The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-12-26
TRICKS OF TRAVELLERS.
Personal Experiences OF a Conductor, an
Accident Insurance Man. and = Ticket

SeAlper-
Cleveland Leader
CREsTLINE, Dec. 10.-We were sitting
together on the C., C., G. s. l., train goin:
from Columbus To Delaware, fieke
scalper, an accident insurance man ant
myself. The conductor had just takeI
up our tickets when a man behind us re
marked: There is conductor whom
you cannot cheat" When the conduct
or returned | stopped him. and pointing
to the vacant seat opposite me, | said
Now, conductor, l want you 10 tell u.
some of the tricks of travellers in trying
to escape paying their fare over The rail
roads. GUu have been on the road OVel
seventeen years, am told, and yOu
ought to be posted. Do you think YOU
can be cheated out of "a fare:''
well, don't know" he replied, a,
he sank into the seat. There are some
pretty sharp men who try To cheat US
but | don't think am caught very often
There are many ways in which fraud.
are attempted. and the men who attemp
them are generally well dressed. good
looking persons. The closest / ever
came To being imposed upon was some
years ago The fraud is the neatest trick
of the trade, and is one thai
will deceive most any conductor in
nine cases out of ten. 1t happened in
this train one day during the crowded
season. The cars were all filled to over
flowing. | had gone through the train
AT Columbus and had taken up the fares
One OF the passengers WIS ii young man
who gave me ii ticket to Westerville, d
station few miles from Columbus. Al
this point lot OF passengers got on, and
/ went through the cars again. In an
other seat of the front car l. saw the
Insnl IL TIL.
erville, with one of my through checks
To Cleveland in his hat He had changed
his seat, put on Il cap. and appeared
10 be differently dressed. | thought
however, ii was the same man. l went
up to him. His attention was seeming.
ly wrapped up IN the newspaper which
he WIS reading. 1 tapped him ON the
shoulder and said, Ticket He looked
up co"lly, and with an appearance oil
surprise said, Il gave you my ticket, sir;
1t was TO Cleveland, and here is your
check for it,
Il said, you gave me Il ticket to West
erville. | know you have my check, but
you did not get it from me- You must pay
your fare from there to Cleveland The
fellow replied angrily that / was mis-
taken. He had paid his way to CIeve-
land, and if put him off, the road would
have to pay for it. | here left him. You
see might be mistaken, and it never
would do TO run risks of damages in
such "A case. | then thought over the
matter and remarked that | had helped
Il woman on the train at Columbus who
appeared TO be accompanying this man.
She had paid her way TO Cleveland, and
had given her check Invent into the
back car, came to her seat, and asked her
for the check. After fumbling around
through her pockets and bag for some
time, she said she had lost it. The fraud
dawncd upon me in an instant, as well as
"A method of exposing it. l said To her
No, madam; of course you can't find
1t. You know well enough where it is.
You gave it Ia your gentleman friend in
the front car, who has just told me the
whole affair The woman was fright
ened, and owned that she had given the
man the check. l then went to the front
car, told the man that | knew he was
fraud, and the woman had exposed him.
He changed his defiant attitude at once,
and handed me Il ten dollar bill, telling
me 10 keep the change. | could not
make change then, nor was able to do
so until after 1 had left the Atlantic de-
pot AT Cleveland. | then sought for the
man, but he had lett the train and was
not To be found. l suppose he was
afraid | would arrest him. | afterward
gave the money 10 charitable purposes"
The insurance man here chimed in
Yes, sir. that was pretty sharp trick,
ana one that is still practiced I saw a
similar fraud the other day | was going
from Toledo TO Cleveland. and had a
seat with a young commercial traveller.
The conductor came in and l paid my
fare To Cleveland. My companion gave
IN "a ypf TN E,lt1Nnrn 1
away took out one of the conductors
checks, of which he had three or four.
and said: Now l am going to ride from
to Cleveland for nothing; but |
cannot do it sitting with you, for the
conductor may recognize me from the
He than went into another
car. When the tram had passed Berea
he came back. / said:
Did You make it?'
"'Of course said he, i always do
GLOW 9 SAID /.
"'Oh easy enough said the drummer.
When left you / went into the rear
FAR, put the check INTO my hat, dOnned
my gray buster, and was intently en-
gagged in looking at the landscape when
the conductor passed me. He saw my
check, the car was full, and he thought
had paid my fare. | made $275 by the
looked toward the scalpeI and said:
Now young man, it is your turn. You
nave seen this trick played, haven't
gou:"
No. have never seen it," replied the
7ender of secondhand tickets, but
near of it almost daily. Y travelling man
was telling ME yesterday how he got
home from defiance TO Columbus ON
,eventy-five cents. He WAS at Defiance.
md he wanted To get to Columbus. He
had only a little over Il dollar and he
lid not want to telegraph for more mOn-
~. He bought "A ticket To the next
station. 4 friend gave him a through
check to Shelby, and this passed him.
His friend showed the stub of his ticket
u an evidence that he 1.-THE friend, had
paid his own fare. At Shelby he bought
! ticket To Cresline, and, going through
he car, pulled a through check from the
lat of sleeping traveller With this
bass ne got to Columbus, and had thirty
I've cents left in his pocket.
This was bad enough" continued the
'ca4per, but the worst piece of down.
light stealing | have ever heard of hap
Dened on one OF the western roads. A
lead beat, one of the well dressed kind,
tn go from Omaha to Kansas
lily, and had no money. At this point |
he train stops for meals. He made a |
'Old stroke and succeeded Going into
he ante-room of the hotel, he took the |
cap from the rack, and, with |
lis lantern IN his hand, jumped on the |
rain and started through. The man he |
net was an old preacher, who luckily, |
vas going the same distance as himself |
Ie came up TO him and said, .Ticke.s.'
The minister handed him his ticket. He |
'ut 1t in his pocket, left the car, and i'm /
returned the cap and lantern
D their place. He then took his seat in /
front car. He was not discovered. |
lis ticket carried hIm through, and the
Id preacher had to pay his fare second /
ime"
At this poinI the brakeman shouted
Cresteine; twenty minutes for supper"
nd our conversation terminated.