The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-10

L was the DdppleSl DOY alive.
Ny only dread was tina. i would some cay |
be dismissed because did not know toe CITY, |
for IL Is necessary that messenger Doy
should know all the firms and addresses OF
men who are in the habit OF receiving .tele-
grams But / was a stranger IN PlttsouIg;
However, J made up my mind that ! MOese
learn TO repeat successfully eacn business
house In the principal streets, and was soon
aole TO shut my eyes and begin az one sue
to the top. and then tei pass to the other side
and call every firm 10 the bottom. beIore
long l was able to DO this with the business
streets generally. My mind was tneh dI leSe
upon that point.
OF course. every ambitious messenger BOY
wanted TO become an operator. ana D eicas
the boys slipped up to the instruments and
practiced- This did, and was able, to talk
to the other boys along the line VINO were
one morning I heard philadelphia calling
Pittsburg and giving the signal, Death mes,
sage" Great attention was then being pald
to death messages" and L thought ought
10 try 10 take this one. / answered and did
So and went off and delivered 1t before the
operator came After that the operato tors
sometimes used 10 ask to work for them.
Having sensitive ear for sound, l soon
was then 10 v t4e uncomnon0f think only two
persons in the United States could then 40
GoT every oRera99r do 6aX Wh.t O sny other
boy can-if you only have 10. This brought
me into notice, and finally / became an
recompense of So per month, $500 a year,
This was a fortune; the very sum that
had fixed when 1 was factory worker as
the family could live on 800 a year and be
almost or quite Independent. Here 1t was at
last! But / was soon 10 be in receipt or
extra compensation for extra work.
The six newspapers OF PittsDurg received
news In common. Six copies of each dispatch
were made by a gentleman who received 80
pei. week for the work, and he offered me
gold dollar every week If I would do IL, OF
which l was very glad, indeed because l
| bic for newspapers.
| The reporters came to a room every even
ing tbs Tor the news which had prepared hand and
course with these clever fellows, and, be-
sides, l got dollar week as pocket money,
by me- raa.' was A0' ''AS''s's' -A''' '''D'
| think this last step Of doing something
beyond ones task is fully entitled to be con-
| sicered business" The other revenue, you
see. was just salary obtained for regular
work; but here was little business opera
proud indeed of my dollar every week.
The Pennsylvania railroad shortly after
| this was completed to Pittsburg, and that
genius. Thomas A. Scott. was its superin-
| tendent. He often came 10 the telegraph
office to talk to his chief, the general super
| intendent, at Altoona. and 1 became known
| 10 him IN this way.
CLERK TO A FAMOUS MAN.
When that great railway system put up a
wire OF its own, he asked me to be his
clerk and operator" So left the telegraph
| ofhce-in which there is great danger that
| young man may be permanently buried. as
| 1t were-and became connected with the rail-
| ways. The new appointment was accom-
| panied by a, to me, tremendous increase of
salary. 1t jumped from s25 to $50 per month.
Mr.. Scott was then receiving $125 per month,
and / used to wonder what on earth he
could do with so much money.
/ remained for thirteen years in the service
| OF the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and
| was at last superintendent of the Pittsburg
| division of the road. successor to Mr.. Scott,
who had in the meantime risen to the office
Of vice president OF the company.
One day, Mr.. Scott, who was the kindest
OF men. and had taken great fancy to me.
asked me If I had or could find $500 TO invest.
| Here the business instinct came into play.
/ felt that as the door was opened for a
business Investment with my Chief it would
| be willful flying in the face OF providence II
| ] did not jump at It.; SO answered promptly
Yes, sir, think can"
Very WELL" he said, get it; man has
just died who owns ten shares in the Adams
Express Company, which L want TO buy; II
you with little balance If you cannot raise
Here was a queer position. The available
assets of the whole family were not SEQ
failed us. and felt sure the money could b
| raised somehow or Otner Dy my mOtler. IN
deed, had Mr.. Scott known our position h
would have advanced it himself but the las
thing in the world the proud Scot will d.
The family had managed by this time t.
purchase a small house, and paid for 1t IL
order 20 save rent. My recollection is tina
: The matter was laid before the council O
!. three that night, and the oracle spoke
: take the steamer in the morning for Ohio
and see uncle, and ask him to arrange il
am sure he can This was done. o
; course, her visit was uccessful-where d
she ever fail?'
The money was procured; paid over; tel
! shares OF Adams Express Company stool
start"
! Adams Express stock then paid month";
: dividends of per cent. and the first checl
for $40 arrived. / can see it now, and 1 will
remember the signature of j: c. Babcock
!, cashier" who wrote big John Hancock
The next day being Sunday. we boys-my
self and my ever-constant companions-too
country. and sitting down in the woods
showed them this check, saving, Eureka
: Here was something new to all OF US. 70
. none of us had ever received anything bu
from toll. A return from capital was some
, How money could make money. how. with
7 out any attention from me, this mysteriou
ysoT Se pTt Of sa young 20
, lows, and ! was for the first time hailed a
| Capitalist"
You see 1 was beginning to serve my ap
! premiership as a business man in a salts
| factory manner
THE FIRST SLEEPING CAR.
A very important incident in my life oC
, CURED when. one day in train, nice
| farmer-looking gentleman approached me
. saying that the conductor had told him
; was connected with the Pennsylvania raj
: | road, and he should like to show me some
' thing. He pulled from a small green ba
I the model of the first sleeping car Tni
!. | was Mr.. Woodruff, the inventor. Its valu
. | struck me like flash / asked him to com
5 to Altoona the following week. and he di
4 | so.
+ Mr.. Scott, with his usual quicknes
e grasped the idea. A contract was made wit
: Mr.. Woodruff to put two trial cars on tn
| Pennsylvania railroad. Before leaving A
Z toona, Mr.. Woodruff came and offered m
y an interest in the venture. which prompt
: | ments rather troubled me, for the cars wer
= | TO be paid for In monthly instalments afte
a delivery, and my first monthly payment wa
= to be $217.50.
had not the money and / did not see an
: | way OF getting IL. But finally decided I
= | visit the local banker and ask him for
loan, pledging myself TO repay at the raj
, OF SIS per month. He promptly granted
= Never shall forget his putting his arm ovt
y my shoulder. saying. "oh. yes. Andy. yo
y T then and there signed nv first not