The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-07
IMPRISONED PASSENGERS.

A GENTLEMAN AND Two LADIES DETAINED ON
THE REAR PLATFORM OF AN 81" cAR-oB-
srlNATE EMPLOYEES AND INDIGNANT BY
sTANDERs.
An exciting scene occurred at about six O'Clock on
Friday evening at the Forty-second street depot of
the Metropolitan IL" road. 1t appears that each
train Of this line starts its trip the
OF the last car locked. aud without brakeman on
the platform any official at the various depot
landings to passengers against boarding tho
train at that end. Occasionally the trains run up
to the stations under such strong Roadway
that the rear platform is brought oppo-
site the depot landings, when passengers
step on board the train only to find the rear door
locked and the cars in motion. Under these circum
stances as q rule. the imprisoned passengers
compelled either to jump off while the train whirls
along wait until it stops at other station,
beyond their destination, under the same crcum-
stances which permitted them to board the cars.
At OF the downtown stations. on the evening
mentioned, gentleman accompanied by two ladies
ang m a 70 at
tempted to leave but could not the end of the
last car was some distance from the platform.
At Fourteenth street. Twenty-third street and
Thirtythir street they also made frutess attempts
to get of, the gentleman reaching over the rail and
calling out to various people the platforms to
quest one of the brakemen to open the rear door
OF the car.
PAID NO ATTENTION.
The passengers in the last also asked the
brakemen to open the door, but those employees
paid no attention to them and gave the signal O
start. On approaching Fortysecond street the gen.
tleman, last resort to obtain the lib
erty Of himself ana the two frightened ladies
in his charge, knocked out the glass win
dows Of the door, and. introducing his head
called again to the brakeman. but without avail.
A passenger inside the then opened one of the
end windows. and the gentleman crawled through
and, rushing up the passage way to the brakeman,
demanded that he should unlock the door and
lberate the ladies' To this the brakeman replied by
asking, "Did you smash that CLASP YES" said
the gentleman "and will pay for it if necessary, but
/ want you to open that door and let those ladies'
off," by this time the had stopped at the For
tysecond street depot and the brakeman seized hold
or the gentleman and pushed him off the cars say
ing. eve will attend to your case" number of
indignant passengers then rushed out upon the depot
landing and crowded around the brakeman and his
struggling victim. AS the train hands first under
took abuse the passengers. it looked for time
though they would be roughly handled by the
crowd, but the former soon sobered down and the
captive was released. After this the conductor as
is stated, endeavcred to strike a downtown mer-
chant on the head with lantern, but he was
promptly subdued. During the melee there were
loud cries of Let the ladies out but none OF the
employees would do it. The conductor ordered the
train to start. hut at this moment policeman ap-
peared on the scene and he learning the cause Of
the trouble. ordered the door to be unlocked when
the imprisoned and terrified ladies were ut length
permitted to land The indignation among the pas
sengers who witnessed the scene was intense.