Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-10-16
AMONG THE scALPERs.
A New and Queer Race of People Brought
Intn ReInn Nv the Railrnnna.

a New and Queer Race of People Brought
Into Being by the Railroads.
Only those interested and connected
with the railroad business have
knowle lge of the extent to which the
ticket-scalplng business has developed
The business Is most peculiar one,
and possesses points which are intri-
cate and very hard to understand. In
fact, there is no regular system, as
each person in the enterprise has
different method for doing his own
business, and then departures from
his established rules are necessary
at times when the disposal OF ticket
is concerned St Paul has its bi ok
ers; Just as sharp ones as are in
Kansas G ty or Ind annapolis. the two
toughest scalping cities in America,
with the exception of Chicago, which
does not count.
The work of the scalpers and their
clerks is to prevent people from
buying their tickets at the authorized
ticket offices and sell at the own
Office ckets which are OIL te often
secondhand. They always agree 10
sell at lower figure thaa that charged
By ther lway ticket agent and thoy in
variably do. The IA lroad companies al
ways allow them cetta n commits on
on every ticket they sell over Their
respective roads, and the scapct, Us
an inducement for passengers TO 90
by his route, divides his commits OIL
with his customer. Scalpers in st.
Paul have been krown to DO so
generous as to give theit east IN
comm SIS on to the passengers as
au inducemcnt for HIM to buy from
them When there Is rate war
the s alpors generally lay in Il large
stock OF tickets at low price and
when rates are restored they can make
rate that Surprises the general pas
senger agents and ticket agents of the
roads. They have broker friends at
st. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago.
and when they have not through tickets
in stock (tickets reading to pc nt' be-
J ond 1.-The places namely they give the
person letter of Introduce on to thei
agent in those places, who furni he's a
ticket through TO destination.
The railroad comnanies ne. sist In dr.
clarino the scalners a nuisance and an
evil. hit they appear to be necessary
evil. for the first thing n railroad c,m.
many looks ont for in st Paul is 70 hnve
good scalper-one who eau tell Il
straightforward, up-and-down yarn
purchaser take II as thon0b it wa:
suoar-coated. The payin , of comm 3
sions to scalpers 8 being ser olsly con-
sidered b. all railroad companies in
the country, aud it is very rrJbabl
that commissions will lie aboH .LeI II
this happens the .aIper Will have IN
dcpend entirely on the revenue re q, we'd
from the profit on scalped ii .kets,
Tbis would have tine effect Of DRIVING n
number ont of the bus ne $ ne the 10.
creased revenue would not s,nport them
all A dozen wears aco all tiekrts
wer, unlimited ones Whel the rail
road companies proposed Inn led ckets
their efTe.t was felt A, it prevented
scalp mo- nj loeolpoints. ThoLn mi cJ
ticket has number of coIpon; ANY
one of which tLe holder could dst,cb
and present to the conductor: bus The
ii nited prevents hi, as the whole of
ihe ,iekas has TO be presented to the
conductor for passage 10 de4tina ian,
The old st,l, of tickets made it n y,rr
easy thing TO commence The okernge
buringss INF now that tho limit l. short
thc tickets ar. more dilficult 10 handle
LATELY the railroad commands nav,
been using an ironc al ticket viii,
requires the pur. .basor's SIGNATURE when
the ticket is bourht. and apai, tho MIR
cbnser must siy1 in presence of tho
ap4nt of tha coJneciin1 line n, h . rr.
t,Irn trip But this anpcars ~ he -
very UNPOPULAR method a d within The
pa;l few months the system has been
almost abolished. AMI VIII in time b;,
done away with. as now the lines r.n-
hiug from Chicago to St Paul and the
Ines from Kansas CITY 10 st Paul arc
sell no round TRIP tourist tickets at n
ycry low rate. stamping them on the
acj signature and den iiication not
re1u re When the lines at Chicago
and Kansas CITY sell these tickets it is
with A perfect understanding that the
ticket3 a-e to be gcaiped AZ St Paul.
The same thing i; done to and frou
every point in the United Stats. This
ors TO show that if the railroad com
panie, did not approve, assist
and . otect the scalpers their
name, would be Dennis. They could
not exist. Aii.ket sealper Is really
4 mddlcmau betwe the railroud
compan;e s aud the public. or rather in
st. Paul they are med um through
which the railroad companies sell their
tickets, and generally all fa IrOal COM
panies VIII howl and call ticket
scalper demoralizer OF the rates when
he really could not cut any rate with