A short tale of a smartaleck and his chief from Harry Birch’s chronicles of the activities of the Chicago news crews.

It seems that in the building of a short wave radio receiver, Charles Ford needed some special wire to complete the job. He sent Jack Barnett out in the afternoon to find this wire for him. Barnett in searching the town for this special wire met some of his old friends, and as it was very hot Jack and his friends entered into the spirits of the occasion and the entire party was a huge success until Barnett remembered the wire for Ford’s radio.

After much thought, Barnett decided not to disappoint Ford, so he immediately went to the Western Union office and sent the following telegram to Ford’s home:

“Dear Ford: Here’s your wire. Kindest regards.”

P.S. We understand that Ford has permission from the chief of police now to carry a cannon – so if you are in Chicago, don’t send Ford a “wire.”