St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-04-02
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
Thirty Years Ago Messenger Boys
Had a Fine Snap.
Row They Earn But q Few Dollars
q Week-H0w Newspaper
Man Once "ScOOped-
Horace Greeley.
Especial Washington letter.

4 iSpet lal w asAlu&tou AetteT-J
Il used to be telegraph messenger
boy" says the head book-keeper of \
leading Eotel. "It was very common
thing for messenger boys to make
as much money as the telegraph
operators between 25 and 80 years
ago. We used to receive six cents
for every message delivered and four
cents for every answer to mes
sage. In this way we often made
! ten cents n trip, covering half a
dozen blocks for each message, and
we sometimes had from five to ten
messages each trip. We also used to
receive two dollars for delivering a mes
sage ut the soldiers home and four dol
lars for delivering a message at Airing
ton. We could easily hire horse for
! one dollar to make the trip to the sol
diers' home or Arlington, and it was
lots of fun to take horseback ride in
that manner, and clear from one to
three dollars at the same time. We al
ways had plenty of money, and. be-
sides, had free access to the theaters.
SO that the life of messenger boy in
those days was jolly and profitable
lite to lead.
There was sure thing of a $40 gold
piece for the first boy to deliver tele-
gram to Gen. Grant at the white house
on Christmas or New Years day. Con-
sequently there was always great ri
valry among the boys to get the first
white house message ON those days.
Other boys all along the line, however,
on those holidays received from one
dollar up to ten dollars each for deliy-
ering kilograms to the president, and ]
presume the amount rendered in each
case was largely Influenced by the eff
feet OF the telegram on the old mans
mind. Grant was always very kind to
the messenger boys on all occasions
On cold. wet or snowy days the boys
were certain to be invited to a place be-
side wood fire, and have n cup of cof-
fee and n sandwich in the presidents
library or working room, before they
started again on their trips.
Then there was old man Spinner,
the treasurer of the United States, who
used to sign his name SO that it looked
pretty, although nobody ON earth could
read it. He always paid the messenger
boys well for their services, but he
never signed any receipts for the mes
sages. His private secretary did that.
He had a beautiful room in the north
east corner of the treasury building.
and the walls were beautiied with
handsome and costly pictures. His
mantelpieces were covered with brio
a-brac. Old man Spinner had a bed
room adjoining his Office room, and
frequently had his meals sent to him in
the treasury department.; so that it was
his hotel and residence, rs well as his
business office. have had many a cup
and sandwich in his room, and many
. gift of from one dollar to five
dollars in greenbacks-
when I was about II years of age
the telegraph company began to real
ize the fact that the messenger boys
were making decent and gentlemanly
living. and the corporation immediate
ly proceeded to grab all of the receipts
which had been making the boys and
their families comfortable. Uniforms
were provided for all messengers, and
their salaries were fixed at seven dol
lars each per week, which was clear
gain of at least ten dollars a week for
the telegraph company in the case of
each boy. / regarded that as rank rob-