Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: dricejb@drilex.dri.mgh.com (Craig Jackson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Telegrams in the 1980's Message-ID:Date: 26 Sep 89 13:39:34 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 17 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 412, message 5 of 9 Somebody asked what 'telegrams' were used for today. I don't believe that true telegrams exist in the U.S. anymore, meaning written communications handled on both ends by Western Union, but 'telegrams' still have a special place in U.S. legal usage. Twice, I have sold houses when I was out of town when I accepted the offer. In each case, the real-estate agent instructed me to send a telegram indicating acceptance. In both cases, I actually called the telegram in to the 800 number; in the most recent case, the telegram was actually delivered by mail, WU no longer having any messengers in this area (Boston). I've never checked this usage with a lawyer; it could be that the real-estate agents were just using old practices. But some of them hadn't been in the business long enough to be familiar with real telegrams. Craig Jackson dricejb@drilex.dri.mgh.com {bbn,ll-xn,axiom,redsox,atexnet,ka3ovk}!drilex!{dricej,dricejb}