The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-03
TELEPHONE
CASE HEARD
Testimony Of an Interesting
Nature.
FOREIGN "HELLO" GIRLS
Testify Strongly for United
Testify Strongly for United
States Company
Local Companies Admit That Ser.
vice was Bad but Give Reasons
for Such Condition.

Interesting in every particular,
yet attracting but a small crowd to
the common pleas court room, the in
junction case of the United States
Telephone company against the Ma
rion County and Central Union COM
panies, was heard Friday by Judge
Daniel Babst.
The plaintiffs called as witnesses
the chief operators of the independ-
ent exchanges at Columbus, Delaware,
Mt. Gilead and Gallon. The operat-
ors testified that until October 1 the
service into Marion was of the best,
but after that time 1t was practically
worthless. They told the court that
they would put in a call for a party
here and then after waiting long
time they would call again only to
have the operator ask them, to repeat
their call. In most cases, they said,
1T was impossible for them to even
get their parties. AS a result their
patrons went to the Bell exchange
and succeeded in getting their parties
without delay
The plaintiffs claimed that the To-
cal company took out It's own long
distance switch board and installed
a Bell switchboard which was oper-
ated by the employees of the Bell COM
pany. Both the Bell and the United
States wires were connected with this
switchboard. This, they claim, was
done to hurt the business of the
United States company and to furth-
er the interests of the Bell company.
1t was also claimed that It was done
against the terms of the contract en-
tered into between the United States
company and the Marion County COM
pany when the latter company first
commenced operating its lines in the
city. ~
The Marion County company denied
the existence of any signed contract
with the United States company. Sew
eral contracts, witnesses said. were
submitted, but for various reasons
none was signed. Witnesses for the
pefendant company stated that In
the period between October 1, when
the Bell exchange was moved in with
the Marion County exchange and Oc-
tober 10 the local and long distarce
switch boards of the company were
being changed and for that reason
fhe service was impaired. They had
witnesses to prove that the United
States company received as large a
share OF the business out OF Ma
rion as did the Bell company and that
the service was as good on one line
as on another, both in and out of
the city.
cyrus II. Huling, of Columbus, Ar
dhur Carey, of Cleveland, and G. L.
'nstice, OF this city, appeared as
counsel for the Unite d States COM
pany. Crissinger and CUTLERY repre-
sented the Marion County company
ana Scofield. Durfee and Scofield, and
U. b. Mann, Of Chicago, looked after
the interests of the Bell company.
Aiter hearing the testimony I'm the
case, the court announced that the
Central Union company will have
until January Is to file brief and
argument on demurrer; the United
states company will have until Janu-
ary iS to file its brief and argument
on the general issues of the case and
until February | TO file its brief in
answer to the demurrer OF the Central
uhion company The Marion County
Telephone company will have until
feoruary ! to prepare and file an
answer to the brief OF the United
states company on the general issue
of the case.