Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-08-03

on rhllroeds ana WV
produce some Of the stories told BY con-
ductors 10 the reporter:
An old railroad conductor. now living
In Springfield. Massachusetts,. tsld the
reporter several queer experiences. He
had been q conductor on two or three
Western railroads. Deed beating used
to be bad enough East" he said. ''but
when you talk about II you want 70 20
west. once, on the Chicago, Bur.
lington and Quincy Read. Q night ex-
press. got hold Of . splendid looking
fellow. When I asksd him for his
ticket he wouldn't answer. II made
me mad at nrst. but he finally pulled
out q little porcelain slate for me TO
write ON. aud pointed TO his mouth and
shoek his head. He meant 10 give me
the idea that he was o dummy"
"a WHAT"
"a deaf and dumb man. He pre-
tended that his pocket had been picked
on the train. and I was green enough to
pass him to Ottumwa. He was . fraud.
l found out aftervard. and travelled al
over the country that way. He was
the msansst kind. for he had money.
Most Of them haven't any. But the
biggest dead beats, and the most fro.
quent out West, are the dissolsts women.
There was O time when none Of than
,vsr thought Of paying. Il WAS . uni
vsrsal custom among them. especially
on the roads leading out OF Omaha, to
take q seat coslly and laugh at . con.
ductor a. he went by. A . general
thing, we lad TO let them pass. because
10 we tried to put them OF II made such
stir anisng other passengers, and caused
such foul language from the women.
that the only thing 10 do was 10 submit
10 Il. Il IL very seldom that . respect.
able woman will get on o train unless
she has either Q ticket or money. and
for thai matter. when o man 10
really In trouble he'll speak TO q CON.
ductor before getting on the traiA."
A conductor on the Vermont Central
road q year or two ago took on at Rut-
land two well dressed. quiet, business
looking men. When be asked for their
tickets they told him that they had
reached Rutland after dark, and that
their only acquaintance had gone TO New
York. They had no cash. but showed
him In q satchsl some bonds and . draft
on New York. and offered q small bond
a. security for payment until they got
to 81. Adams. He was satishsd that
their story was true. and on their prom
iss to pay tho price Of the ticket In the
morning. passed them. He mover saw
nor heard Of them after they got Cd at
st. Adams. excepting that they have
played the same game on another road.
and ut . hotel. There was no doubt
that they were travelling through the
country In that way.
In Connecticut dead beating get TO DO
such q nuisance. not only to conductors
and tho companies. but to travellers.
who often had to wait while q train stop
ped and Q passenger was put OF. that =
law was passed which has almost broken
Il up. A conductor Is not allowed IN
put any one Off between stations. but
he may leave the swindler In charge Of
an Officer at the nearest station. The
dead beat Ia liable to o severe punish
mont.
Innumerabls stories could be told Of
the methods taken by persons TO steal
rides-how they ride on the tops OF cars
by night. or over the trucks Of the
wheels, or on the cowcatcher. On the
Pacific Railroad men purpossly get
themselves locked up In freight cars.
and run the risk Of suffocation, thirst
and hunger for days. On one read In
Connecticut IL was leaned that the con-
ductor never looked on the front steps
Of the first baggage car. and for months
tramps. among whom the secret had
been circulated. got free rides by sitting
ON the lower step. They were hidden
by the engine tender from the engineers
sight. They were discovered one night
by the fireman and the practice Was
broken up.
There was q singular incident on the
Shore Line road Q year or two age.
There had been q camp meeting ct East
Lyme. and the evening train which left
that place for New London was crowded
so that the platforms were Allied. After
passing through = bridge some Of the
passengers who were on tho platform
felt something drop on them. which they
ut fnt supposed was water. To their
horror they found speedily that q stream
Of blood was flowing from the rosf Of
the car. The train was stopped. and on
the rsof was found the manglsd body Of
q man who had been trying 10 steal .
ride. lie probably was struck by the
beams Of the bridge. Soon after the
train started again a man called the con.
ductor and paid his fare. saying that tho
conductor had not collected II before.
but he coulln't ''bsat'' him with such a
lesson Is that mans death gave.
Very little OF this kind OF swindlipg Is
done on the ocean steamships. probably
because the persons who attempt 1t
would dread breal and water fare and
deck scrubbing for ten days. But for
some time after this was II practissd 10
q great extent on the steamships plying
IN and from Southern ports. Reference
Is made to the polite wsll-dresssd
swindler.
They ustd 10 come aboard and swell
around on deck" said the purssr Of one
Of the steamships running to Galveston.
''and when We went TO collect tickets
after We got TO sea they would quietly
say that they had nothing but their
Many OF them were delicate
and polite acting gentlemen.
We would stop aad put them
II We we're not too far from
land. but that didn't pay. 30 We
set them TO work. just a.
did the dirtiost kind Of . stow
,wsy. We'd make 'em sciub deck,
coal and do the dirtiest kind
81 work. and they generally earned their
passage. II they wouldn't work We
put them In the held. and gave them
bread and water nos o day. That gen.
rally brought them to terms. When
not weather began to set in they would
lock from Southern ports for New
York. and when winter began TO come
they would work from this way. I
have known as many a. six on one trip.
Even this treatment did not break Il up,
now before we start we examine the
steamship and every person on board
With the greatest care. 30 that u 10 al.
most broken up. They dad bat