Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-16
DANGER IN A CAB.
Inscriptions Drivers Invent IA Now Meth
nd of Robbing Their Pnsscngers.

Inscriptions DRIVERS Invent IA Now Meth
od Of Robbing Their Passengers.
In the arts. sciences and industries, i'm
pruStmrntS and inventions are keeping pace
with the march of time one of the i'm
portant and prortable industries. especially
III the large cities, is that of robbery. While
not considered respectable. or even safe, II
provides bread daily 10 tens of thousands
who devote their time, talents and energies
tn improving and perfecting plans by which
the unwary may be made their victims.
TrelateSt invention Of the kind which has
been brought 10 the attention of the police
of remarkable simplicity, which requires.
however, nerve and Trckle>SneSS IN carrying
into execution. 4 Cincinnati cab driver.
Whose name is get unknown. Is said Ia be the
inventor. aud his first victim, whom be rob
bed OF a valuable watch and several hun
dred dollars was wealthy stock raiser.
from Toledo. named Chamberlain. ON
leaving the railway station al Cincinnati he
entered a cab and instructed the driver TO
take him to hotel designated. 1t was then
in the nighttime. and next morning, instead
of finding himself in his bedroom, he woke
up in deep gully on the outskirts of the
city. HIS pockets were rifed and all his
personal effects of value taken away. He
said that after entering the hack he heard a
strange noise resembling that made by air
escaping from tube. and soon after lost
consciousness The detectives put on the
case expressed the opinion that the
Traveller had been drugged by sieep-prO-
durIng gas which was forced into the vehi-
Gle through pipe extending Ia the inside
from the drivers seat
\ prominent New York physician, when
questioned aS to the possibility of drugging
and rObhimg passenger under such Clrcum-
stances. said: 1T i a strange story. but
there i no reason why such a thing could
not be done although such a case never be-
fore came to my attention. \ wary and eX-
perienced traveller could not be made vic
tim in this way. a. he would detect some
thing wrong and call halt Immediately,
but men who are little intoxicated. who
are unused to travel or whose minds are
engruSScd with business matters, might be
easily oyrrpOwered.
What sleeping gasSeS could be used for
the purpose"
Those usually used to produce uncon-
seriousness previous to an operation are
ether. chloruform OF nitrous oxide, COM
monty called laughing gas. This
ga> is administered through a tube
placed directly III the mpuIh. WHICH coulu
not be introduced without the subjects
knowledge or consent So laughing gas is
out uf the question Ether or chOrOfOrm
could readily be- injected into carriage by
means of a very simple contrvance placed
under the drivers seat, and distributed
by tubes running through the tubes of the
vehicle. The difficulty of using either
chlOrufnrm or ether with success arises
from the fact that both send out strong
"dor. but this would be liable to escape the
attention of intoxicated or unsOphiSticated
persons.
\ detective attached tn Inspector Byrnes'
staff said: Any man who would under
take t" drug a hack in this city would not
be likely to escape Sing Sing. The trick
has never heen tried here. and don't be
lieye it ever will on any extensive scale,
although it is quite practicable.'