Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-09
CABBIES OF PARIS.
AN AMERICAN WHO WAS FRIGHT
ENED BY THE HACkMEN.

Trying to Run Over u Man-The Public
Hackmen of Paris Poor Drivers-How
They Pass Away Their Idle Moments.
His Absinthe and Bad Tobacco.
Two years ago | saw here in Paris great
fear shown frequently by one of the biggest
gamblers of New York. He has been sport
ing man" all his life; he has been the referee
at several prize fights; he has had 10 do with
roughs and crooks" of all kinds since he was
boy. A bettor on horse races, he also
"bucks the tiger, and plays for big money at
short cards. Noted always as a man of
iron will, nerves of steel and unflinching
bravery, he has more influence over thieves
gamblers and ruffians generally than any
American ever hnew. For some time he was
| the manager Of John L. Sullivan-l shall
continue TO write very respectfully of that
! individual as long as his "left duke" holds its
( own-and was the only one ever able to make
that-you know what ! mean-behave him
self
( Well, a few years ago, this very particular
sport passed some very miserable days in
Paris, simply because he became thoroughly
frightened by the public hackmen. He was
very anxious to hear Patti, then singing at
the Nations. 1t was only few steps from
his hotel TO that theatre, and suggested that
he had better walk there. Walk Catch
me in the street on foot / wouldn't walk
from here TO the other side Of the boulevard
for 81 900. l never step out of this house but
take my life in my hand, and l tremble
with fear ur'tii get back again. There are
cabmen out there who do nothing but wait
for me When they see me attempt TO cross
the boulevard or the rue Scribe. they head
their horses straight at me and try their best
to run over me-" 1t finally happened that he
wouldn't walk d block, if by doing so he'd
have 10 make crossing He always got into
a fiacre or private carriage.
PECULIAR IN THEIR WAYS.
Their is no doubt about it, Paris cabbies are
very peculiar in their ways, and il certainly
does seem as il some of them were bent on
driving over all pedestrians whom they can
possibly find in their way. But [ am rather
inclined to think that this Is not because of
any viciousness on their part, but rather be-
cause Of ignorance. 1t is astonishing what
poor drivers the public hackmen OF Paris are
Chevaliers of the whip on private carriages
are as good here as you will find in any city,
but the "cocher de fiacre" is as stupid and in
different, as lazy and uncomfortable, as any
communist that ever was
Still, if there is one class Of persons with
whom we have more to do with than another
it is these same public hackmen. Here more
than elsewhere he is the necessary collabora-
tor in the three great events in the lives of
the inhabitants. He will drive a merry wed
ding party in the morning to the Butes Chau-
mont In the afternoon he may carry mourn
ers behind the hearse to Pere-la-Chaise or
Montmatre cemeteries; and then, on his way
hack, is rs likely rs not called on to take a
new born babe to the marie of its ward for
registration as a French citizen. He drives
lovers TO their rendezvous, gaping tourists
though noisy thoroughfares, and business men
to wholesale houses. Travellers engage him
going to and coming from the trains; all the
world are his clients and few Of us can man.
age to get along without his services. II he
were not a drinser Of absinthe or bad brandy,
an eater of garlicky dishes end q smoker of
vile cabbage leaves or cut straw he would be
a great deaf better fellow than he is now. He
has contracted the habit of passing his time
when unemployed in the drinking saloon near
est to his stand, and he leaves on the zinc bars
of these merchants de wins not only his earn
ings but also his health, his politeness good
nature, and all the other qualities which the
exercise Of his calling demands When you
go up to a Paris cab stand the chances are
that the driver is not in his box; presently he
comes out of a saloon, his face red with the
bad stuff he has been drinking, and he is not
at all well disposed toward you for having
prevented him from winning another dram
He gets angry if you ask him 10 drive faster,
manages to run into another vehicle, to let
his horse fall down, or to do something else
4 8 - 10, i. .fe
he keeps his whip continually cracking over
the ears of his wretehed beast, meanwhile
taking good care to hold it in at a walk all
the time.
NUMBER IN EXISTENCE
The business of street hacks was COM
menced in Paris during the reign of Louis
XIII, at which time they got the name Of
fiacrc. by which they are now universally
known all over France, from the fact that the
owner of them kept his vehicles in the stable
of an inn which had a picture Of st. Fiacre
en- its signboard. Louis XIV made certain
regulations concerning fiacres, but Napoleon
was the first monach TO require them to have
numbers and fixed places at which TO wait
for customers. OF late years their number
has increased rapidly. There were 5000 in
iS52, but there are now more than three times
o"hSu ~ WV Aa %
companies, the Generate and the Urbaine,
besides which there are two or three others
of lesser importance, also a certain number
owned by drivers or hired by them from
ssablemen. A volume would hardly suffice
to contain all the complaints Parisinns are in
the habit of making against these "chevaliers
du fouet" They are never satisfied with
their pourboires, they walk their horses when
you take them by the hour, and they arrogate
the privilege of accepting or refusing Gus
TONERS according to their personal fancies-
1t is true that one can force a "coacher" to
drive him if one can manage to get into the
fellows vehicle, but he generally takes care
to find out where the fare is going before he
lets them do that, and then, If the distance
is too long for the pourboire be feels sure he
will receive, he declares that his horse is tired
and that he is on the way to the stable to
change it. On holidays he insists on charging
special rates, and sometimes the rates are
quite as high as u fine livery carriage would
have cost you for the same service, and when
he is in a bad humor, he tries to run over
people, an exploit quite frequently accom-
plished, and for which he generally escapes
punishment Cor. Boston Herald.
A New Children's Disease.
Professor Lemaistre, of Limoges, describes