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Show ', KNOWN TO TELEGRAPHERS. Death of a Famous Old Westera TJolon "Watch Dog." The operators at the great central room of the Western Union Telegraph in New York city mourn the death of "Old Tom" Finnegan, as he was familiarly famil-iarly and affectionately called, who had . been doorkeeper 4?" there for twenty SV years. He entered Jfi, itij Ihe service of the ffijJB !:ompany over - t; orty years ago, fij&Z, rf0J nd for many Wmti. years was the (mL! "grinder" that :?ry la, he turned tho v crank for the old ' . House printing flnnegan. instrument until the electrio motor was invented. He knew every one of the 900 and more employes, knew a good deal about most of them, and had a faculty for recognizing recogniz-ing and excluding any one who might "dun" or otherwise annoy any of them, which amounted to a sixth sense. It was part of bis business to conduct visitors through the building and explain differ- ent parts of it, and he did that for Dom Pedro, President Diaz, the Pan-American visitors and many other distinguished persons. If a visitor knew enough about electricity to ask troublesome questions "Old Tom's" Irish wit was always equal to the occasion, and the boys have a rich fund of anecdotes about his repartees. He died of typhoid fever at the age of 69. |