The last time we were on a party line, we had a problem with a couple who used to leave their phone off the hook; to what purpose, I don't know. After speaking to them about it produced no results, I cut the line going into the house. The following discussion was brief and emphatic and the problem disappeared.
On another line, a friend called and, when there was no answer, the neighbor picked up and said, "I saw their car leave this morning. Give me your name and I'll have them call when they get back". Different times, for sure. GD
