New-York tribune., 1909-12-12
G6AEP GoAEP FLORENCE a.1;s;i. Hs,SI
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LADS In UNIFORM
MESSENGERS OFTEN
HAVE ODD TASKS.
Cwrg Fortunes about Streets
Daily-Long PIgrimagcs
Sometimes Made.

When Policeman Hughes raided a crap
game recently on the sidewalk IN front
of No. IS New street he captured. among
the four prisoners resulting from the raid.
John Connor. a district messenger. aged
sixteen. In searching the person OF Con-
nor the police discovered a small matter
OF $3.50 IN the boys pockets. 1t was
brought out in court that Connor had been
sent by broker In the financial district
to deposit the IS $50 IN a bank.
The idea that messenger boy should
be intrusted with such a sum of money
may seem strange to many persons who
are not familiar with the scope OF the
messenger business IN New York. Such
transactions are not unusual. and in fact
vastly larger sums are carried by the boys
every working day. Some OF them lug
large fortunes in money. bonds. Jewels and
securities. and think nothing OF 1t. II
is a matter of pride with the majority OF
messengers that the customer who calls
for their services finds them ready to un-
dertake and carry out any possible mis-
sion.
II is recorded that a messenger boy
named Smith once travelled twenty-eight
thousand miles TO deliver message and
a word of greeting and sympathy from the
sChoolboys Of Philadelphia to Dom Paul
Kruger. at the time when the Beers were
fighting for their independence in South
Africa.
Smith. who is now serving as a useful
member of the police force. did everything
that was required of him and returned
home unmarried by the publicity he re-
ceived for following his orders. certain
element of luck worked IN his favor dur
ing the trip. but il was only a part OF
the same element that every newspaper
reporter counts upon TO help him when
working on an assignment that requires
tact energy and discretion. Smith deliv-
cred his message; got his receipt in regu-
lar form and came home with the answer:
precisely the same as If he had carried a
message to Mrs. Jones at YOnkers telling
her that her husband was detained and
could not get home 10 dinner.
When Lawrence +. Young. of one of the
uptown messenger offices. received call
10 go 10 a handsome house i'm West S6th
street the other day. he did not know
what might he required OF him before he
returned. He gone for one hour. and
upon reporting to the Office turned IN the
proper amount of money for the call. He
learned that his experience had been some
what out of the ordinary scope of business.
The lady who called for a messenger"
explained Young. wanted to have her dress
hooked In the back
That was all The woman merely wanted
to have her dress hooked. and as she had
dismissed her maid and no one else
available she rang for messenger. who
nd Ck.1 be rafr
Charles F. Sullivan. who lives In Jersey
City and works for one of the companies
which have stations I'm the financial dis
trict. has had an unusual experience in the
line OF his duties. Charles is a bright lad
and during the day often handles as much
money in currency. checks and securities
as he can carry. He says he carried more
than 100000 in small bills from one Of the
banks 10 a brokers' Office one day in the
final week OF August. But the carrying OF
fortunes is an old story to the messengers
and Charles thinks little OF his feat al
though It was accomplished with only the
aid of big messenger from the bank. who
acted as escort.
Last spring. when Sullivan was stationed
uptown and was working at night. a call
came in about 7 o'clock for a messenger TO
rush TO East 66th street. sullivan was
elected. and upon ringing the door bell at
the number from which the call had been
sent he was ushered into the waiting room
by nervous woman. who informed him
that her husband. a well known business
man. had been called out OF town durinx
the afternoon and that she had tickets 20
a Broadway theatre. AS her husband could
not escort her and as she would not accept
other escort. she told sullivan that she haa
decided to settle the matter by calling a
messenger and having him accompany her
TO the theatre. calling for her after the psr-
formanee. His behavior was SO self-nos-
sessed and his bearing so courteous thar
when the theatre was reached tho mes..n-
ger was invited TO see the show.
IL Is SO common for nervous women to
call for messengers to guard thsm from