Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-06-27
A Wrong Idea.

Agreat many persons have the idea
that Il they happen to have an infant,
idiot or maniac that they wishto trans
fer to some distant point, they have
only to leave the article at the nearest
express Office, after paying the charges
or seeing it adorned with o &c, CD"
tag. AT frequent intervals an item
goes the rounds of the country press,
stating that little Tommie Somebody,
who was g tieketed through by ex-
press from Kalamazoo to Key West,
arrived safely ct his destination and was
ascertained to have cut several teeth
and gained half dozen pounds during
the Journey. OF course he smiled when
the reporter viewed him, and caekled
when his aunt paid the charges, re-
moved the tag, and lugged him away.
Such an item is sure to be copied and
TO be read. The idea is a "taking'i
onR, inasmuch as there is a sort of nov
city about it; and though there are not
many persons who you'd care to trans
fer their infsntile progeny By that
method, there are great numbers who
fancy that the express companies trans
port idiots and lunaties rs well as in
fants, and who make application for
the transfer Of such human packages.
FREQUENT applications are made also
for the transfer of unprotected young
women by express.
The main Offices in every city have
such applications nearly every day, all
of which are refused, because the COM
panies do not accept such responsible
tiles. Occasionally an agent at some
country Office accepts such package,
but If it has far to 90 it is almost in
variably detained by the agent at the
first transfer Office. A country agent
somewhere in New Jersey not long ago
accepted q lunatic, which was to be
/ forwarded to a Maryland town. The
insane package got as far as Easton,
Pa, where it was stopped by the agent
and sent back in charge of a robust en-
ploye to the place from which it start
ed. The matter was reported to the
general Office in this city, and letter
was addressed 10 the New Jersey agent,
tnstructing him not to receive human
packages "unless properly boxed -
by the undertaken, of course.
The reason given for not accepting
the responsibility Of transferring live
persons are those which would natural
1y occur to any person thinking about
If. In case of accident, the damage
may be such that it cannot be repaired
by the payment of money; the express
cars have no conVeniences for the
transportation of such goods; and the
agents are too busy at all transfer
points to take care of helpless persons.
They must keep an eye constantly on
their safes, and they are therefore un-
able'to lug infants to other cars, pilot
idiots, haul maniacs, or escort unpro-
tected young women. When applica-
tons for the carrying OF such parcels
are made at the express offices the per-
sons applying are advised to place
their goods in charge of drawing
room car conductor, who usually has
AM pie time to take care of them, and
Wlli DO SO for reasonable considera-
tlon. Persons who are thus advised do
not return again with O like applica
ton, but the average is kept up bv an
plicat ona from the ranks of millions
who read at frequent intervals such
fetions as the transfer of the smiling
and caekIng infante from Kalamazoo.
M, Btl11