Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-12

ledger than the other. They are quiet,
orderly class, rs a rule, and but little
trouble is reported from their relations
with each other or with their patrons.
THE OLD-TIME ExPREssMEN.
No business or class of work has un-
dergone more decided change with
Omaha's progress than the express bust
ness. There are now in the city about
dozen old timers, whose express eX-
pericnce runs back into the sixties, who
could never content themselves to con
duct the business under the present order
OF things. There was no scale of prices
in those days, and there was profit in the
work. The bulk of the work then con
sisted in hauling passengers and their
baggage to and from the ferry boats
The passenger and baggage offices of the
eastern roads were then located on Ninth
street, between Farnam and Douglas
streets, opposite the ferry, which was
over q mile east of Ninth street. The
eNppcSsmen in those days made their
headquarters at the Tivoli garden and
divided their time between slipping lager
and robblng tourists in a professional
way. Their usual charge for carrying n
passenger and his trunk from Ninth street
to the ferry was 81, and il the connection
was close and good time had to be made,
the eNpressman had an rXasperatng
habit OF stopping on Il sandbar about
half way to the ferry and making his
victim she'll out from 50 to So This was
in an early day when the business men of
the town depended almost entirely upon
thcir transient trade for living. There
were no regular customers. The chances
were that merchant would never see
his customer again, and he consequently
took advantage of his one opportunity
and bled his purchaser at a four-price
rate. The eXpressmen therefore were
only acting under the recognized rule of
business and their cxtortions were unno-
hced. just after the war there was n
great rush of soldiers through Omaha on
their way east, after having been dis
charged from the armies in the west
The most of them had served four or five
years and had money coming to them in
sums ranging from $500 to $4,000. They
had to come to Omaha to draw their pay
and were invariably subjected to we'll
arranged system of robbery, of which
expressmen were the agents and the mer-
chants of the city instigators and part
ners. Upon his arrival in the city sol
dier would be taken in charge by an
eXpresSman, who would conduct him to
the government headquarters and help
him draw his pay, always getting fee
for so doing. Drinks, at the soldiers cX-
pcnse, would follow, and then purchas
ing tour. The eXpressmen stood in"
with certain clothing merchants and
dealers in the different lines, and drew
a per cent upon all sales made to sol
diers or other travellers run into the store
by them. After Il soldier had purchased
an outfit, paying four prices for it, he
would be sent on his way, and the ex-
pressman would go around and collect
his commissions from his partners, the
merchants. Tho express business was
profitable in those days, one man having
record of having made $l45 in one day
while $25 $40 was considered but fair
days work. The old-timers, however,
never dreamed but that those palmy days
failed to take advantage of their oppor-
tunities are still in the business, pegging
away in a disgruntled manner for fees
that would have been considered an in
suit in the early days.
HARRY HUNTER.