Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-28

BOXES-DKSPHRArE MEN READY TO wAYxAY
cAR-AN oED DhIv1R TELLS Hn ApyKN.
rUREs.
altogether quiet and monotonous life. II 4 NOT
all made up Of the juggling of the bell, the
grinding OF the brake and making chaugu
They have sometffing OF romance and some
thing of adventure thrown In upon their life
on the front platform. It Is not every man
who would make q good driver. 1t takes
talent OF q varied and peculiar sort A man
may be qualified for q cashierNof some prosper
Gus banking firm; he might make a crack bur.
glar. or have In him the making of a mug
wump politician, and yet tall far short Of the
mark a. the driver OF q bob-tailed car.
As Q student Of human nature he excels eli
mankind. From his point OF observation he
sees :he world and measures the people in It
bly, disposed. He is equally ready to make .
silent study OF his surroundings He grinds In
his passengers with his iron handle, and grinds
pulls the trap that lets the fares down in the
dark hole Of the box, and cares not whether
tney are =, OF many ny and he whistles gentle
summer evening, sometimes, there IL some one
else on the car besides the passengers. She 10
geneFatly plainly dressed, and sits close up 70
THE FRONT WINDOW
on the brake side. Sometimes she has Child
with her. The driver does not study human
nature on that "trip. Most drivers are married,
but they don't see much more Of their wives
than they did In their counting days. The only
take ride near the front window On the tr ns
side. But there Is one thing that darkens
driver life; one responsibility that sits heaN lily
g gable roof that hangs on the dasher of his car
Ihls Is his nightmare. He never gets quite
out from under its shadow. Its iron ncoks tear
heart. No matter what he is looking ut or what
he Is doing. one eye is always on It. Its loss
OF losing it makes him hold 1t tight between his
knees and watch the tree boxes on O dark night.
The einbezzed millions OF a bank cashier never
cash box. If driver goes to bed with indiges-
ton he dreams II is lost. All his sorrows circle
around II; II Is the source OF all his anxiety.
TALK WITH A DRIVER.
''They are very dangerous, said q little old
driver the other night, as he glanced nervously
at his box and talked to q STAR reporter. III
fear 1t will be my death some dark night. Il
holds only nine dollars, but half that sum IL
enough to tempt some men to terrible deeds.
On dark nights sometimes when 1 am in lonely
places and no one is in the car take 1t betw cen
let the horse CO."
Are any OF them ever stolen2" asked THE
STAR.
Eyes, every now and then one goes. When
the car stops at the end of the line they will be
taken II the driver relaxes hls vigilance for nm
instant. It's an awful loss TO a man" and he
got closer hold on to his box be spoke.
It's an awful loss. One man lost his box only
the other night. We put in ten cents piece
and made it up for him. II we hadn't 1t would
have been hard on his family.
MARROW ESCAPES.
ut is mighty lonesome some places on the
route late at night Nobody knows what
narrow escapes We make ut times" con.
tinued the driver. "way on towards mid
with nobody in the car; or probably there
will DO one very suspicious looking pas.
eow very ~ 70 sns door oSS
the other night a very vicious looking negro
got on my car just before L got to the Capitol
Ii the car. He came up TO the front door and
asked me for change. Then he began asking
questions, aud while he talked he kept his hand
knew he was up TO no good. / took my switch
hook OF the dash aud heid 1t Ia my hand, keep
ing one eye on the negro and one on the boz.
he looked around to see that no one WAS near
Then he made movement towards me and
half drew something from his pocket. But At
tnat moment young man swung in on the
back end Of the car and the negro Jumped or
He would have shot me. just as that driver
was sh tv9 on street the other night But
l had 10 treat him politely as . passenger.
Anyone has right 70 get ON the car.
A FIGHT FOR HIS BOX
ut Is the open car that is most dangerous"
be went on, there Is no protection. One night
after twelve o'clock / was driving down that
hill towards the street bridge, when saw two
men standing, one on each side Of the track
knew they were waiting for me, SO took my
box between my knees, tied the reinS to the
dish aud armed myself with the switch nook.
When got abreast OF them they both jumped
the car, one seized hold Of the dash and tried to
climb over, and one caught on behind. kicked
the first man in the luce aud whipped up my
horse. The man hung on and / Kept kicking.
Just ~ he loosened his mold the horse fell. One
man was in the Car and the other was lighting
for the box. But just then another car came up
aud the men ran of. That's O bad place be.
tween Blaines house and the p street bridge
Several drivers have been shot at there and
stones are often thrown.