Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-01-23
Communication.
~-~-cNeNSr-~1I~~Nso-N-Ne.
Our New York Letter.

A JuniorLife-Saving Service-NaI
the Newsboy-The MajesticPeel
er and His Little CIub-The Sug
ar Controversy.
To the Editor Of the Observer
1 New YORK, Jan. 20, 1873.
New Y York has discovered a trio
Of heroes under the leadership
of a lad known as ~Nan, the
Newsboy." They have made
it their business to save the lives
of those who, willingly or un-
willingly, have found themselves
In the waters about our docks.
Like Topsy, Nan seems to have
/ "growed." He appears to have
burst upon the community at a
bound, as a full-blown hero, and
to have constituted himself and
his two companions a life-saving
/ service. After the work of the
day is over they devote their
time to this humane and self-im-
posed task. With rubber boots,
cork belts, life-lines, and lanterns,
they patrol the dangerous and
unprotected portions of the
wharyes, guarding drunken sail
ors from tumbling over the low
stringpiece, or plunging into the
water when too late to prevent a
fall.
This hOmely devotion to the
good of humanity has not been
permitted to pass by mnotieed.
The newspapers have taken the
matter up, and it looks now as
though the boys would have a
substantial recognition Of their
services in the shape of funds
with which to carry out Mans
pet idea-the establishment of a
service in good and regular STAN
ding.
The cost of organizing the
corps contemplated by Nan, to-
gether with the furnishing of
three stations at different points
along the river front will be a.
bout $500, and the cost of keep
ing up the service about $4,000
a year. Already the open-han-
ded brokers of Wall Street have
subscribed enough to insure the
success of the scheme. The
boys have received little or no
reward for their unselfish devo-
ton. 1t is a well-known fact
that a rescued person expresses
little gratitude for his deliver
ance.
Since june last, Nan has saw
ed fifteen lives; Long, six; and |
Kelly, two, and as their Iabors
are among those from whom no
reward could be expected, the
work is the result Of a conscicr-
tious desire to serve the cause
cf humanity; and if a little re
excitement comes in as
one cause of keeping up this ser
vice, no one Will think the lie. S
Of it, or hold back his learty
plaudits for the good work done,
or his best wishes and assistance
for the future Of Nan, the News
boys life-saving corps.
New York policemen, with all
their faults, have one strong
point. They rigidly uphold the
dignity and majesty of the law
as embodied i'll themselves. A.
couple Of these noble creatures
are now up before the Police
Commissioners, to whom it has
been clearly shown, ON the tes-
timony Of score Of witnesses,
that they nearly dubbed to death |
a man who ventured to remon-
strate against his unexpected |
and causeless arrest. During
their examination, one Of the Of /
tending peelers admitted that he
didn't know what they arrested
the man for, and that he only
dubbed him as a matter of form. !
On the same evening, and just
before the exploit mentioned, the
same worthy pair had collared
an old man "on suspicion" and
told him that they would LET him
go if he would stand treat, which
he accordingly did. 1t is rather
more than possible that these
two valuable clubs viii be lost
to the force hereafter, and that
these over-yigilant guardians of
the peace win be returned to-
private life, where they can club
their fellow-men only on equal
terms and at the risk Of serving