The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-07
THE NEW YORK HACK DRIVERS.
Represented as Gang of Insolent and
Defiant Robbers.

oepreSented as a Gang OF lnSOlenL hhO
Defiant Robbers
New YoRK, Oct. CT seems to me that
the New York cabmen are more extor>
tiouate, piratical and belligerent than they
were even before the cheap cab service
started in, had its being and dismally
failed.
Even though the price is fixed by law for
stipulated distances, the cabmen make the
most preposterous claims, aud what Is
more noticeable, they fight like mad for
fares to which they have no just claim.
took cab half an hour ago from the
Grand Central station to the Gedney
house, distance of less than five blocks.
The man had put trunk on the cab by the
aid of one of the porters at the baggage
office of the Grand Central, and the porter
had collected his fee with mastery assur-
anco and then divided it with tho driver
before my eyes When | got out of the
cab at the Gedney the driver, who was a
tough of the bad New York boy" variety,
jumped down from his box, hitohed up his
trousers, cast bis hat over his eyes, took a
} firm grip of his cigar and stared at me with
arms akimbo.
How much2" said l.
1.-TWO dollars"
zone dollar" said, passing it out to
him.
Rut hO StitI bu6 CaDIIldtl, Nlbu u Nci
foxy look, you don't string me ON no such
scheme as that. l was born right here in
this town, and knows the law like sena-
tor. Two dollars or nothin'.
''Well,7 | said then, "it's nothing" and
walked into the hotel The instant turned
my back, he assailed me with the most foul
abuse imaginable He walked all tho way
into the corridor and continued calling me
every name in the vocabulary of slang,
smut and blasphemy which tho metropolis
can boast until he was put out of the hotel
and paid his legal fare by the authorities
which. by the way, was just 80 cents.
The incident is more or less trivial;
but it was decidedly unpleasant
as it went on. A welcome home of this
character lacks some of the elements of re-
fined, gentle and cultivating christian in
fiuences In other words, it was extremely
unpleasant, and that is the word that de-
scribes the entire cab service of New York
city. Old New Workers refuse TO take cabs
as u rule because the pavements are
SO bad that their lives are nearly
joted out of them in the first
place, and secondly on account of
the Internally abusive and blackguard
methods of the hackinen. The service
which this particular hackman rendered
me in such brutal manner would have
been skilfully performed in London, by
polite driver and q perfectly appointed
hanson, for 81 cents; in France by
driver with the suavity and polish Of a
Chesterfield, who would have accepted
20-cent fare with equanimity and q
4-cent tip with every outward mani
festation Of gratitude; in Berlin by
surly but contented person for 20 cents; in
Havana you could have ridden In an open
Victoria for 10 cents; and in any of the big
cities of Chicago, Vienna, TORONTO or Mon
treal the fare would baye been exactly 25
cents or its equivalent The reason why
New York has such eKecrable cab service,
generally coincide with the cabmen.
| know that this will be disputed
moro or less in official circles.
but the experiences of all New
Workers with whom | have talked is SO
similar in tho matter that L vepture to say
that the very last man in the world that the
citizens of the town think OF referring TO in
cab dispute is the sergeant Of tho nearest
police station. / have had two recent
experiences with police sergeants. On
one occasion 1 was returning late
at night from a dinner, when j
became aware Of row on Fifth avenue
between a hackman and an Englishman.
The voice Of the latter sounded familiar
and | went up to him to see IL | could be
of service. He was London man of the
ultra English type, with "a broad accent
Il
Tho driver had evidently picked him out as
a choice and captivating victim. He had
driven from Wallack's theater to the house
of n lady whom he had taken to the play,
The distance was less than "a milo and tho
charge was s.. He had taken the lady into
her house, said goodnight, walked down
the block and was having it out
with tho cabman when / came
along, After an extended squabble
the Englishman and got into the cab and
were driven to the nearest police station.
There the facerious sergeant, in the presence
of one or two intensely admiring policemen,
mimicked my English acquaintance, guyed
tho cabman, and decided that the legal
fare was S3. In pointof fact it should have
been bat 81. On the other occasion had
taken cab from steamer and the driver
had come to the conclusion that was either
an immigrant or stranger to the country,
and had the effrontery to charge
me 80 for short trip.
AS he was obdurate and ugly, had re-
course to the police, but the treatment of
the officials was considerably worse than
the attempted robbery of the hackman. So
convinced am |, indeed, by nay own expert
ence and the stories have heard, of the al
most invariably discourteous action of the
police in controves sizes of this kind, that ]
prefer to be swindled by the hackman
rather than be subjected 10 police wit when
disputes arise-and disputes are an integral
part Of the cab service Of New York city.
BLAKELY HALL