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Matthew Berry’s House Looted
Boy Disappears-Likewise Boarders’ Wads
“Boy wanted at the Telegraph.”
Thereby hangs a tale.
A few weeks ago there appeared in Welland a respectable gentleman, a Mr. Sergeant. His home is in Buffalo, and he was accompanied by his son, a young hopeful of tender years.
The founder of the house of Sergeant, with the junior member, registered at a hotel for a few days until a boarding house was obtained.
Then a position was sought for the lad. One opened on the Telegraph; they were in need of a devil, first class devil who could ink rollers, pull proofs and not pie a galley, sweep up the office floors and dust the editor’s desk without scattering the excised editorials.
Here the hopeful was installed and the fond parent departed for Buffalo.
The lad’s boarding house was on Burgar street. He was fond of eggs, and one day when the landlady gave the star boarder two, and he received but one, he rose up in dignity and left.
It is here that the boarding house of Mrs. Berry, West Main St., comes into the lime light. Here he told the story of the eggs, here he brought his belongings, and here he made himself at home.
Monroe Sergeant was the name of the egg eating devil of the Telegraph, and his age was but 15. His roommate was a young gentleman, named Allison, who is recently from Scotland, and who is employed at the Beatty works. There was another young gentleman also employed at the Beatty works who boarded at Berry’s, and of whom the article will speak later. Master Monroe proceeded to make himself solid with the household, and as it were, grew in grace and a knowledge of the lay of the house. Then he fell ill; it was not an illness by which the cheek flushed or the appetite lagged while the pulse increased. However, it was such as to confine him to the house, and to deprive the Telegraph of the presence of his devilship.
On Monday they called for him to come to his meal.
There was no answer.
They called again, and echo alone replied.
Monroe was missing.
Further search showed that someone had cut a hole in Allison’s trunk and three ten-dollar bills were missing also, and upon extending the search, it was found that the other boarder, Maudsley by name, was minus $12. Mrs. Berry then got busy. With true diplomatic skill the lad had, it is said, paid her $4 for his board, but, lo, it too was missing.
Matthew Berry says that the boy’s father brought him to Welland in the hopes of reforming him. The youngster would not take kindly to parental restraint.
It is alleged that he was light-fingered at his former boarding house, and that , had it not been for the stringency in the egg market there, he might have made a killing.
Chief Grabell is on the trail, and the ad still stands-“Boy wanted at the Telegraph.”
Welland Tribune
28 June 1907
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