The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-21
Messenger From London In Ogden
On Way Home.
C0CKNEY WON A WAGER
BEAT THE MAIL HALF AROUND
THE GLOBE.
Comparative Speed of Mail and Mes
senger Service Tested By Two
Observation-Disclosures Beat the
Governments By Twelve Hours
From England to California.

James kelSey-heS called Jeemes at
'ome-a grimy- handed, shrewd-f faced
messenger boy from London, England,
was in Ogden two hours Tuesday even
ing, after travelling half way around
the world to deliver a. message. The
boy left on five minutes notice, and
was not even allowed to so home to get
MS baggage, or, as he says, his
bawXeS." The manager said go and
he went. He Travelled against time and
beat the mail service of Great Britain
and the United States by twelve hours
in a journey during which he half
spanned the globe.
1t all came up over a wager. Two
wealthy members of a fashionable Lon
don club got to talking. One of them
had a letter to send and wanted it de-
l1Yered early. His friend, Harry Nc
Malmont, M. p, suggested a messenger
from the government district messen-
ger service. The other gentleman
thought the mail was just as good. Then
they argued. Both men We're English
and neither was convinced. Being Eng
lish, neither would be, easily. Finally
they laid a wager. A letter was written
and addressed to James Shaw Robin
son, Esq, Robinson's ranch, Hanna
ford, Kings county, Cal, u. S. A" A
second letter with a similar address was
also written. One was put in the post
office and the other sent to the district
messenger office, with a request from
the member of parliament to deliver it
instanter, or words to that effect. 1t
was understood that the ordinary bus
mess methods of the mail and of the
district messenger service should be
put in force. Hence when that letter
was put into the hands of the desk
clerk at the Piccadilly messenger office,
that official touched a bell, said Front, -
or called for the next up, in the routine
way.
Job Fell to Jeemes.
The fates that day were watching
over James Kelsey and made it a red
letter day for him. His number was
lis, and on his arrival at the desk he
was ordered to deliver the letter. Then
the chief clerk discovered the super
scription and the member of parlia-
ment explained. This particular boy
must go and must start at once, as the
mail with the other letter was already
en- route to Liverpool. The boy, in bliss
full ignorance of geography, offered to
go. When it was revealed to him that
it required a trip across the ocean he
was still ready to CO. and offered to
run home and make ready. When it was
further stated that he must go at once,
he stood at attention and agreed. With
in five minutes he was in a cab, speed
ing to the depot. He wore simply his
everyday blue uniform, with his big
messenger badge and a cap like that of
an English cavalry officer, which is
much like postage stamp, with a
strap around under his chin to hold it
on. Within twenty minutes he was off
for Liverpool to catch the Etruria.
Meanwhile, Mr.. McMalmOnt was not
idle, and being a member of parliament,
he was influential. Learning that the
Etruria had already left Liverpool, the
boy switched off to Queenstown and
went out to the vessel by special rate.
a special staterOom was given him, and
the boy suddenly discovered that he
was, to use his own words, ''out on the
jolliest kind of lark" Said he: "COves
kept a-comin' and givin me things"
He thought the trip across the Atlantic
pretty slow, which was to say dull.
Death the Only Amusement.
A fireman died and they buried him
at sea. losing a matter of two hours, he
thought. He arrived at New York u
week ago Sunday evening, having left
London April /. Everything had been
made smooth by cablegrams from the
NJ. 2. and in this country Kelsey was
treated much as if he were the packet.
Pullman pOrters, conductors, hotel men
and general passenger agents looked
out for his comfort, and above all for
his speed. He was rushed across the
ferry at New York and was soon speed
ing westward. His trip to Cheyenne
was uneventful, but west of there the
blockade stopped him and he lost eight
hours. A lot of United States troops
en- route to Manila caught up with him
and took great interest in the lad. KEEL
sey's experience with the troops ap-
pears to IL about the brightest spot in
the whole experience. AT Ogden last
evening, when conversing with a Her
aid reporter, he was restless as a
cricket. He rambIed about the depot,
stones at inoffensive sparrowsl He was
clearly bored by questions, but livened
up to tell, in his broad cockney dialect
of the fine treatment accorded him BIZ
the troops. He went on with them 20
Sacramento. When he switched off for
Hannaford at Goshen he lost several
hours waiting for a train, and he has
no kind remembrance for Goshen. Tie
arrived at Hannaford early in the
morning. Mr.. Robinson was not look
ing for him until evening, and conse-
quently was not at the depot, go that
here for almost the first time since
leaving he fell back ON his own re-
sources, and went alone to the Robin
son summer home. He delivered the
message after carefully satisfying him
self that he had the right Mr. Robin
son, took receipt and was ready to
return.
Longed For Piccadily.
He was taken about and made much
of by people of all classes The West
ern Union and district messengers
joined in offering him reception Sat
urday evening, but Kelsey declined On
the plea that he could not wait It
was against orders. He took the first
train east and is to catch the Campania
out of New York Saturday next He
will report to the office in Piccadilly
street and file his receipt. He is afraid