El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-07

THE dictagraph, that new and marvellous III
tie mechanical eavesdropper through which
Detective William J. Burns listened to the
Mcnamara dynamite plotters, now makes its first
bow in the divorce court Pittsburgh, the home OF
Mr.. Carnegie odd millionaires and scandals III
PRODUCES it ,,,,,s
(Read on. another page about the remarkaole
new science of criminology Of which DETECTIVE
Burns is the foremost exponent and the uI''A'
graph only a small part)
Mr. Eugene FaIIabOm is the suspicious husband
who called the dictagraph in to allay OF 10 con
firm his suspicious. Quite naturally MIS-. ana
bonn is the lady whose MISUNDERSTANDING u
her ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS were unchlValrously re-
heated bv it: Mr.. Jonas McClinJOck, son Oh IAe
first Mayor Of Pittsburgh and one OF Its WealJnlesI
and most prominent citizens, is the party OF the
third part who, even if he kissed and never IOiu'
couldn't keep that same dictagraph from register
ing every caress in the maddened ears OK MI al
labom far far away at the other end
The shades Of MOliere, Balzac and Dumas must
he among those who lament that they lived 100
early to get the full literary benefit OF the dleta-
graph Think Of what a situation this would nave
been for either!
Clintock in the second story, front Hanging De
hind the pianO-perfdiOus skulker-a very small
black box, the dictagraph transmits curtains
drawn all silent except Mrs. Fallaboms little
daughter. who now and then exercises her lin
guistic repertoire Of Mama" Across the street.
on a table, a strange little bcx- Around It three
detectives and Mr., Fallabom- 1t IS the otner
part the receiver, Of the nicked letter ooA nla-
en- behind the McCintOcks piano
Saws Mrs Fallabom in the falacious security
Of second story, front: Its dreadful to be SO
misunderstood by ones husband
Dictagraph across the street: "ItS dfeddIH 10
be so misunderstood By ones husband
Mr. McClintock: Sometimes he seems to me
TO be hardly human"
Dictagraph across the street: Sometimes he
seems to me to be hardly human
Mr. FaUabom stamping: "ScOundrel! Villain
Baby in the second floor, front: Mamma!
Mammal" ,.,,,r
, Mt Fallabom: MY chfld,-my innocent child"
Mrs FaIIabom second story, front: Isn't II
comfortable to know not a soul can hear us
Mr. McCIintock also comfortably; ms room
is certainly private. all right
Dictagraph conscientiously repeats what they
say across the street
Mr.. FallabOm, grinding his teeth; "Har' mar
And little do they knOw!"
Sound comes lmeltingly out Of the dictagraph
trausmitter like nicely oiled lawn mower cutting
a mile of grass
Mr.. FaIIabom, in a frenzy; Its kiss, that's
what it is Think I can't recognize my wifes
kisses? Oh, woman, woman, thy name is du-
plicity!"
Mr. Fa1labom, appalled,: Say, did any Of you
ever hear anybody kiss baby Ike that?'
But perhaps you don't quite know Just what
the dictagraph is. The dictagrap6 is a very Won
derfuI. newly invented instrument that has the
mower Of collecting all the sounds il room where
if Is placed of transmitting them by wire as far
rs 400 miles and of pouring them out at the other
end in a volume anywhere from a whisper that
Won have to hold the transmitter up to your ear
TO hear to a shout that is four hundred times the
normal volume Of the voice, when necessary
It's principle is the same as that OF the tele-
rbone only its sound gathering power is enor-
InousIv greater You have TO talk into the re-
caiver of a telephone. With a dictagraph IN
roorn every sound, even from the points farthest
from it is gathered up by the receiver and car
ria5 +o the other end where it issues. A man
can stand with his back up against the dicta-
arapb and another man in the room can whisper
a sentence That sentence will be carried by the
instrument lust as though it we're whispered IN
If and at the other end can be turned into
shout if necessary by the proper handling OF the
aDDaratus One man with his ear to the trans
11itter can hear it, or if it is desired hundred
mon can hear it. For instance, at a railroad
station in New York a train announcer talking
IN natural tone Of voice in a little room viii
have his voice carried by the dictagraph to the
main shed and his words will be shouted by the
+raDsmitters in a giants voice from every pillar
accidentally, receiver and transmitter can be hid
den anywhere and 90 on faithfully recording
Just the same E. a.
If will be seen at once that the invention Is the
6npst destroyer Of privacy that one can well con-
live If the late James Whitcomb Riley had an
ofber chance he would change, perhaps his Ia