[Illustration: THE PRESIDENT TALKING TO THE NEWSBOYS.]
[Illustration: Boyville]
BOYVILLE
A HISTORY OF FIFTEEN YEARS’ WORK
AMONG NEWSBOYS
BY
JOHN E. GUNCKEL
ILLUSTRATED
PUBLISHED BY
THE TOLEDO NEWSBOYS’ ASSOCIATION
TOLEDO, OHIO
Copyrighted 1905
BY JOHN E. GUNCKEL
All rights reserved
To the Newsboys of America, and their Friends
this book is respectfully dedicated
PRESS OF
THE FRANKLIN COMPANY
TOLEDO, OHIO
_CONTENTS_
_PART FIRST_
Chapter I Page 3
” II ” 9
” III ” 14
” IV ” 19
” V ” 25
_PART SECOND_
Chapter VI Page 31
” VII ” 35
” VIII ” 43
” IX ” 49
” X ” 53
” XI ” 59
_PART THIRD_
Chapter XII Page 65
” XIII ” 71
” XIV ” 80
” XV ” 87
” XVI ” 93
_PART FOURTH_
Chapter XVII Page 105
” XVIII ” 111
” XIX ” 115
” XX ” 120
_PART FIFTH_
Chapter XXI Page 129
” XXII ” 135
_PART SIXTH_
Chapter XXIII Page 143
” XXIV ” 147
” XXV ” 151
” XXVI ” 158
” XXVII ” 164
” XXVIII ” 166
” XXIX ” 171
” XXX ” 175
” XXXI ” 177
” XXXII ” 183
” XXXIII ” 186
” XXXIV ” 189
_PART SEVENTH_
Chapter XXXV Page 195
” XXXVI ” 200
” XXXVII ” 205
” XXXVIII ” 208
” XXXIX ” 211
” XXXX ” 217
_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS_
Page
The president talking to the newsboys, Frontispiece
“I am scattering hickory-nuts under this old tree for the
children to find termorrow,” 8
The original charter members, 16
Ready to start for the first Christmas dinner, 24
Where the Boyville Newsboy’s Association was organized,
December 25, 1892, 32
A bunch of sellers, 40
Festival Hall. Where the National Newsboy’s Association
was organized, August 16, 1904, 48
Newsboys’ Band and Cadets—ready to start for
Washington, D. C., to participate in the inaugural
parade of President Roosevelt, March 4,
1905, 56
“I am an officer of the sellers’ auxiliary; get busy,” 64
“Lady, I am sorry I run away wid de money,” 64
“Trow de cigarette away,” 72
“President, I have already licked de kid,” 80
Getting familiar with the headlines, 88
“Dis here is de dog,” 88
Roll of honor—some of the boys who turned in valuable
articles found on the street, 96
The Boyville Cadets—when first organized, 96
Members of the East Side auxiliary, 104
“Firetop,” 112
“He sweared at a lady and I punked him,” 120
Carriers, 128
Carriers, 128
First sale of the day, 136
Lining up ready to go to church, 144
The tough from market space, 152
Dividing the papers, 160
Two new members, 168
“Tenements on the avenue.” In these old buildings,
at one time, lived seventeen families, 176
“I will buy from the little fellow,” 184
Waiting for the last edition, 184
“Billy Butcher, we must have an understandin’,
which corner ob de street will you take?” 192
“He was fishing in the lake,” 200
Pastime—the beginning, 208
Pastime—the finish, 216
“IF you are going to do anything permanent for the average man you have
got to begin before he is a man. The chance of success lies in working
with the boy and not with the man. That applies peculiarly to those
boys who tend to drift off into courses which mean that unless they are
checked they will be formidable additions to the criminal population
when they grow older.
“No Nation is safe unless in the average family there are healthy,
happy children.
“If these children are not brought up well they are not merely a curse
to themselves and their parents, _but they mean the ruin of the State
in the future_.”
PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
_PART FIRST_
CHAPTER I.
On the corner of one of the principal thoroughfares, in a very large
city, there was located, fifteen years ago, a small grocery store.
In front of the building the enterprising owner displayed fruits,
vegetables and other goods; articles that were particularly tempting to
boys.
In a near-by cottage there lived a very bright boy, twelve years of
age, and familiarly known to every one in the neighborhood, as Jimmy,
the newsboy. And that meant a bad boy.
On the disappearance of an occasional apple, an orange, or if one of
the fruit-stands was upset, it was declared that Jimmy did it. All
fights around the corner originated from Jimmy.
So bad was this boy’s reputation that every one in the ward, including
several Sunday-school teachers, was kept busy looking for a favorable
opportunity to give Jimmy, what they thought he deserved, “a good
licking.”
The groceryman was not slow in letting his customers know how bad Jimmy
was.
He was kicked, lectured, preached to, and a dozen times a day was
pushed off the corner.
He was abused because he annoyed men and women by his misbehavior.
No one ever stopped to ask this boy where he lived; what about his
parents, his home life, or to see if there was really any good in him
worth trying to develop. The bad was visible, and the people seemed to
delight in their vain efforts to correct him by censures and kicks.
There was no question about Jimmy being bad, about as bad as any
street-boy would become who had his own way, and, whose parents
permitted him to go and come when he pleased, and to associate with bad
company, particularly boys older than he was.
Jimmy was a leader of a gang of little toughs who always met at the
corner, in the evenings, and delighted in making it unpleasant for
those who lived within hearing distance. He was strong, quick, and
could throw to the ground any boy of his size, and never hesitated
trying a much larger boy. He was the terror of the corners.
Yet with all his bad reputation, no one ever caught him doing anything
for which he could be punished under the state laws.
Circumstantial evidence was all the groceryman could produce at any
time he was accused. The boy who “squealed” to the groceryman about
Jimmy had to remain away from the corner until he thought that Jimmy
had forgotten it.
Jimmy was a typical newsboy.
He was not happy in fine clothes. He did not use the many slang phrases
which so frequently become a part of a street-boy’s life and enjoyment,
but he had everything else.
He had a small route, perhaps thirty customers, for morning and evening
papers, and when he had delivered his papers, he would hasten down
town, get a new supply of the latest editions, and join the boys in
selling on the streets.
He was an early riser, like all carriers, and long before the neighbors
thought of getting up he was out on the street, and in all kinds of
weather.
The station agent from whom he procured his morning papers said: “There
is not a more faithful boy in the city, from a business view. But he
has to be served first. He has a way of his own in pushing ahead of the
crowd and is always among the first on his route. He pays cash for what
he gets, but still, he is a bad boy.”
A gentleman who lived in the neighborhood, and frequently called at
the grocery store, became interested in Jimmy. There was something
naturally attractive about the boy. There was a twinkle of his black
eyes that was really fascinating.
“I would like to see what is back of that activity,” said the
gentleman, one day to the groceryman.
One afternoon, late in the fall, the gentleman was standing on the
corner waiting for a car when the groceryman called him.
“You said you would like to see what Jimmy, the newsboy, was made of.
He is up to some mischief now. He just bought a sack of hickory-nuts,
and I’ll bet a cooky he is making some one unhappy.”
Two blocks away was a large lot, with a high fence around it. Scattered
about the lot were a dozen or more hickory trees. The gentleman saw
Jimmy climb the fence, walk to the farther side of the lot, and when
under a heavy foliaged tree he stood for some moments looking in
every direction. Finally he began to scatter hickory-nuts under the
tree. Very carefully seeing that they were dropped all around this
particular tree. Sometimes he would take a handful of leaves and cover
over a lot of nuts. To the gentleman this was an unusual transaction,
so he walked around to the big gate and followed a path across the
heavy grass, and went to Jimmy.
“I have a curiosity to know what you are doing,” said the gentleman,
“and if you have no objections I would like to have you tell me.”
Jimmy took him by the hand, that he might hasten towards the sidewalk,
and when away from the tree, he said.
“You see, mister, termorrow is Saturday. There’s no school. Across the
street lives a whole lot of little boys and girls, and some of the boys
don’t like me very well, but that doesn’t cut any figure with me. They
comes over here every day after school and particularly on Saturday
and hunt for hickory-nuts; but these old trees don’t bear any more;
they’s dead. But that one over there, with the leaves, sometimes has
hickory-nuts, but this year nary a nut is on the old tree. So I bought
these here nuts an’ scattered ’em all around the ground, an’ termorrow
I’ll sneak around the fence and watch the girls an’ boys gather them.
Won’t they be happy?”
“I should think they would,” replied the man.
“They are real hickory-nuts, too,” added Jimmy, “I blowed in fifteen
cents at our grocery store. If you want to you may come termorrow an’
I will guarantee you will see the happiest bunch ever gathered under a
hickory-nut tree. Will you come?”
“Well, I should be delighted to come; and I will be there before you
will,” replied the gentleman kindly.
“You see,” said Jimmy, “I cannot come until I deliver all my papers,
an’ that’ll be about eight o’clock. If you get there before I do, don’t
you ever tell who put the nuts under the tree, will you?”
“I promise you, Jimmy, I will not only keep it to myself, but I will
not even go on the lot, until you come.”
A few words about Jimmy and his home, and they parted as friends.
“Under the hickory-nut tree termorrow there’ll be a dozen happy girls
an’ boys, an’ some of the boys don’t like me,” rang in the ears of the
gentleman all during the evening and frequently in the night.
What a sermon, sowing and reaping.
[Illustration: “I AM SCATTERING HICKORY-NUTS UNDER THIS OLD TREE FOR
THE CHILDREN TO FIND TERMORROW.”
_See Page 7_
]