Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-04-02
THREATS OF MURDER.
The Street.Car Monopoly Defes the
Law andsRssorts to Force.

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The triumviraie Of the ~street-csr com.
pany, now that they see no other way Of
avoiding the effect Of the fve.cent street
car fare law, have invented q plan Of
petty annoyance by which citizens are
to be outraged and insulted. Yesterday
when a passenger put in a nickel the
driver at once informed him that ten
cents was the fare, aud then when the
passenger refused to pay any more the
driver ran the car off the track and
stepped. Those who had put i in tickets
were transferred TO the mex car, but The
6ve-cent fare nan had to sit in the sta.
tionary car or get out and walk. The
compsuy's drivers now run the cars off
the track on purpose TO rob the passen-
ger and obstruct travel on The streets.
The authorities should arrest drivers who
do this, as it is a gross violation OF law.
An OUTRAGE AND sui ron DAMAGES
Yesterday Mr.. j. +. Patterson and
family got into street car No. Is, aud
Mr.. Paterson put the nickel fare into
the box. The driver demanded the ten
cent fare, but was refused. He then
stopped ia front Of the stables on Main
street, near Beal, aud calling a lot OF
stable boys the car vas switched into the
stable and stopped running. Those pas.
senge-s who paid in tickets we're trans
ferred, but Mr.. Patterson and family had
to get out anl walk aud allow himself to
be robbed OF fifteen ceats by the railroad
officials. He purposes to-day to bring
suit against the company for FIVE thoa.
sand dollars damages by way Of settling
the matter with the bullaozing monop
olists.
THREATS TO MURDER
Yesterday Mr.. Morrison came up in o
Main street car from South Memphis.
BE put in FIVE cents as usual. The
driver stopped ia front Of the sfics on
Main street, nsar Beal, whore d time
keeper named Woods ofieiates. Mr..
Woods informed the driver that he vas
instructed By President F. s.. Davis and
Secretary Dick Vredenburg of the road
to instruct the drivers to attack passen.
gers with the car-hook if they refused to
put in more than Ave cents as fare. The
celebrated csr-hook murder of New York
is to be repeated ia Memphis it seems,
provided the driver will carry out the
murderous Instructions. Mr. Morrison
heard the "tims'keepsr give the in
structions to the driver. People will
have to 20 armed in the street cars if they
expect to protect themselves against toe
hired DULLES aud thugs who demand lille.
gal lase,
IT WOULDN'T WORK
This morning Mr.. W. B. Chrisman got
fnto a car up tow aud put ia a nickel.
t The driver, q burly thug, stopped the
car and demanded q ten sent fare, which
demand was refused. he threatened to
3 eject Mr.. Chrisman from the car, aud
walked back to do so, but Mr.. ChriSman
: refused to be buildozed or murdered, and
ordered him TO stand back or taxa the
consequences. The other passengers in
, terferred, aud the bully returned to bis
seat, he being deferred aud frightened a.
the prospect Of being made o corpse oil
on short notice.
The attention Of the police authorities
is called to these lawless acts on the
part Of the street car monopoly and its
employees. The public should be pro.
tscted from outrage and robbery.
THE POLICE WILL PROTECT THE PUBLIC
This forenoon a street car driver ap
pealed to an officer of the police force,
asking him it he would arrest a passeu
,, ger who refused to pay more than fvl
cents. The officer Answered that 6yt
cents was the legal fare and he would
arrest no citizen for paying what the
law required. The driver then stated
that Superintendent Barrett hat
D ordered him to put out passenger
who refused to pay more than five
cents. and asked the officer wha.
g he would do if be (tbe driver did SO. t
> which the officer promptly answere,
that he would arrest him (the driver 70
committing an assault and battery, Th,
police authorities should at once Civ,
the necessary instructions to the polict
as to their duties 10 the premises in cas-
the drivers, who are paid fifty dollar
4 per month, decide to obey orders ant
assault and batter citizens, or probabl,
murder them for the same price pc
month, ia order to keep their position.
is as conductors OF mule palace cars.
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