The Colored Telegraph Messengers

"Colored” messengers for Western Union Telegraph are taking the place of white messengers after their pay is cut.

The Western Union Telegraph Company is unfirming its colored messengers  in this city and the feeling against the colored appointees is subsiding. This innovation was brought about by the refusal of the white boys to carry messages at  the revised rates adopted by the company. The colored boys are giving satisfaction and the service is said to be much improved.
 

“The Colored Telegraph Messengers,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/150.