confined
to the room, but 1t was big enough to
play with, and he knew the dot and
line alphabet. His father was a pris.
oner downstairs, but he heard his
mother say that doubtless Morgan had
captured the telegraph in order to de
coy train into trap and destroy the
supplies intended for the Union army.
Jimmie got an idea. The telegraph
wires passed within ten feet of bis
window before entering the Office be
low. He told his mother what he in
tended to do, and she helped him. He
took his play wire, tied a hairbrush t.
one end of 1t, threw it over the line
wire and completed his circuit by
means Of lead pipe extending to tht
ground. 1t didn't make a very gooG
connection, but 1t sufficed. He didn"
know the calls of stations nor wha
station to call. He waited till there
was comparative quiet below, ther
clicked: ''P. station Morgan here
This he repeated several times. 1t was
heard at several stations up the road
and the conductor of the train was ad
yised of it at once.
One man heard it for whom it wa
not intended. That was the Confederat
operating in the Office below Jimmie
room He was sitting near the Ike,
when he heard the words clicked ant
knew that some one had outwitte,
him. He notified his commander and
search was made, and Jimmie's hair
brush was seen dangling from tn
main wire. 1t told them the story
Going upstairs, they discovered jim
mics device The general was tn
first to enter the room. Jimmie wa
still at his key.
Have you been sending informa
ton to the enemy?' he asked.
Eyes, 1 have" said Jimmie proudly
He did not know the extent Of tn
service he had rendered, but was sur
he had done something valuable to hi
cause.
I. "Do you know what we do with lii
tie boys who are spies?" asked MOI
gan.
mo"
"Well, it's something very terrible
But in this case the boy is a yer
bright, brave little chap, and we wi