Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-03

The telegraph rsed to Bleed Csnnd
ing Relatives.
Any messages here for me?~ brusQue
ly inquired man of the young gentle
man al the delivery window in the sele
graph office Of -.
! No. sur. said the young man. with
out asking the name of the inquisitsr.
Yes. there is: l know there is a dis
patch here. You viii obli1e me bv look
ing for it" The last sentence was ut
tered in way which left the clerk n,
/ alternative but 20 look. He ven
( through stack of abont forty dis
/ patches from e NJ -" box. and agar
returned the answer that none wer,
there.
Strange. should receive a dispatch
of great importance today" still doubt
ing the truth of the young mans an
swer Seeing that the latter paid nc
more attention to him, the gentlem Al
slowly passed out-in strong contrast e
the brisk manner in which he had su.
tered.
For six months that man has come
IN here three or four times a week, ask
ing the same questions and acting in
Z
he been given dispatch.
lis he a crank 2" inquired reporter,
VII Was the person addressed. and who
had been a witness of the scene.
should certainly call him crazy, If
| was not sure that he never expected a
dispatch. Some time Ill surprise him
by handing him a message with two
dollars charges on it, He is one of
fhnaa falinu- ha xrny,l1 hava he npt. Il
believe that his head is Just bursting
when the office is full. and as you per-
haks Noticed. asks his questions In a
tone OF voice loud enough to attract the
attention of every one In the room.
don't know whv he does it, but he does,
nearly bored to death by him and his
ilk-for there are others like him."
But it isn't marker to some who
call here" continued the clerk, breath
ing spell being afforded him by the alb
sence of inQuirers. they cause rs to
wish We had been born before this en-.
iightcned age of telegraph and electric
appliances. l tell yoa this is a good
place for the study of human nature
and character. There are more unrea-
sOnable and downright mean men in
this world than you imagine. and a
great many of them live right here in
this town. There are more tricks in this
trade than one would suppose, and We
detect schemes innurlerabl0.
"A favOrite method of obtaining
money by the young man who is afraid
to work, is to telegraph sOmthing like
this:
DEAR MOTHER: Fell into a coal hole
and broke my leg today. Will be laid
up long time. Please send me 800 to
defray expenses.
Collect. Your loving son"
This dodge works better than you
think. 1t nearly always brings the
Ut course, failures sometimes
occur, and in some instances the young
men place themselves In awkward pos
itions, "a in the case of young man
who recently telegraphed his parents
that while working about machinery
one of his arms had been broken in two
places. HIS mother was so worked up
over the mishap to her son. that she
came all the way from Boston with the
instead of sending it., as de-
sired. She found her son haze and
hearty, living upon expectations of
what he was shortly to receive from
home. A more disguised woman never
lived, and, as the young man afterward
explained to me, she went away with
all the money she brought, and with a
very bad opinion of her son. In whom
she had placed great confidence.
Then there IS the young man who is
going into business. One
sprace young fellow here is the idol of
a fond, old and rich uncle, who lives in
one of Philadelphia's suburbs. Accord
ing to the dispatches TO- his uncle he is
engaged in business in a dozen differ
ent places in Colorado. His losses are
made good by frequent drafts upon the
old man, as he calls him. His drafts
are always accepted and paid, and the
proceeds 60 over the gaming table.
The young man thinks it great fun to
work the old man, but some day his
will be exposed, and then We
shall lose one of our regular customers.
1.-The majority of tele0raphic money
orders received at this Office are 8d-
dressed to women Of i'll repute. They
receive large sums of money by sending
something like this:
"' Have been very sick and have NO
money. Please save me from going to
hospital
Another favOrite dispatch is:
80 m in trouble. Uuless you sens
me SEQ will be sent ~ jail. You are
the only friend have on earth. Help
me out of this, for Gods sake
The money invariably comes along
in day or two. The way in which
these women impose on their victims IS
q wonder. Their dispatches are sent to
prominent men in all parts Of the coun-
try. 1t may, perhaps, be a miid system
Of blackmail, but it Is effectually Carried
out and evidently pays