Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-09
BULLDOZED By BOYS.
EXPERIENCES OF An. 7. ADVERTISER.
he Wanted a Man and a Boy and Secured
Three Hundred Responses at Once
A Sort OF Monkey and
Parrot Time.
IN. Y. star.I

~. L. star.
J. ID. West & Co, manufacturers Oh
lightning rods, weather yanes, aud pumps,
have their office at 49 Cortiandt street. Ii
the Star the other day appeared the fol
lowing:
DIG BOY with mechanical bent and lsye
ID head wanted. }. ID. WEST Co.
~ Cortlandt g.
Mr.. West sat in his office in the after
noon. He laughed outright when report
or asked him If be had got boy OF the ad-
yertised requirements, and whether the
boy could be seen.
II wish you could have seen those boys
and men," said MIR. West. 81 live in East
Orange, and generally get here about nine
O'Clock in the morning. When 1 got to
Church street found the street blockaded
with boys of all ages and sizes. L was Id
company with some frie nds, and when we
caught sight of the crowd we. imagined
there had been either a fire, murder, OF
robbery. There were several policemen
around, and one of my friends stepped up
20 one and asked him what the trouble
was.
"'West & Co. want big boy with
bent head the policeman replied, and all
these ere boys think they've got what's
wanted
IL got TO the front door. pulled out the
key Of the Office, and opened the door.
Well, L never saw anything like it. was
overwhelmed with boys. Some ran ahead
of me, others jammed me against the wall,
some climbed on my back, others caught
me by my clothes. There must have been
- Il. ~ hon II An
ally reached my office, and was able by
main force to push out those who had en-
tered. They had perched on the safe, the
desks, tables, chairs and lounge. threat.
ened TO send for the police if they did not
get out The young vagabonds gave
yell and charged those who were pressing
forward. l selected the biggest boys, and
told them TO clear the place of the smaller
boys. This was done in short time, and
then the big boys locked the front doors
and took possession. Several men were
in the multitude. / told them / could not
employ them. After l had thinned the
crowd was confronted by nearly hun
dred big boys. I took down their names,
addresses and past occupation. Here is the
list. 1t comprises machinists, telegraph
ing machine makers, and almost every
thing else. As 1 dismissed them l told
them that would notify the one l want
cd. l selee ted four, Thomas Sherlock was
the one had made up my mind to employ,
as he seemed to be a bright, intelligent boy,
and gave good references.
81 was just about making up my mind
TO write TO him, when who should enter
the office but Thomas Sherlock. Without
waiting for me to speak, Sherlock laid on
my desk a dozen gas burners with fix
lures. III got these," be said, "from some
boys who stole them. They've robbed you
all over.' He gave the names of some
boys who, he said, had stolen tools, pipes,
fixtures and other property.
''After Sherlock left me-" continued Mr..
West, "I became alarmed at what he had
told me. began to look around the place.
found that L had been robbed, though
not very extensively. / discovered that
the boys had broken my model pump, dis
i located every one of the vanes and de-
stroyed all my patent ventilators. From
the appearance of some of the heads of
the lightning rods, guess the boys must
have had a tournament in the hall Well,
| l scratched of Sherlock's name, and
| have written to James Parker, of Pacific
street, Brooklyn, to come and work for
me. He is modest, and seemed in earn.
est"
"What kind OF boy did you have in
mind when you described him as with q
mechanical bent and level headP"
Mr.. West explained that the sort OF
youth he meant was one with kind OF
Patent Office brain, close mouth, and sc
level head that he could climb to the
spire of Trinity and fix lightning rod
there without getting dizzy.