TELEPHONE TRICKS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXX, Issue 2, 4 July 1913, Page 7

TELEPHONE TRICKS.

ALL THE SCHMIDTS AT ONCE. Dr. Strauah, a mental specialist, giving evidence at the trial of a Berlin lawyer named Pachter, who is alleged to have used abusive language to girl telephone operators, declared in effect that the new kind of telephones, with no handle and an automatic "call," was apt to disturb the mental balance even of people with, very placid temperar ments. Dr. Strauch mentioned the case of a well-known surgeon who had been, driven completely insane in Berlin owing to exasperation over the telephone since the introduction of the automatic "call." The accused lawyer adduced evidence that girl telephone operators constantly played tricks on subscribers. For example, it was dieclared that girls connected together and called up all the people named Schmidt in the telephone directory, shrieking with laughter at the bombardment of replies, "This is Sohmidt," which came from all quarters.