The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-16
MESSENGER BOYS DUTIES.
They Come i'm Contact with All Sides
of Life-Queer Calls.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
The boy who has to shift for himself in
a large city deserves great credit if he
grows up to be IAN ornament of society"
and this applies with particular force i'm
cases of the uniformed messenger lad.
He sees service by day and by night. and
there is scarcely any place, from the pal
ace of the rich to the tenements of the
very poor, from churches TO the lowest
haunts of vice, TO which sooner or later
his duty-or his necessity-does not take
him. AS for the things he has to do.
they are bewidering i'm their multiplicity;
and as for the characters with which
he comes in contact they are as diverse as
human nature. Not even the newspaper
reporter sees as many sides OF life as
does the messenger boy. The former, more
over is seldom more than a recorder: but
frequently the messenger boy is a par
ticipant and agent in what goes forward.
Sometimes he is benefactor in a queer
guise. Under such headings would come
that boy whom an aged and inveterate
topper periodically employed to accompany
him when he started out to enjoy the de-
lights of tipping without becoming hope
lessly inebriated. The sole business OF the
boy was to watch for the moment when
it should become evident that his patron
was going" when ii became his func-
ton rudely to strike down the next glass
that raised. The shattering of the
wine cup proved almost invariably an ef-
-fective signal, the old man conserving TO
be led home and compensating the boy
with heartfelt thanks. Very similar, but
more depressing, was the case of the wom-
an whe was victim of drink, and was
accustomed TO rent room in hotel
mot so far from here" said the down.
town superintendent who related the story
where, locking herself in, she would pour
down liquor until intoxicated. As a guard
while in that condition, she always en-
ployed messenger boy, who watched the
whole process of inebriatiOn and remained
until the woman had slept off her stupor.
This was dull pastime for the boy, and
the same one never wanted the job twice.
Not seldom III the discharge of offensive
missions the lad comes TO grief. one was
recently employed TO obtain evidence for a
divorce suit, and being suspected, was
badly beaten. Another was engaged 10 fol-
married pair whose destination rudely
sportive friends desired to know. The OBJ
ject of the trailing cyclist was somehow
OWNED and the indignant bridegroom, as
sisted by the coachman, demolished the
wheel and bruised the rider.
Messengers have been summoned TO take
pampereo pet dogs out for an airing. This
is regarded as delightful occupation but
IL is otherwise when baby is committed
to their charge. which has happened But
the lads prefer even this TO the task of
leading a blind person about the park AS
general guides about the city they are not
seldom employed, and some women hire
them as escorts and guardians while on
shopping tours. There is an authentic in.
cident of a woman who. having pressing
need for cash-being visitor whose ''re-
mittance had failed-gave messenger
boy whom she met on the street a dia-
mond ring to pawn for her. He turned
up at the hotel with the money.
In the commercial and financial world
the messenger is factor a firm in keen
competition with another desired TO know
to whom and in what quantities its rivals
wares went and hit upon the plan of trac-
ing deliveries in the city by means OF mes
senger boys. About dozen lads were en-
gagged, who loafed in the neighborhood,
memoranda of the goods. followed the
wagons to their destinations and brought
back full data. The representatives OF the
enterprising firm called Immediately upon
it's competitors customers At the Stock
Exchange there has been need of 800 boys
ever since election day. but the company
right material. To be OF value in Wall
street boy must know the region
thoroughly. be acquainted with its Jargon
and have all the natural brightness posi-
BILE Every week the Panama Steamship
Company sends messenger boys to its dock
to tally the discharge of banana cargo.
This is really clerical work. and clever boys
are selected. The banks employ large
numbers of boys to collect coupons. and
IL Is remarkable now le" nave Deen the
losses
The messenger boy who travels far on
errands of great or little moment has be-
come rather familiar Smith, the American
District boy, who journeyed to Pretoria and
delivered a more or less comforting mes
sage TO President Kruger. who received
him in state. though accredited rep
resentative of the American Nation has
had an international notoriety He is A
lad with an open, ingenious. and even re-
fined face. and IS now clerk for the COM
rany at No. ls5 Broadway. But the mes
senger boy who has been made most CT for
long journeying is William Thomas Jag
gers. whom Richard Harding Davis sent
from London TO Chicago with an engage
ment ring Jaggers was feted and pho
toeraphed from New York TO the Western
metropolis and back again. and he won on
his merits, for he was universally pro-
nouncee an extraordinarily cute little
Cockney lad. He was only thirteen-fwo
years younger than Smith. Since then