Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-08-29
THE YOUNG
TELEGRAPHER.
COriginal.l

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 Union picket. assuming to
be a Federal officer. reprimand him
for some negligence, get possession Of
his musket and thus capture single
handed a whole picket post
It was during the campaign of Cen
,eral HaIleck against Quaker guns at
COrinth that Morgan was operating In
HaIleck's rear in western Tennessee,
lharassing 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 Corinth, was in
charge of Tom Venable. who lived
with his family on the upper floor or
the two story station building, the tele-
graph and ticket Office being below.
One night when Venable was I'm his
office sending the dispatches necessary
to get a heavy tran load Of supplies
south he heard tap on the window
pane. Looking up, there stood 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 thro up the sash. Venable
did so, and officer climbed in at the
window
'Pm 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 COnfederates were making 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
" direction and an order signed by 4
Union commander for the train to
come on.
Now. there is a hero to this story,
though he is asleep in his bed above
she telegraph Office. But 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
80 the room, but it 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 a train into a trap and destroy the
supplies intended for the Union army.
Jimmie got IN idea. The telegraph
wires passed within ten feet of his
window before entering the Office be
.ov. lie told his mother what he in
SenLe6 10 CO. and she helped him. He
SoOk his play wire. tied a hairbrush to
one cad Of Il. threw it over the line
VIE and COMP tated his circuit by
means o. q lead pipe extending to the
ground lis Cidn't make very good
connection b-t It su1ced. lie didn't
know the calls Of stations nor what
st tion to call lie waited til there
was comparative quiet below, then
clicked: ..2. station. Morgan here"
This BE repeated several times. 1t was
heard st several stations up the road,
end TIE coz uetcr of the train was adj
vised Of Is - cree.
One man heard it for whom it was
net intended That was the Confederate
operating FL The Office below Jimmie's
room. lie was sitting near the key
when lie heard the words clicked and
knew that some one had outwitted
him. lie notified his commander, and a
search was made. ana Jimmie's hair
brush was seea dangling from the
main wire. It told them the story.
Going upstairs, they discovered jim
mics device. The general Tas the
drst TO enter the room. Jimmie was
still at his key.
s'Have yod reen sending informa-
ton 10 the enemyg' he asked.
Eyes. / have" said Jimmie proudly.
ne did not know the extent Of the
service he had rendered, but was sure
he had done something valuable to his
cause.
s'Do you know what we do with lit
vIe boys who are spies?" asked Nor
gan.
mo-