Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-10
WAKES UP PEOPLE.
A STORY OF A MAN WHO has A
CURIOUS OCCUPATION.


How He Came to Engage in Disa-
greeable Experiences at the Begin
ning-It Pays Him Well.
''Yes, sir, make q living by awaken
ing people whose occupations compel
them TO be up very early in the morn
ing" said middle-aged, intelligent
looking man to a reporter of the New
York News. "And good living it is,
too-a good deal better than the hard
work laboring man must do these days,
tell you. It's about year now since !
started at it. For six months l had done
but little work. l was laborer, and
through no fault of mine lost my job l
had little money put by, and but for
that couldn't hold out as long as did.
OF course / got an odd job now and then,
but it was SO very seldom that what /
averaged every week for that six months
didn't equal the salary of twelve-year-
old boy.
swell, sir, was just about giving up
the struggle when l hit on capital idea.
One evening, about 10 o'clock, / was
walking along the street, when heard
one young man say to another: Don't
forget to call me at $50 in the morning,
Jim; you know I've got to be at the Office
at A. There's a scheme, said to my
self. why couldn't make business of
calling people who wanted to get up
earlya Surely thought, that young
man is only one of large number of
persons who must be at their work before
daylight The next day consulted a
bright young fellow that know about
the scheme. He thought it was just the
thing. He prepared sort of circular
for me. 1t told that was ready to
rouse any person who wanted to get
up early in the morning, for so much a
week.
"He and l got the names of people
who we thought would want to hire me.
Then | went around to see them. The
circular explained what / would do.
Everyone saw was delighted with the
scheme, and In few days l had quite
a list of patrons-a sufficient number
to guarantee my going into the new busi-
ness.
81 regulated my prices according to
the positions of my patrons. The lowest
charge made was 25 cents week and
the highest so cents. Among my orig
inal patrons were laborers, truck drivers,
bartenders, miIkmen and clerks. I
charged the laborers the least. had
Eve men at 25 cents week, six at 80,
four at 40 and ten Mt So That footed
up 50. 65 week. It was only day or
two before got more customers, and in
less than three weeks ! had enough pa
irons to make my earnings amount to
$15 week. Now I'm making over 500.
"About o'clock every morning | get
ready for work. After having had bite
to eat I start out My first call is made
at 25 minutes to 8. This is to rouse a
truck driver who is in the market bust
ness. From that time till half-past
o'clock Pm kept pretty busy. am pro-
vided with keys to the street doors of
the houses in which my patrons live, and
now / have no trouble in getting them
up. knock on the door of the room in
which the man I'm to awaken sleeps. A
couple of sharp raps brings him up gen.
orally. In some cases have keys of the
bedroom doors, and go in and shake
up my man. l do this only when my
patron is heavy sleeper and he is will
ing to have me enter his room.
"When first began operations had
hard road to travel. made many mis-
takes. Often / got at the wrong room,
and routed out people / had nothing to
do with. Then there would be hub
bub. If you only heard half the insults
that were showered on me you'd &C
crazy. was cursed right and left and
often came near getting thrashing
These people thought l was some drunken
person poking around in half stupid
condition. Of course, didn't blame
them for the way they carried on, for
Knew that wouldn't want to have my
nights rest disturbed in such manner
ssAfter while / got everything dowr
Z fine, and now make no mistakes. Some
of the people who engage me are very
hard to arouse. Many will not permi
me to enter their rooms, and, as I canno
afford to lose time on them, have Il
give them up. The greatest trouble
have is getting at several men who wan
to be called at the same hour, and whs
live some blocks away from one another
In doing this successfully / have to exer
else little diplomacy. Now, for instance
have FIVE men who instruct me to wax.
them up at 10 minutes to A. The houses
in which they live are on three streets
and, by stopping at each to call my man
it will take at least ten minutes to traye
over the route of the five residences.
I've fixed up timetable for thos
4 five men for every. day in the week. On
day call one man at twenty minutes t,
four, another at eighteen minutes, ,anothe
at fifteen minutes, another at twelve, ant
the last at ten minutes to four, the prope
time. Every five days / change about
and the man that called at twenty min
utes to four on Monday / arouse at tel
minutes to four ON Tuesday, etc. BY (,
iudicious alternative / avoid seriou
trouble, for if one of the men says that
woke him up ten miutes before the prope
time tell him that his watch or clocl
must be wrong, and as long as the call
ing for the next few days is but a coupl
Of minutes out of the way he thinks
must be right. So long as he isn't lat
for business he doesn't care.
Some Of my patrons are pretty hard t
get along with but, as can afford to b