The Messenger Boy Detective

1888 · 32 pages

The Messenger Boy Detective: The Tables Turned This is the opening installment of Charles Morris's serial "The Messenger Boy Detective: The Tables Turned." The story follows Sam Slocum (nicknamed "Shadow Sam" or "Slippery Sam"), a night-shift messenger boy for the American District Telegraph Company in Philadelphia. Dispatched to investigate a burglar alarm at the home of two nervous elderly sisters, Miss Marta and Miss Sophia Bounce, Sam descends into the cellar expecting a false alarm—the ladies have a reputation for reporting imaginary threats. However, he discovers a genuine intruder hidden in the woodpile. Back upstairs, Sam convinces the frightened women that he possesses a revolver left by their nephew, planning to establish a defensive position while they contemplate their next move. The narrative emphasizes Sam's fearless swagger and quick thinking against the elderly women's anxious temperament.

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 1 of 32 — 1 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 2 of 32 — 2 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 3 of 32 — 3 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 4 of 32 — 4 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 5 of 32 — 5 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 6 of 32 — 6 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 7 of 32 — 7 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 8 of 32 — 8 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 9 of 32 — 9 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 10 of 32 — 10 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 11 of 32 — 11 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 12 of 32 — 12 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 13 of 32 — 13 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 14 of 32 — 14 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 15 of 32 — 15 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 16 of 32 — 16 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 17 of 32 — 17 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 18 of 32 — 18 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 19 of 32 — 19 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 20 of 32 — 20 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 21 of 32 — 21 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 22 of 32 — 22 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 23 of 32 — 23 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 24 of 32 — 24 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 25 of 32 — 25 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 26 of 32 — 26 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 27 of 32 — 27 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 28 of 32 — 28 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 29 of 32 — 29 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 30 of 32 — 30 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 31 of 32 — 31 / 32

The Messenger Boy Detective — page 32 of 32 — 32 / 32