Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-01-10
An Abuse Of
the Telephone
ByE.A. Mitchell

kCopyrl9nts As1fs western Newspaper union.J
'.Pll call you up about nine o'clock
and let you know the result.
"You can't cali me up because
have no telephone In my house"
"No telephone2 Why, I supposed
every house had a telephone nova
days."
mine hasn't. It had one and had
1t taken out" Il
"Why sol"
SWELL there's a little story about 1t.
II you care to hear 1t, I'll tell it to
you. You know, live out at Hibton,
an hours ride from the city. When r
was first married, my wife was alone
all day, being in town at business,
so we concluded to put in telephone
so that she could cab me up once in
q while to break her loneliness, or II
anything unusual occurred.
swell, the first thing to be COM
municated was, I caught the mouse
/ set the trap for; what shall I do
with itT The next thing to be COM
municated was, Someone is Ill in the
house opposite; the doctors convey
ance Is standing before the door,
Then she called me up to ask me to
bring her a spool Of thread when I
came out in the evening. I must walk
six blocks to q store where ! could
buy the kind she wanted, and she
could get it by walking two blocks, or
send for 1t by telephone. I told her
to do this and she said she didn't like
to ask the storekeeper to send so small
a package costing only two cents. 1t
was the same with an yeast cake.
But all this was nothing to what
happened one night when stayed in
town taking an account Of stock. At
ten o'clock was rung up and my wife
said: I'm going to bed, dear. It's
awful to think that you wr1't be at
home till tomorrow EVENING" I tried
to cheer her by promising to go
home early the next evening, and after
telephoning half a dozen kisses I
hung up the receiver and continued
my work. Ten minutes later ! was
called again:
'"'Reginall Oh Reginaldv
"'What Is 1t, dear?
"T hear sounds below. Someone Is
trying to break into the house.
"What could I do? couldn't ask
my wife to go down and face a robber.
I asked her what the sounds were like
and she said they were like those
made by someone boring.
II now really became frightened
myself. / was not SO much afraid Of
burglars attacking my wife: for I
knew that she had her bedroom door
locked and furniture heaped against
1t. What I feared was that she would
be frightened to death. However, !
must plan for her.
" called a council Of those working
with me In stock taxing, stating that
my wife was locked In her room ut
home while burglars were below boz
Ing in the door. doubtless intending
te make hole to put in an arm to
remove the chain and open the door.
All voted 1t q complicated case. It
was suggested that ! telephone the
police at Hilton to 60 at once to my;
house, surround 1t and capture the
burglar. I wondered that had not
thought of this plan myself, for it
was very simple, and telephone mes
sage from me from the city would be
as effective as from my wife in Hilton.
II called up the police in Hilton
and told them to go OF once to my
house, where they would find some
one trying to bore his way in. The
man at the desk said that burglars
didn't really effect entrance in that
way, but he would send some men
right over. /
''Whiie awaiting the result my wife
telephoned me that she had located
the boring. 1t was at the door of a
storm shed which was held closed by
an iron hook. I thought that any
burglar who planned to effect an en-
trance to my house there was fool.
After unlocking the storm door he
would have to open the door within,
which was protected by an excellent
lock.
ut was not long before received
word from the police at Hilton. We
got him. He is now in CELL
II at once telephoned my wife that
the danger was past. But realizing
! that she had suffered shock. ! said
that I would 60 home On the one
| O'Clock train.
II reached the house about two
| o'clock and found several Of the neigh
bors attempting to soothe my wife,
whose nerves had been terribly,
strained. While sympatltlzing with
her / received a telephone message
from the police that their prisoner
claimed to be my wife's brother and
desired that come Immediately and
identify him.
"'Great heavens! could this be soT
" answered the summons immedi-
ately and on reaching the station,
there waiting for me sat Jim Cham
bers, my brother-in-law. true enough.
"'What In thunder he began.
"'What the dickens were you try
ing to break in-T
"T had a key to the side door and