The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-04-24
How an Old Railroad Conductor Was
Taken In by Sharpers.


How an Old Railroad Conductor Was
Taken In by Sharpers.
A MAN who has been a passenger
railroad conductor on great trunk line
for twenty-five years would be the last
man one would be likely to reckon
among the victims of that numerous
class who live wholly by their wits. A
case in point, however, shows that the
keenest of men are sometimes the most
easily swindled. Half a dozen years
since man who had run the greater
part of his life on the principal road in
New England accepted a similar posi-
ton on a road running out of st. Louis.
Among his frequent passengers were
party of three men who made no secret
of their profession as gamblers. They
used to make excursions to the chief
cities and towns along the line, and nat
urally became acquainted with the con-
ductor, who, by the way, is a very genial
and social fellow. On one occasion,
when carrying on their business at the
end of the route where the conductor
had occasion to stop over night, they
approached him for loan of $4,000 in
cash, offering him as security a couple
of $1,000 Government bonds, with all
the coupons attached. They made the
reasonable explanation that, for gam
bling purposes, greenbacks were more
convenient than bonds. The conduc-
tors earthly financial possessions
amounted to only about $4,000, and he
drew from the bank the desired $4,000
to accommodate the sportive individuals
referred to. When the loan was made
the bonds were closely examined, and
found to be all right, and one of the
gamblers placed them in an envelope
and handed them to him, and received
the greenbacks in return. The conduc-
tor took them home and continued his
business as usual. On his next trip he
found that the gamblers had left, but
nothing was thought of the matter. A
couple of months later he came East to
accept position which had been ten
dered him, and, as the gamblers had
not turned up, he fattered himself that
he had made quite handsome thing
out of his little transaction with them.
subsequently, perhaps month after
his arrival East, an opportunity for in
vestment presented itself to the con-
ductor, and he entered the office of the
New England Trust Company for the
purpose of disposing of one of his bonds
to raise the necessary funds. Now he
took them from the envelope for the
first time since he had received them as
security for his $4,000, some three or
four months before. There they were,
the veritable securities, he believed,
and, having stated his desires to one of
the attendants behind the counter, he
passed one of them over. A merry
smile stole over the countenance of the
clerk, and, for moment, both parties
believed that each was guying the
other. At length the silence was broken
by the representative of the Trust Com
pany, who made him an offer of a
secondhand postage-stamp. The keen
conductor, the man who had dealt with
beats and swindlers all his life, was, as
may be surmised, taken completely off
his pins when it was pointed out
to him that the bonds were secured
by the "United Republic of Mexi-
co." instead of by the United States
of America, and their market value
could only be determined by some deal
er in old junk or paper stock. In brief,
they were absolutely worthless. In ex-
PLANTATION, it should be stated that the
bonds were faithful limitations in every
particular of the regular 81, 900 United
States bonds. Whether the securities,
which he examined at the time, were
genuine ones, and the change made in
slipping them into the envelope, or
whether only the worthless bonds were
shown, is something which the gentle
man can not satisfactorily determine.
He only knows that the nest-egg of the
visionary fortune which he had for sew
eral months so carefully treasured was
incapable of incubation. and that he
reckons himself among the choicest col
lections of fools to be found anywhere
on the American continent. Immedi-
ately following the discovery of the
swindling he bought seven-shooter and
spent a fortnight in the old haunts of
the clever sharpers, but it is perhaps a
fortunate circumstance for all concerned
that he failed to find them. -Boston
Herald.