Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-03-25
PHONE GIRLS
QUICK ACTION.
Receiver knocked on Instrument In
store Leads to Arrest of One Sus-
pect Soon Afterward.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.)


(From the Philadelphia Ledger)
A flash of light from a small electric
bulb in a telephone switchboard, the
sound of angry mems voices, the crash
of heavy blows in an office is squares
away and the intelligence of a telephone
operator. her mind working almost as
swiftly as the electric current itself. Were
the factors that resulted in the quick
arrest of one member OF a gang that is
alleged to have attempted to break open
safe In a store in Germantown early
yesterday.
Miss Vera McMenamn. OF p COLON
street, Germantown, today Is the idol Of
her girl friends who work with her at
the North Keystone Telephone Exchange
The firm whose property she saved c. o.
Struse & Sons, of 4202 Ridge avenue, has
expressed its gratitude to her. Her moth
er is prouder of her daughter than ever
before--if that could he possible. But
Miss McMenamn herself in spite of the
excitement of yesterday, went back 70
her work last night rs though nothing
had happened.
The exchange in which Miss MoMen
amin Is employed is next door to her
home. For a year past she has been act
ing as relief night operator" each Fri
day and Saturday At I O'Clock Oh Sat
urday morning she was sitting as usual
in the lonely room. the receiver tn her
ears, when one of the signal bulbs flash
ed white. showing that a receiver had
been taken off it's hook. Number,
please" said the girl. But instead OF an
answer to her question there came the
sound of heavy blows, as though a sledge
hammer We're being battered on steel,
What's the natter" she cried into the
transmittcr. Can | do anything" The
only answer was the sound of three or
four mems voices, as they continued ham
mering. Then she heard angry words
from one Of them. you've Knocked the
phone down, Frank" he cried. We've
got to beat 1t before We get pulled
Hurried footsteps and the crash of
breaking glass followed. and then silence.
The girl operator already had turned 10
the list of telephone numbers, The sig
nal which had flashed might be either
of two. she found. one OF which was
that Of c. O. Struse q Sons. dealers in
coal and lime, On the instant she called
police headquarters and told them of
what she had heard. The district sta
ton at Ridge and Midvale avenues, n
few doors from the Struse offices. was
notified Reserves started running for
the scene.
Special Policeman Dorsey encountered
man hurrying away from the neigh
borhood His hands were held in his
ovcrcoat pockets. Dorsey ordered him TO
take them out When the man oheyed
blood dripped from enc wrist to the pave
ment. Come along with me-" said Dor
sey At the police station the man is said
to have confessed he had just left the
Struse office, which he had entered by
breaking in the rear door. lie denied
that any one had been with him. He had
attempted to open the safe by batterins
the knob with a crcwbar. he said, and
had overturned the telephone. which
stood near IT, Frightened, he ran to the
| window. smashed the pane and cut his
wrist on the broken glass while climbing
out.
He said that his name was Frank
Miller, a boxer, IS years old. and that he
lived on Ninth street above Race. He
was held without bail by Magistrate
Grelis. His injured wrist was dressed al
the Women's Homeopathic Hospital.