The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-03-05
WHOLE NO. 800
RUNNING DOWN PATRONS.
HOW SHREWD RAILWAY AGENTS MAN.
AGE TO SECURE PASSENGERS.
Persistent Methods to Get and Hold
Trade-How People at the Hotels Are
Notwithstanding Necessary Inforna-
ton of Stranger-Results.

Notwithstanding Necessary Informa-
ton of Stranger-Results.
People who travel much run up against
many strange experiences. Not the least of
these are the curious ways adopted by the
trunk lines running west from this city to Sc
cure passengers. It is an experience that one
has only in very few other cities in the coun-
try. In Chicago, ST. Louis and New Orleans
virtually the same methods are pursued, but
tina experience can be had in no other eastern
city than New Yerk Thestrange experience
all comes about in this way: A resident Of
Chicago, for example, tired of the wheat
speculative business. and the continued swag-
ger about how much greater the Lake City is
than is st. Louis, decides to leave there and
come to New York to get some idea of what
the great world is like, and what real bust
ness is,
THE TRAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
He goes to a local Office of, say, the x. Y.
& 2. road in that city and buys a ticket for
New York. He wonders, perhaps, why the
ticket agent is SO suave, why he is so anxious
about his patrons health and why he asks so
politely his name, when he is to return west,
and perhaps at what hotel he is to stop when
in. New York. He wouldn't wonder if. he
passenger business. He learns something of
them before he gets back to Chicago It is
? learned by reason of train circumstances
which he has unconsciously set in motion
when he talked to that suave ticket agent in
Chicago. That ticket agent, having secured
the money for the passage east, wants
another whack at that pocketbook when the
passenger comes back home. So, in the case
cited, the ticket agent would sit down and
write to the local agent Of x. Y. & O. here,
Mr. James Buckley, something like this:
"CHIcAGo, Jan. -. Joseph II. Thompson
cleft here to-day on ticket No. 137, ,429 over
our line. He is going to spend a week in
New York, and will probably stop at the
Metropolitan hotel. Catch him for the return
trip. Travels first class and sleeper.
"KETCHUM & SELLUM."
Mr.. Thompson does arrive here, and one of
the K. Y. &c Us men who daily scans the list
of hotel arrivals for old patrons of the road
finds that Mr.. Thompson is reported in the
daily hotel paper as guest at the Metropoi-
tan. Mr.. Thompson takes in the town in the
mcst approved style, perhaps, and finds out
that Chicago isn't much of town after ALL
Mr. Thompson has about finished business or
sightseeing, when he is met either in the
lobby of the hotel or the bar-room by spruce
yonng man who would be offended at being
called a runner" But he is runner all the
same. The two fall into conversation natur-
ally take drink or smoke together natur.
ally, and Thompson is led to tell the day on
which he is going to start home. This last is
done unwittingly. Then the young man asks
Thompson how he came east and Thompson
say he came by way of the x. Y. &Z.
"And you are going back by the same route,
l suppose, because they always treat one so
" " ~ IS
imam casually.
He isn't stunned particle when Thompson
replies: II thought I'd try another road
going back so as to take in the scenery" The
runner had met such people before and mad
: tsaA-sA ti,ras. ssss. Of 8sio oeanery theory.
people who make such experiments usually
regret them. he remarks, 'because, you see,
they miss the much more romantic scenery on
the <. Y. & z. Take train back over the |
same route, Thompson" he advises, "and sec
the country you missed seeing coming oa |
east. You see you were asleep when you |
passed through the most picturesque territory |
on the route That's misfortune that east
bound passengers have to be subjected to-" |
And the runner looks as if be actually be
ieved the fiction he relates, and sighs over
what Thompson missed in the way of scenery |
coming east. "And it costs S150 more to go |
spruce railroad man. "That pays for two
meals" With this shot, which touches the
economical side of the wild westerner, who
feels that during his visit here he has "blown
in" a little more money than he ought to have
done, the runner leaves him. The shot has
struck and the spruce young man goes his
way.
The next morning, when Thompson comes
down to get his cocktail-so as to save 10
cent tip to boy to bring it up to his room
he finds letter in his box. That letter draws
attention to the fact that the x Y &Z
road continues to be picturesque, continues to
be ST. cheaper in It's rate for tickets than
the other route, continues to furnish meals
for Is cents each-two meals for the $3.50
saved-and continues to have sleeping coaches
and various other things for the comfort and
convenience of its patrons. It also gently,
but firmly indicates that trains leave accord
ing to the inclosed schedule, and that it's Off
ces are plainly designated on that schedule
Thompson always reads, commonly figures up
his finances, generally yields to the combined
arguments, and goes and buys ticket home
by way of the <. Y q road
There are other ways in which these visit
ors east are unconsciously roped in, SO to
speak, by the shrewd local agents or by the
'scalpers." Passenger agents and ticket
brokers have men who daily visit the hotels,
find out about the arrivals, and follow care
fully with their circulars the list of arrivals
as daily published. Hotel clerks are worked
to find out about the movements of the
patrons of the house, and drummers tell their
favorite ticket broker or agent when mer.
chants have come to town and when they will
return home. Strangers here who float about
town in the evening meet in all sorts of places
agreeable young men who are during the day
employed in ticket offices, and who spend the
evenings at hotels and other public resorts in
the interest of their employers They devote
themselves toseeking out and becoming ac-
quainted with strangers in town, and while
buying them drinks or cigars give them their
card, which always-contain information that
the price Of drinks or cigars IS intended to
convey. That information is either the ad-
vantage of some particular route to their
home, or the fact that tickets can be bought
at MIR. Someone's agency at less than schedule
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