The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-01
Organized Robbery ON the street Cars

Organized Robbery ON the Street Cars.
The arrest Of John G.. Mclean, a conductor
on the Third avenue line of cars, charged with
robbing drunken passenger of his watch,
may call public attention to class of robbery
which cries for correction. How this conduc-
tor who, we trust, is not q sample of his fell
lows, will explain the possession of three time
keepers on being searched ut the station house,
We leave to the law and himself. The car reg
ulations may be strict, but he hardly wanted
so many watches to run his car on time
Many are the risks which the citizen takes
when he walks along the streets after nightfall
The bludgeon, slungshot, knife or pistol in
the hands of rufians each furnishes its ele-
ment Of fear; but there is class of outrage
successfully and continually practised in the
street cars which seldom reaches the public ear
through the press. We refer to the organized
system of robbery which places the city travel
Ter completely at the mercy of the thief The
present immunity which these ruffians enjoy
from capture explains in great measure the
want Of public attention to the matter It is
not done on the simple plan of the Artful
Dodger, who picks pocket and takes his
chance to get away; it is an organization,
which, for the moment of its operation, is as
potent as the pistol of the highwayman on
Hounslow Heath in the old mail coach days,
or as the Apaches or Arapahoes in Arizona or
New Mexico at present. The operation is per-
formed as follows:-The gang, to the
number of six or eight jump on
tolerably crowded car-some on the
front, the others on the rear platform They
then proceed, according to their phrase, to
"work" the car. Those on the front platform
remain there, if the car is very crowded; those
on the rear platform never enter the car, but
remain crowded around the door, Now follows
the operation" If the car is pretty full inside,
with several people standing, the thieves from
the front enter the car, and, jostling each
other against the passengers, Ego through
such as have anything valuable in sight The
articles thus distracted Immediately disappear
with the thief, who rushes out at the rear door,
passage being made for him by his fellow
thieves. Should the passenger who has been
robbed discover his loss he finds that the car
will have run block or two before he can
IOrce nls way tnrouSH tue gang NJ the uOOr
Pursuit then is, of course, hopeless But the
Operations do not end here An old gentle
man getting on the car finds that the way into
the cor is blocked, and the thieves deliberately
ego through him. The conductor meanwhile
looks on, absolutely afraid to interfere, even
if he desired to do So Passengers
wishing to alight are served in the same way as
the old gentleman, until the gang think they
have done well enough, or mayhap stumble
against stout subject with well-developed
biceps and revolver. In either case they
retire as quickly as possible, as they ride only
for business. 1t is q mistake, however, to
think that these miscreants run on the slight
est approach Of danger. They calculate every
chance and always go armed, and will join
rifed passenger in depreciation while they rob
the next man to him. 1t may be innocently
asked, Where are the police2 To stop q car
and call for q policeman would be just as
futile as running after the thief But the de-
tectives, where are theyp 1t might not be
fair to say that they are lounging at these
hours around barrooms, hobnobbing with
gamblers AID tho like, but it might DO true.
! ALI the principal city lines ore subject TO the