The reader will observe that when Boyville was well organized no
boys were admitted to membership except those who sold newspapers or
shined shoes. But later, after many years of work, incident after
incident came to the president of the wrong-doings of the carriers who
occasionally sold extras. Those boys came from the best families and
much was expected from them by the sellers. But some of them proved to
be very bad boys. The following is one of a number of incidents that
induced the president to include the carriers in the association.
A very kind lady, living in the heart of the city, and who was a
subscriber to one of the dailies, reported to the president; “a boy
who carried my paper and whom I owed eighteen cents, has skipped with
a dollar. He did not have the change and asked permission to cross the
street to get it. I saw him run down the street as fast as his little
legs would carry him. I knew he was running away and would not return.
It is not so much on account of the money, that I call your attention
to this, as it is to correct the boy, and save him from future wrong
doing.”
She was asked to describe the boy. As it was dark this was difficult.
“But I did notice,” she said, “that he had on a very bright pink
necktie.”
This was the first instance she knew of the boy being dishonest. He had
always delivered the paper promptly, never missing a day.
“But, a big new dollar was too much for him.”
Immediately upon the receipt of this information the president called
his best officer and repeated the story.
“A pink necktie,” he said. “Let me see, there is a pretty lively little
fellow that comes down town occasionally and poses on the corners. I
know him. He always wears that necktie.”
Inquiry among the sellers soon gave the officer all the information
necessary as to where the boy lived. He was not a member of the
association. He was a carrier. He was supposed to be good. A dozen boys
knew the pink necktie carrier.
Following is the official report of the officer who went after the boy.
“I found he lived over a mile from the place where he delivered the
paper. It was a swell part of the city. When I went there I asked for
the boy. He was in bed. I told his mother I wanted to see him on some
very particular personal business. He was tucked up in a nice warm
bed, and I hated to disturb him. When I asked him if he had received a
dollar from a lady for papers, he covered his head with the clothes.
I knew I was right. I told him to get out of bed, and go with me to
see the lady, return her money, and beg her pardon. I had him dead
to rights for he didn’t want his mother to know what he had done. I
went down stairs and told his mother I had some very important things
we boys wanted him to do. She hesitated a little and finally let him
go. He dressed, and when on the way I told him he must get down on
his knees and beg the lady’s pardon; he cried and said, ‘I will go
home before I’ll do that.’ All right, I said, if you want your mother
to know what a little rascal you are, how you steal money, we’ll go
back, but if you want to be a little man, and make things right, with
my help, well and good. When we reached the house, we had to go up a
stairway, and the boy threw himself on the steps and said, ‘Oh, I can’t
do this,’ but I said you could steal all right, so come on. Up the
stairs we went, and I knocked at the door. I thought that boy would
faint. ‘Oh, I can’t do it,’ he cried, when the door opened and the
lady stood before him. She understood the situation. She lifted him to
his feet. I pulled him back, and said, ‘No, my lady, he must get down
on his knees, return you the dollar, and beg your pardon.’ It was a
tough job for that kid, but he did it; and after it was all over he
said, ‘My! but I feel better, I’m glad this is over.’ On the way he
told me he had spent forty cents and had but sixty cents left to pay
the lady, so I gave him the money to make the dollar, and he is to pay
me five cents a week until all is paid up. On the way home he was the
happiest lad I ever saw. The lady said it was the slickest piece of
detective work she ever heard of, and wished to thank you and the boys
for starting the association.”
A few days after this little incident, the boy was brought to the
president, by the officer, requesting that he become a member of
Boyville. His name was signed to an application and when the officer
asked him how he felt after returning the dollar, he looked a little
ashamed, but quickly said: “You bet, I’ll never do any thing like that
again. It isn’t safe in this city, the kids find a fellow out when they
are bad. I’m glad we fixed it up all right.”
He gradually paid back the money the officer advanced. Two years have
passed since that eventful night, and today the boy is one of the most
efficient officers in the Boyville association.
The following editorial is taken from one of the city dailies relative
to the pink necktie story. It reads:
“The story explains how well the officer did his work. There is a
lesson for boys and men, too, in this little story. It shows that
policemen and jails are not necessary when boys and men know how to
do right. No policeman, judge or jury was needed to straighten out
this difficulty. Newsboy government did the work. It got the woman her
money, and taught the boy with the pink necktie a lesson he will never
forget. He didn’t have to be arrested or go to jail. The public will
never know who he is. He will not be further disgraced. Now, why do
these boys, officers of this association, do this? simply because they
are proud of the reputation of their association. They have learned
that the association’s reputation is made up of the reputations of
its members. They have learned that one dishonest act by one newsboy
reflects on all newsboys and on the organization. So they insist that
all members must be honest and protect the association’s good name. It
isn’t fear of the policemen or jails that makes these boys honest. It
is the fear of their own conscience and the opinion of their comrades.
They want to be able to walk along the street with their heads up, and
to look every honest man squarely in the eye. They know they are as
good as the richest man in town if they are honest. They are learning
that it pays to do right, and not because of what may happen to them
as a result of dishonesty. If men would follow the same plan the world
wouldn’t need its thousands of jails, reformatories and penitentiaries.
If men would only feel that each one of them is a member of the human
society, association or organization, and that wrong committed by one
is a reflection on all, it would save heartaches and trouble in this
world.”