The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-04

breaker had come 10 town I got {
hurry move on and went to take {
look at the youthful paragon. say:
George Palmer, in the Sunday sup
pIement of the san Francisco CaH
Following the directions given me
went 10 a florists shop at the Market
street end Of Eddy street. where
| was told the young gentleman had
hung out his single. There dis
| covered that such a business man as
Alfred Freitas did exist but to get a
sight of the busy messenger service
| boy was altogether different ques-
ton.
Hes seeing the Supervisors about
his franchise" I was told on one visit.
| on another he was out on business. a
third time I caught a glimpse Of him
as he was being whirled off in an au-
| tomobile from the front of the estab-
| lishment. Ny inquiry as to where he
was bound drew from one Of his EN-
| ployes the information that Freitas
was off uptown to collect his auJomo-
| bile commissions.
Ny curiosity, which had not before
been slack, was now wider awake
than ever and l ELECTED the informa-
ton that the busy yn'cag man, aged
II. who proposes to break into the
trust and the lucrative business of
the American District Messenger Ser
vice, the Commercial Union, Wells
Fargo and a few others. had added to
his business shortly after its COM
mencement last November the profit
able branch of establishing a connec-
ton with an uptown firm of automo-
bile livery people, from whom he
draws commissions for all automobiles
hired through him.
Again and again I wandered round
searching for my quarry. Finally
located him one night by accident
curled up and half asleep on a lounge
in the lobby of the st Francis Hotel.
"Freitas,' I said, ''how do you do?"
Freitas had never seen me before,
but he was equal to the occasion.
He turned a bright, healthy face up
to me and answered: ''Oh, I'm all
right, old man, how are you?"
1 sat down by Alfred FTeitas and
asked him how he did it, explaining
that 1 meant the trust breaking and
the automobile commissions.
Freitas uncoiled and looked me over,
then drew from his vest pocket a
handful of business cards. These he
handed me and from the top one I
read:
United Messenger Service.
Parcels, notes, etc, delivered to all
parts of the city.
Automobiles for hire.
Honest, reliable boys. A. FREITAS.
Then followed a telephone number
and an address on Eddy street.
Tell me all about it, Freitas," I
asked rs it true that you have petit
toned the Board of Supervisors for a
franchise to run messenger service |
wires over certain sections of the |
city,"
''Yup," answered the youngster.
well, go ahead" I said, what is it |
all about?"
law, there is nothing to it; I'm in
business, that's all. I've been in bus |
mess all my life. Before I left Ho- |
noluIu 1 used to peddle magazines. I
was the only boy allowed on the Mail |
dock there and l made out pretty good /
at it,
And now you are in San francisco" /
1 said. rs it true you worked your
way over on a steamer?'
Worked my way?" he queried.
t'Yes, L did, but We slowed away
first" and then Freitas let me into
the mystic secret of how to stow away
aboard ship if ever I wanted to get
out of town and hadn't the dough 70
manage it with.
There were four of us there at
Honolulu, and one day we took it into
our heads that we would like to see
the ruins of San Francisco, so we went
down to the Mail dock and found out
that the Alameda was leaving for San
Francisco the very next day. Next
day we went down again and helped
to carry the passengers bags aboard.
l carried a mans suitcase aboard and
then l went down below and hid in.
a stateroom. By and by the other
three came down to where / was and
we hid there all together until the
ship was out at sea. When they found
us they took US before Captain Dow
dell and he asked us what we meant
by it. l told him 1 wanted to go to
San Francisco to see the ruins, and
as he couldn't send US ashore he made
us work our passages to San Fran
cisco. / scrubbed decks all the way,
and I wasn't seasick. The other kids
got bunch when we got here and
We're scared and asked the captain to
take them back.
Il wouldn't go back because the boys
would laugh and josh me and say:
Gee, you came back ON the same trip
SO I thought I'd stay
Well you are here now, Freitas, and
you appear to have made good
law, 1 went into the messenger bust
ness as soon as 1 got ashore. That was
last November Then I struck the place
am at now and did the messages for
him."
Freitas had by this time frightened
up to the telling, and told me all
about his mother and his father. His
family history I learned in a few short
Born at Honolulu at the corner of
Emma and Punchbowl streets, went to
school, left school and peddled maya
Zines. That was the past of Alfred
Freitas up TO the time of his landing in /
san Francisco. A creditabIe past, !
thought it. 1 found that his father !
lad died only a few weeks ago and :