ADT

"Burglary." Cedar Valley Times (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 7 November 1867, page 3, col 1; digital image, NewspaperArchive (http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/cedar-rapids/cedar-valley-times/1867/11-07/page-3 : 7 Jan 2017).

Burglary.--On Thursday night of last week the Kingston Hotel was 'gone through' by some light fingered gentry who relieved the guests of the house of some ninety dollars.  The house of Mr. Hartley was also visited on the same night but the rogues failed of success.

The "Mr. Hartley" is almost certainly my 3rd great grandfather George W Hartley (1805-1880), a victim of an attempted robbery back in Kingston (Cedar Rapids) in 1867.  I think robbery must be one of the oldest problems in the world.

I was reminded of this article today as I was listening to Bloomberg Radio, and the security system company ADT** ran an ad claiming to have been around 143 years.  That's a long time, almost as long ago as the Kingston burglary.  A search for "American District Telegraph" in a number of newspaper databases indeed yielded results in 19th century papers for the company.  The company originally made a stock ticker, and then branched out into electronic signaling and messenger services.

Part of a booster article about ADT and its benefits, from "An Oakland Enterprise of Great Convenience and Safety." Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) page 3, col 6; digital image, NewspaperArchive (http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/oakland/oakland-tribune/1876/06-27/page-3 : 7 Jan 2017).

**I'm not endorsing this company or product, I just thought it was interesting.




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