The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-01
MODERN MESSENGER BOY
HE Is PUT TO MANY USES BY IMPA-
TENT PATRONS.
Blind Men Piloted and Babies Cared
FOr-He often Performs I'm
portant Service.
Number Fourl'

Number Four!'
The freckled boy uncrossed his legs,
folded the paper novel quickly and sprang
from his seat on a bench in the American
District Telegraph office He pushed his
cap back on his head and looked inquiring-
ly through a latticed window at young
man.
Go to Ed Blanks Office in the Steven
son building and get Mr.. Snood and take
him 10 the Turkish bathhouse."
Without so much as a word the boy
turned and seized his bicycle and went out
OF the office.
Snood was impatiently waiting at Ed
Blanks office The hoy found him beating
irritating tattoo on the floor with his
stout cane. For Snood was stone blind and
had to rent eyes in the person of a mes
senger boy every day or so. Number
Four to him was a patient, earnest little
guide, and snood always paid him we'll
Those who have charge of the squads of
messengers in the offices of the companies
here say there is practically no limit TO
the uses to which a messenger can be put.
Leading blind men, holding horses and
watching babies are everyday happenings.
The other day well-known woman was in
a department store and met a friend who
asked her to join her in calling tour.
But I've got the babyl" said the woman
asked. So her friend called a messenger
boy, into whose arms the tot was placed
and sent home. The boy was instructed
carefully as TO his duties. He was to take
the baby home, remove its bonnet and
jacket. IF he gets hungry the bread is in
a tin bread box in the pantry and there is
some jelly in the ice box, at the right hand
end of the second shelf next to the butter
and there's two bottles of milk, but DE care
full to use the left-hand one" and so on
with bewildering detail. Home went the
boy and the baby and when the woman
reached home, after her calling tour, she
found baby crying and the messenger max
ing heroic attempts to sing a lullaby. There
was bread and jelly over both. The woman
became so angry because the baby had
been permitted to cry that she scolded the
boy and threatened to withhold pay and
then reported him.
Some time ago a business man here used
a messenger in an important emergency,
where, probably, no man could have done
what was needed. The man had an i'm
portant document to file in county seat
within sixty miles Of this city. If he took
it TO the place he would he knew, be dis
covered and probably restrained before he
could reach the courthouse or other papers
would be filed ahead of him. So he called
a messenger. The boy. under Instructions
took the initial plate of the company off
his cap, boarded a train and reached the
place. He was carefully directed before
leaving, and he was promised a rich re-
ward if he went through" with the
scheme. No one who was watching the
trains paid any attention to the boy, and
in ten minutes he had the documents filed
When it was discovered how the papers
had been filed attempt was made to dis
credit the legality of the transaction, but
it failed
well-known financier of the city had an
important and valuable package which he
wanted delivered. A messenger was sug-
gested He doubted the docility Of the boys
and feared they would be Indifferent to in
structions that TO them might seem
strange. However, he called a boy. The
one who came was bright Irish lad.
sit there for twenty minutes, and when
the twenty minutes expires let me know"
The boy did. At the end of twenty min
utes he touched the apparently absorbed
man on the arm. The man was secretly
/
turned about sharply and said: Take this
cigar stump, carry Il to the edge of the
| sidewalk and drop ii in the gutter" The
boy did exactly he was told.
He was sent on his errand and rewarded
for the diligence he displayed.
XXX
An ice company, which was unable
through adult detectives TO discover what
became of large quantities of ice delivered
by drivers, used messenger boys and was
enabled to disclose the fact that the COM
pany was losing the income from 20 per
cent. of its patrons whose names and adj
dresses were not reported The boys are
asked to perform many remarkable things.
! One of these is the care of children. Ere
quenuy the boys are asked to go to the
orphan asylums and take children to trains.
In such cases the children are infants in
arms and the boys are expected to use the
| street cars. A boy some time ago received
mis- two tickets and left. To his amaze
/ ment, when he reached the orphan asylum,
i he found the baby" to be within three
years of his own age-he was thirteen-and
/ as the street-car fare was required the
| messenger had to run and meet the baby
| downtown. He did not think il so great a
| joke others did.
While the uses of the messenger boy are
| unlimited he is meeting with an impedi-
| ment to his expansion in the increasing
| use and cheapness of the telephone sys-
! TENS. In few years he will likely be more
| of a beast of burden than anything else,
| for the present tendency seems to be TO
| household furniture and office desks on his
/ back while riding a hicVcle and reading a