davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-07-10

CONTINUED on page eight
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

-, their wires have been cut by shell
fire." From the report 1t seems that
the advance trenches were several
hundred yards from the support
trenches, and at certain place there
was wooden peg set up to mark the
spot where the telephone wires to
various points were intertwined in q
bunch in case. a foot or two below
the surface. This peg was invisible to
the enemy or even to an alrman, but
somehow one of the enemys shells
struck that particular spot and the
junction box was destroyed and com
munication to the advance trenches
cut off. The repair squad was called
and one man volunteered to do the
work of repairing the damage al
though he knew 1t meant almost GER
tain death. With his appliances
strapped on his back and rifle In
his hand he crawled along the boggy
earth like a snake. The German bull
let's were swishihg through the air and
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

Receiving n F1scao 1Genage ln A g.
nnnn 1femch.
that contact wire and electric -.
tories had been attached 10 -
bridge. The gums had the range ~
the crossing and when the 80
stepped upon the bridge the wire nSFo
the Information and the gunl y
opened IRE. Surely the war has -
veloped the use OF the telephone -
. mo art. II might be Addel Gn&
these telephone spies are usuny
taken out and shot at once.
& The German Grown Prince h6s
most complete telephone sQuipmsu&et
the German Army. He b intenU
interested in its workings and 80 =
much Of his time studying ~ eMtee
and encouraging. his man % ~ ~
devices to aid the FatherIAud.
The telephone - svegyyhee1
writes an English soldier 70 N 49,
lean friend. In tact. the var = 49,
by telephone"
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

parted dspositing 1t on the ground.
We were not more than twenty Ave
feet from the quarry then. and we
knew the job of forcing an entrance
into store or shop of some sort, was
about to begin.
Suddenly. and without warning, we
heard the yeggmen making their way
towards us. We realized that we were
mere rats In trap. for we hadn't any
idea where we were, or how to conceal
ourselves. But Casassa's quick wit
saved the night. He began to chatter
In italian. He had backed from the
alley to the side street as the yeggs
started to retrace their steps, and
Casassa's incessant babble disarmed
the cracksmen OF any suspicion they
might have had as to our presence
there.
AS the trio emerged from the alley
we noticed that the sack was missing.
Evidently the man who had carried 1t
had planted 1t somewhere, waiting.
possibly, for a moro propitious OPP
portunity to crack the safe they had
located. It was terribly disappointing
to see them leave the alley for we had
hoped 10 pull the bunch in the very
act of forcing some strong box. and
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

wait for another order. They never
see the men they kill nor are they
certain that the shots have been true,
but the man in the treetop knows and
sometimes let's them know. Occasion
ally a shrapnel shell finds the battery
and the gunners are killed. There is
little glory or glamour about this
war" said a German artilleryman.
I'VE never see the enemy unless he
passes us as a prisoner or In the Red
Cross ambulance on his way to a
hospital, and he never sees us al
though some of his guns do find us.
This war Is too much like business
to have any charm. We fight battles
now by telephone"
1t is the same way In the trenches.
for the telephone is there to call for
extra men and to let headquarters
know what Is going on.
Perhaps one of the best instances of
the value of the telephone in war is
told by a man who happened to be at
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

from the telephone service in civilian
life. and they have a certain pride as
we'll as patriotism about keeping the
line open"
Listening Outposts."
The always systematic German has
added many innovations to war weap-
ons and methods, and not the least
interesting Of these is what is known
as listening outposts"-a man who
finds out what is going on in the
enemy's trenches. This soldier must,
of course. be an expert Hnguist as he
will hear many languages spoken in
line OF duty. The man who Is to be-
come listener usually slips out of
his own lines after dark and hides
somewhere near the enemy's trenches.
He carries a reel of light wire and a
telephone instrument. After a vantage
point Is safely gained he waits until
he can hear the conversation in the
nearby trenches and telephones them
back to his headquarters. After a time
the Allies learned OF this and they.
too, are now playing the game, and
one Frenchman remained all day long
dressed In a bundle OF wheat near the
German trenches teiephoning valuable
information back to the French head
quarters.
Everywhere in the war gone the
telephone engineer Is put to the test
of attaching instruments at almost i'm
possible places. The trenches are
veritable underground towns with
telephone. wires running all through
them. The wiring of these. however,
is not as difficult as keeping up tele-
phone communication with the officer
who occupies stationary balloon
high above his outposts and telephones
down all he can see with his long
range glasses. Even the new Yep
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

i to consummate this business and beat
II back to New York without the loss
OF minute.
utes before our bunch gave US the slip.
We had lost them clean and no mat
ter in which way we deployed we
couldn't pick up the trail. However.
we were certain that the little blind
alley was their objective, so we made
our way gingerly there.
Creeping through the side street,
and then hurrying into the blind alley.
we proceeded but q short distance
when our attention was riyeted on a
feeble light that dimiy streamed from
window about eight feet from the
street level Slowly drawing ourselves
up so that we could look through this
window. we recognized In its interior
a well appointed and richly stocked
jeweiry store.
Accustoming our eyes to the dim
light. we finally discerned three forms
hard at work before the big vault, an
electric drill fast piercing q circle Of
holes about the combination. Tho
blast would soon follow, we realized,
so there was no time to be spared But
the work was progressing more rapid
ly than we had supposed. for less than
five minutes after we first peeped
through the window, a charge Of
soup" or nitro glycerine, had been
placed. A binding flash. followed by
a muf1ied roar resulted. and the door
gof the big safe fell from its fastcnings.
The Job was complete.
Saw Them Blow safe.
Jimmies and sectional crowbars
were quickly brought into play. and
Il was but the work Of seconds to force
the inner doors, which alone protected
the giittering array of gems within.
It was fascinating. to say the least, to
unobserved spectators from the very
first. Not a move had escaped US. and
in justice to Humpty and his pals IT
must be said that they were past
masters In the art of wrecking a
burglar proof safe" There hadn't
been the slightest sembiance Of waste
motion, every stroke counting heavily
in the nights task
At last the loot was being lifted.
We had been instructed 20 catch
Humpty red-handed, and that was
what we intended to do. AS the rich
horde of gems was being transferred
from the trays In the big vault to the
sack the cracksmen had packed with
their burglars kit. we crept through
the window, and. keeping close to the
wall, CROPPED our way towards our
quarry. finally taking refuge behind a
column.
When our reviewers had been drawn
and careful aim taken, ! sang out:
Hands up Humpty. and be damned
quick about it!'
But Humpsy and his pals weren't
of a kind to quit without battle.
Several binding flashes and an ear
splitting roar told US that the auto
mates of the cracksrnen were in just
as good order as their electric drills.
Bullets whistled past us. some SO close
to our heads that we could feel the
breeze.
We gave them as good as they sent.
and for few minutes the battle
waxed fast and furious. We could
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15
ZE2HO1N NJ NHR[l

pelfns have telephone communications
from a platform on the top to
suspended platform below. This Is for
the purpose of directing the dropping
of bombs or when hostile atrships are
sighted.
Used BY Spies.
But perhaps the greatest ingenuity
is displayed In the use made Of the
telephone by spies. A. number Of ex-
ampies have come to light recently
which show the versatility of the
worlds greatest time saver.
A Russian patrol found two men
digging in a field. apparently for po-
tatoes. but when the cart was searched
nothing was found. One of the officers
finally examined the nose-bag of the
horse which seemed rather thick only
to discover that 1t contained tele-
phone transrnttter. This was attached
to a wire running to q wheel and then
through the high grass to cottage
where a complete telephone station
was found.
At another place small French
town, the French troops came across
q farm where the farmer declared
that he did all the work himself and
did not need horses or assistants. His
actions aroused the suspicious OF the
officers, and after q considerable
search an underground telephone to
the German lines was discovered.
At another time. the work OF the
Russian troops In Prussia was handi-
capped by Teak" of information As
to their plans and days were spent in
trying to locate tho spy. but without
success After time q Russian on
Ger came to the conclusion that the
information was being sent by under
ground lines. These wires were laid
before the war and. OF course, the
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15
His Many Hairbreadth Escapes While Rounding
Up Safe Blowers and Burglars Who Always
Shoot To Kill When Caught In Trap
Copyright, 1915. By The International Syndicate

visited nearly every town and city Of
any size in New England. and spent
several weeks In Boston. He was a
restless bird. but I never was more
than few PAGES behind him. Twice
he came TO New York. and each time
1 was in hopes he was there to pull
some Job. In which event could make
my pinch and end the detail which
had long since become irksome. These
two visits TO New York. seemingly.
were for the purpose Of consultins
with some of his cronies, for In ueithey
case did he spend more than one night
in the big town. Each time he tooh
an early train back to Boston. the
morning following his arrival
Finally third visit was paid tn
New York. Upon arriving there +
learned that Detectives Casassa ana
Young had been detailed to assist me
This was Joyful tidiuE for I was
sure the climax WAS near and I would
rather have Casassa at my side in a
pinch than any man in the depart.
meut
Ready For The Job.
Williams made his last trip to New
York alone. but after shadowinS him
constantly, I learned that two man
both strangers to me. were stopping
at his house In Brooklyn, II took two
days for me to identify these "guestss
of williams. but this done. we soon
found where they lived and what was
their particular graft. After trailing
them incessantiy. the three crossed
e. rir
of course, Casassa and Young and my
self were close at their heels. One
of the trio carried a heavy sack, We
were confident that a burglars Nit was
contained In this sack and that a lob
was near at hand,
They made their way 10 Military
Park. a big public square in the heart
Of Newark's business section. where
they occupied a bench. evidently in
tending to lounge there until darkness
descended.
None of us was very well acquainted
with Newark. so we deemed 1t wise to
communicate with Newark Police
Headquarters and ask that a detective
or two be detailed to hover near In
case trouble started. This was done
and from then 1t was q case Of Just
awaiting developments. They came all
right. and for a time we had our
hands full to overfiowing.
After loafing in the park an hour.
the trio Of yeggs made their way to
side street, or from which an alley
opened. As they reached this alley
they cast furtivs giances about and
then plunged into it's inky blackness.
Strangers IN town. and totally unfamii-
lar with our surroundings. we had NO
idea where this alley would lead ms
AZ we crept along after the three yegg-
men. trusting to our ears to direct us
In their wake.
Planted Their Kft.
We heard the rattle of the contents
of the sack as the man carrying It de-
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

and planting the burglars kit. which
was the case. Therefore, we redoubied
our vigilance the next day. confident
in the belief that another sortie would
be made at a moments notice. Our
dope held good. too. for later the next
evening Humpty and his two pals left
the formers house and set forth for
Newark: Casassa. Young and myself
close In their wake There were no
delays this time. no lounging around
the park. for the trio was on business
bent and It was evident they intended
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

OF cables used by the signal corps Is
carried on trucks. The lines are laid
on poles. trees or on the ground In dry
trenches.
Field stations are connected with the
existing telegraph circuits. OF course,
the signal corps men know exactly
where the wires are hidden. and on
one occasion y war correspondent was
surprised to zee . German officer take
wire Taper from his pocket and
kneel down over q flower bed near a
German railway station and set about
giving orders. The wire was concealed
among the flowers.
Guns Fired BY Teiephone Orders.
Guns are fred by order Of an ofiicer
who Is perhaps ave miles away watch
ing from q tree or building. He calls
down his orders TO the men below
who have q field telephone. the range
In which the gun should be set, and
tho men at the telephone send the
messages to the battery which is
usually concealed In a clump Of trees
The men at this point are waiting for
the order and when II comes they IRE
the gun az directed. then 80 back and
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

I only concentrates our frA IN tha "a.
lrsct1on Of the flash.. - ~. ...~..s.
pistols. but an ooc..,o.., -.., 49,
| . xroan or 4 cure s,,r :. 80. -
t'id N that Soma
marr or ~ tIue W -
Of the burxiara
nau pe0n nut We knew. but just how
49, -. oouu escsrtain at thai
"nie' Aor Wo Wese taktng no chanceG
A Battae 10 The peath.
But wounded or not -. .....
seemed to have An. slsre-s s--sS01 A..l
BILE supply Of arnmunific. - -. Sss-
automatic revoiverr Eer@ :. s. - -
| hail of bullets whistlin~ 49,. - -
ears. II was ev,dAnt th.t ~. \.
ve~~men had taren r.fu.. n~Ss.s =, ~
pillars or countern ana 49, ~ VA
az 6ra In our a,r.ct,c,, 80 s..-s ~
more 70 kean M fro,r ,,.ssr !. : -
for cover rathar ,h.c Is ~. hn..-.ss..ss
vinrirv -. g. ~
ant onr orrc,s,,r,tx 49,. 80.
what seerred ~ =. ~. ,.r.~-s ..--s-s
OF gun play at such close cuartsr. {
nad ever engaged In. One Of ~
burglars made dash for the side win
aow' ana. In nying isap. wsEk
.A1ousn. carrying the sash with him.
40 the others attempted to follow thsat
FORMS were clearly visible and tvosor
three shots dropped them In thstr
tracks ~
It was but the work Of second 20
leap upon our stricken QuArry. mi
wounded though they put up . g.
perafe hand-to-hand struggle In o.
course Of which scars were inflict&a
upon two Of the captors which tn
Will carry to their graves.
For five minutes, At least, ws thr&a
detectives bAttied In that inky d.
store with the two wounded burglash
Apparently their wounds only fannla
their wrath. for they fought with -
fury OF demons. II was blow for blufv
for a while, with the butts Of revolvere
for weapons. 1t was not until the tWc
burglars dropped insensfble In thefs
tracks that the struggle Terminated
and we were able to look about =
and ascertain the extent % the H.
juries.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

Russians knew nothing Of their wherar
abouts. bur after q secret investtea-
ton they discovered schooimaSees
using a telephone concealed In hAf
bog hidden among cast on cloth1ng.
Later 1t was discovered that he actual
ly had a branch exchange In . ward
robe by which he could communists
with number of German ofncerx
Another story OF Q device in which
the victims themselves sent the mos-
sages is told OF French regiment -
the march. While crossing . bridge
they suddenly became the object g
artillery ffre from batteries two miles
away. How the gunners knew w1Aa
they were on the bridge wa
mystery. A search. however. shows
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

WI NcNAhAAa0to AA& ~ A~@
man of today. Safe blowing
< has now developed into q
trade. so fine are the details and 10
proficient are the experts who engage
s In this uefarious means of acquiring
mn easy living" The strong arm
methods OF yesterday s,iil are en-
plcyed to s6fne extent, but the real
artist st this work resorts TO higher
mechanics, thereby insuring quicker
sret-away." larger profits and. at the
same time. minimizing his chances OF
capture.
For many years It fell to my lot TO
keen track Of ali the safeblowers and
yeggrnen who drtfted in and out of
New York City, for this class of Grim
snal Is migratory. He comes to town,
s,iocates'' his Job. executes IL and then
Gits away as fast as steam can carry
him. Clean up and beat IT. is the
motto Of the successful safe burglar.
for in most csSes his loot consists of
cod cash. and there Is nothing TO
deter an early start for some haven
alresdy selected.
The old safe blower OF few years
ago. especially those of the yegg type,
were the most cold blooded and des-
perate. and relied upon their jimmies
and nitro gfycerine, or soup" to gain
entrance 10 the strong boxes of vaults
in banks and post Offices. Nowadays.
electric drills and more modern and
powerful explosives have materially
reduced the actual labor attached to
blowing q safe that It Is a task of
enly a few minutes The electric drill
can accomplish in fifteen minutes
what once required hours of incessant
work TO overcome.
] shall never forget a Job was as
signed TO once. There had been an
unusually large number of safe blow
ing cases IN New York and the In
spector IN charge sent for me.
The Search For ssgunapty.~
~Do you know Hunpty williams 7'
ne asked. We'll. st doesn't make
much difference whether you know
him or not, here's his photograph and
want you 10 get him. and get him
right / understand he is hanging out
somewhere In the vicinity OF Provi-
Aence. r. I. He is q bad yegg, and
should be sent away. Once you To-
cate him. never let him get out of your
right until you get him with the
goods"
My assignment was a rowing one TO
be sure. My orders were never to let
this notorious yeggman out Of my
sight, no matter whore he led me.
And yeggs. az a rule. are not given to
remaining In any place longer than
they can help. i went to Providence.
and after mingling with those Of the
underworld for a few days. found
my man. From then on my work was
cut out for me-
Williams evidently was fond OF
travel. and 1t was obvious that he was
literally supplied with money. He
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15
How Battles Are Fought
By the Aid of the Tele-
phone, and the Curious
Devices Used By Spies
In Their Communica-
lions Headquarters.
Copyright 1915, by The International
Syndicate.

~HE present conflict in Europe has
shown remarkable advances
made In every one of the means
employed In warfare. Such
progress and improvements have been
necessarily due to the large scale upon
which these sanguinary struggles are
i fought ard the GSactnssaa with which
Ill the appliances must fit In with one
another in the work TO be done, the
necessity of keeping IN close touch
with each part of the war machine.
and the Importance OF quick service
20 that proper concert OF action may
De had, has made the telephone an
almost indispensable instrument to
those who are directing the move
nents of the various forces engaged
n the terrible work of destruction.
There Is nothing of the romantic or
picturesque about the present conflict.
.or even the dispatch rider Is seldom
seen. His place was for time taken
by the motorcycle corps. but as the
average life Of a motorcycle war mes
senger is said TO be about three weeks
he Is only used in the direst necessity.
The telephone has taken his place.
1SFuaaH &ttJQ 1GlepnODE$s
While all the belligerents have an
excellent telephone service in the field
skhe Germans have reached perfection
along these lines which is little short
of marvellous, Moreover. they seem to
be prepared for all emergencies, and
the telephone men are regarded as
ideal soldiers, risking their lives again
and again 10 keep UP the telephone
Communication.
The German army uses four prin-
eipal types OF apparatus The first IL
one with a high frequency device and
II light equipment. being adapted for
Che calling of signals and for COM
municauon by Morse signals. This
appliance Is used by the field artillery,
52atrois and the signal corps. This ia.
u course. a portable apparatus, the
Inc of insulated wire being carried on
light reels which may be readily trans
ported by the men.
The second type of instrument en-
sioys a magnetic coil and is especially
serviceabie for military troops
The third machine is a sort of com
s,ination Of the FIRST two and In help
hi for communication between corps.
While tho fourth IL . loud speaking
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

for while we believed the crib was
to be cracked then and there.
1t was with keen disappointment
that we Swallowed the trio back to
New York, retracing our steps precise
ly over the same route we had taken
earlier in the evening.
First Trip A Locator"
We had concluded upon our arrival
back in New York that the excursion
to Newark had been taken solely for
the purpose of exploring the ground
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

the French headquarters when the
commander was informed that the
Germans were attacking q certain divi-
sion and that they were superior In
numbers and reinforcements were
needed. The message was at once
taken to the chief of staff and he gave
the order for the reinforcements.
which happened TO be only ten miles
away. Within two minutes the assist
ance was summoned, and within five
minutes more the harassed general
was informed that reinforcement
were on the way.
Heroic Repair Man.
AZ another place. a correspondent
heard the words over the telephones:
Send your repair squad TO Trench No.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

the Allies sharpshooters were firing
across the marsh. One of the off,
GERS watched the brave telephone man
and saw him finally reach the place
where the peg had been and begin to
dig down In the earth. Then he saw
him pick up nest of wires, and an
instant later communication was re-
stored. In few minutes q battle was
on. and when 1t was over the brave
repair man was put down on the list
as Missing"
Any number of such instances
might be mentioned. for the repair
squads of both the Germans and Allies
are regarded as among the bravest
men of the army. They are all prac-
teal men-many Of them being taken
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

telephone apparatus. The high fire.
quency vibrator is arranged to be con-
nected with telegraph lines without
interfering with telegraph signals. In
order to do this each post Ii fitted with
the necessary sources of power and
a length of flexible cable.
The heavier apparatus with its coil
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

RAA opERN mechanics are OF In
estimable aid TO the crack
man OF today. Safe blowing
x has now developed into q
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-15

HE present conflict in Europe has
shown remarkable advances
made In every one of the means
III ~