Child Labor in City StreetsClopper, Edward Nicholas
History
Child Labor in City Streets
Clopper, Edward Nicholas
Child labor
Another Hoosier messenger was only sixteen years of age, although he
had been in the service of one company for four years and had
previously been discharged from another company for having defrauded a
patron. This lad was a typical boy of the street; his features were
drawn, black lines were below his eyes, and his walk could be
described best as a drag. "I know every single house of prostitution
in this city," said he. "I have been in every one. I get drinks in
most of them, and many a time I was drunk for a whole day in some
woman's room." This boy, having been in the service several years,
spoke of the ravages dissipation had wrought on the women of the
underworld. He had known many of them when they were just starting in
their life of shame, and remarked their rapid decline. Voluntarily he
spoke of the venereal diseases from which he had suffered. He said
that he had been discharged from his first job as a messenger for
having defrauded patrons. To illustrate how the scheme worked, he
said: "A woman wanted me to carry a package to some place and asked me
what it would cost; I said one dollar, and she said she wouldn't pay
it because it was too much. I told her to speak to the manager and
gave her the telephone number where my pal was waiting for the call.
She asked him whether he was the manager, and he said, 'Yes'; then she
asked how much the charge was, and he answered one dollar. Then I went
on the errand, and we split the difference. Somehow the manager got
wise, and out we went." This boy's conversation was a continuous flow
of vulgarity. When the agent mentioned gambling, the boy drew from his
pocket two sets of dice and said they were "ready at any time to do
business. When the first of the month comes around, I am generally
short or ahead $5. I lost $8 once. When I have no ready cash, I play
on account of my salary."
An eighteen-year-old messenger said: "I have been in this business
here for five years, and a night never passes that I don't go to a
house of prostitution; that's our main business at night. They could
not afford to have a messenger service in this town at night if it
were not for the red light district. We have to do all their work,
because they trust us." This boy spoke of the venereal diseases other
boys in the service had, and admitted that he had contracted them
twice himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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