The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-09-05
GRIPsACKs AND THE GRABsEATS.

ON summer trips the large family OF GraD-
seats is also taking its vacation, and is to
be seen on nearly every train. Unlike the
alleged lepers, the individuals grouped in
this descriptive are not struggled through
in freight or baggage cars; on the contrary,
they are known to turn the ordinary East
| lake into both baggage and freight car for
their particular uses. A correspondent no.
titles us that eight ticket-holders on one of
the trains out of the city on Saturday morn
ing, contrived to occupy and spread them
selves over eighteen seats. One woman,
apparently the well-tutored partner of
some distinguished Grabseat, had and
held, for sixty miles, four seats, which
she reserved by means of bundles and
small baby. This passenger was SO en-
trenched with her parcels and infant, that
fifty persons or more filed past her without
presuming to disturb her security. Pale
young mothers, with sickly infants i'll their
arms, continued on the weary march
through the entire length of said car into
another one because of the important air
of possession the Grabseats always hold.
Another Mr.. and Mrs. Grabseat held be-
tween them four other seats, by means of
an infant of two years the father having
seated himself opposite to this Mrs. Grabscat
and both together holding the places next
the passage we'll barred with umbrellas.
a young couple, kin to the same family, had
also turned down four seats. occupying two
of them with veloeipede, hat box and
other voluminous parcels i'll brown wrap
ping paper, some of which would readily
have been placed in the rack overhead but
then would not have been SO useful as re-
tanning checks. Dotted along the car be-
hind these werc various male and female
members of the family with stackcd-up
bird cages and bundles. each individual pay
ing for one seat and occupying two, and all
of them established on the shady side.
Most of these family parties, by means of
audacity or blank misrepresentation, held
their own until after the train started,
one ticket paying for four seats, and, re-
spectvely. in other cases, two for four and
one for two
The worst features of the Grabseat race
accepting the cognomen as a true one) are,
however. displayed when either conductor
or passenger holder than the rest breaks
through their barricade and obliges them
to admit another person to the secured"
seats. They are seen to dart injured chances
out of the corners of their eyes at the new
corners, who have quite as much right to
seats as themselves for those they sit in
they put on a black air OF being intruded
upon, SO that the last passengers actually
are made to appear, unless very stout in
their own minds about it, as having come
into reserved seats only the holders
of them are good enough to bear it.
and will not complain to the conductor
and Dust these rude visitors. To see Mr..
Grabseat on his dignity, with strangers
''thrusting themselves into his family
stolen preserves. is indeed. a suggestive
| sight The martyr-like air of resignation:
the condescension i'll taking up his pack
ages from the cherished places, slowing the
bird cage (where it should have been from
the first) overhead. and the velocipede be
low, and actually lifting a tiny child, for
whom no ticket is forthcoming. into his
made with such countenance as no words
can describe. The cold shoulder, the hot
visage. the air of being imposed upon,
are all wonderfully fine attributes of
| ba = uboSa tr1ra placa Snop,c
to looker-on, would really b. in the
cattle car. An enterprising father of a
family, with nurse and small boys on
the alert, has been known to prc-empt
and turn over one entire side of car, and
so squat thereon, with shawl straps.
telescope bags, paper boxes babies and half
grown lads and girls, that six or eight fares
would seem to pay for fully twenty eight
seats. In the Saturday incident referred to. it
is ayerred that more than carload of per
sons We're obliged to pass along through a
half-filled ear, on which eight fares We're
preparing to cheat the company out of ten
additional tickets.
1t is a very safe plan on entering ear
| WHICH Has Utcil Hall llltO Il baggage
car by means of these devices, simply to re-
quest the bold solitary occupant of the two
or four places to remove the parcels from
the seat you choose to indicate. 1t does not
suffice to ask rs this seat taken ?" for the
Grabseats do not hesitate to imply with a
gesture that it is reserved. They mean that
they have reserved it, but give you to infer
that its occupant has just stepped out
An assured air is the only method of meet
ing this family on their own ground You
can suggest to the conductor, if he is in the
neighborhood, that he remove such pack
ages to the rack or the floor and as you
have paid for the seat you occupy, do not be
cast down from your composure ii. by coughs
or naughty air, your presence is signalled
as mwelcome. Reserved seats for baggage
or babies are not sold in an ordinary ear.
though the only way to discover this some
times is to call on the passenger to show the
number of tickets he holds for his barri-
caded seats. The conductor will do this, at
your request, and then-and then only
does this most offensive family give any
sign of confusion or humility. On all other